Hope Larson Sells The Absolute Value of Verity Graphic Novel

Hope Larson is creating two new middle-grade graphic novels, the primary of which is The Absolute Value of Verity, which follows the story of an overachieving eighth-grader whose life is turned upside-down by her struggles with dyscalculia. Hope says “I was never what I’d describe as an overachiever in school, but I have had SERIOUS math problems for as long as I can remember—shocking for an artist and writer, I know—so I’m digging into my real life for this one.”

Andrew Arnold at HarperAlley has acquired each books, with The Absolute Value of Verity to be revealed in the summertime of 2025. Hope Larson’s agent Judith Hansen on the Hansen Literary Management bought the world rights to HarperAlley.

Hope Larson tailored and illustrated A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, which spent forty-four weeks on the New York Times bestseller checklist and for which she gained an Eisner Award. She can be the writer and illustrator of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury, and the writer of Compass South and Knife’s Edge, each illustrated by Rebecca Mock.

HarperAlley is a graphic novel imprint launched from HarperCollins Children’s Books underneath the course of former artwork director and buying editor at First Second, Andrew Arnold described as a “collaborative, creator-focused publisher” that may focus on graphic novels for “readers of all ages.” The line is “looking to publish books that readers of all ages can enjoy, from the youngest readers to teens and adults. We believe that a good story is a story that any reader can relate to. That’s what we mean when we say “readers of all ages.” HarperAlley is seeking to publish about ten books a season, or about thirty books a 12 months and is one of a quantity of mainstream guide publishers that has been quickly growing the quantity of graphic novels for youthful readers.