Bloomsbury Children’s Books have acquired two blockbuster middle grade novels from internationally bestselling author, Jessie Burton, author of Waterstones Book of the Year, The Miniaturist.

Publishing in October 2024, Hidden Treasure, is the first of two planned standalone novels and Jessie’s first original middle-grade fiction. It follows the success of her Carnegie-shortlisted YA adaptation of Medusa, published in 2020. Ellen Holgate, Associate Publisher, acquired World Rights in two books from Juliet Mushens at Mushens Entertainment.

Ellen Holgate says: ‘Hidden Treasure will be the unmissable event of 2024. A gripping mystery, full of secrets and twists, this is masterclass of story-telling from a truly great writer. It’s the most extraordinary book you’ll read all year.’

Hidden Treasure tells the story of Bo and Billy: two children whose lives collide when, on the banks of the River Thames, they each find one part of a priceless ancient artefact that has the power to return the most precious thing they have ever lost. Why has the river given up this treasure now? Who most deserves to gain from it? And, more frighteningly, what might they stand to lose? This spine-tingling adventure is set to become a modern classic, alongside the stories of Katherine Rundell and Philip Pullman.

Jessie Burton says: ‘It has been such a joy to write Hidden Treasure, and I’m delighted to be working with Ellen Holgate and the whole Bloomsbury Children’s team again on a piece of work that means so much to me. This is a novel whose setting and themes are close to my heart – and I’m so excited to share its world with younger readers next year. I hope they love the idea of Hidden Treasure as much as I do.’

Excitement is already building for the October 2024 publication of Hidden Treasure, a classic in the making, supported by a hugely ambitious and wide-reaching sales, marketing and PR campaign, with events and activity running through 2024 to publication, Christmas and beyond.