ABRAMS CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO PUBLISH HILARIOUS DEBUT MIDDLE-GRADE SERIES FROM HOLLYWOOD ACTOR AND WRITER THOMAS LENNON
Set in a world of law-breaking leprechauns, Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles to launch series in February 2019
New York, NY [August 8, 2018]–Andrew Smith, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Abrams Children’s Books, announced today the forthcoming publication of Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles, the first novel in the debut middle-grade series from Hollywood actor and writer Thomas Lennon, with illustrations by John Hendrix. Releasing in hardcover and eBook editions on February 26, 2019, with a 100,000-copy announced first printing, Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles is a high-adventure fantasy tale is set in a magical world of law-breaking leprechauns and deadly monsters. The deal for three books, including English-language rights throughout the world, was negotiated by Maggie Lehrman, Abrams Executive Editor, with Stephanie Rostan, Levine Greenberg Rostan Agency. Lehrman will edit the series.
Lennon, best known for playing Lieutenant Jim Dangle on Reno 911! and as the coauthor of the Night at the Museum film series, delved into his Irish ancestry to create this action-packed, fast-paced world, perfect for middle-grade readers. In Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles, readers will meet fourteen-year-old Ronan, the youngest and lowliest recruit to the Garda Special Unit of Tir Na Nog, the Irish police force that handles the crimes of leprechauns and other wee folk. Ronan’s parents are in jail, but Ronan is convinced that they were framed by the wee people. Despite his small size, poor eyesight, and social awkwardness, Ronan is determined to learn all he can while in the garda in order to prove his parents’ innocence. To show he’s got what it takes, he’ll have to confront a fiery leprechaun, a sinister harpy, and a world full of nefarious creatures of Irish mythology hidden in plain sight.
“Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles has been a labor of love,” said Thomas Lennon. “I had been waiting for the right subject for a fun fantasy novel for many years, and Abrams has helped me craft the book into a hilarious adventure that I’m really proud of. The addition of the brilliant illustrator John Hendrix to the mix is a gift. I hope to be writing these seriously silly books for years to come.”
“Tom’s impressive wealth of creativity and humor jump off the book’s pages, just as we’ve seen in his television and film work,” said Andrew Smith. “We’re thrilled and honored to bring his magical world of Tir Na Nog and its lovable hero Ronan Boyle to readers everywhere.”
A multifaceted marketing and publicity campaign for Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddlesis planned, including major print and digital advertising campaigns, strong retail promotion across all channels, and a national author tour.
Thomas Lennon is a writer and actor from Oak Park, Illinois. He attended Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he was a member of the influential sketch comedy group The State. After his work with The State, he and fellow State member Robert Ben Garant created two more popular series: Viva Variety and Reno 911!, the latter on which he also played Lieutenant Jim Dangle.
As an actor, Lennon has appeared in thirty-eight feature films, including Memento, 17 Again, Bad Teacher, and I Love You, Man. On television, he has been seen in How I Met Your Mother, Sean Saves the World, The Odd Couple, and Drunk History. He can currently be seen in The Santa Clarita Diet, Lethal Weapon, and A Futile and Stupid Gesture.
As a television writer, Lennon’s credits include The State, Reno 911!, Viva Variety, and Strangers with Candy. On IFC’s 2008 list of the 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time, Lennon is the author of four: “Monkey Torture,” “Porcupine Racetrack,” “Mind Match,” and “$240 Worth of Pudding.”
Lennon and Garant have written numerous feature films together, including Night at the Museum, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Reno 911!: Miami, The Pacifier, Balls of Fury, and Hell Baby. In addition to writing films, Lennon and Garant coauthored Writing Movies for Fun and Profit, a book about the studio system that Anna Kendrick called “The best book about Hollywood . . . Hilarious and insanely accurate” in the New York Times .
Lennon lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Jenny Robertson, and their son, Oliver.
Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. Now a subsidiary of La Martinière Groupe, the company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture; children’s books ranging from young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed visual books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and a gift and stationery line, Abrams Noterie. ABRAMS also distributes books published by The Vendome Press, V&A Publishing, Tate Publishing, Booth-Clibborn Editions, 5 Continents Editions, SelfMadeHero, The Museum of Modern Art, Cameron + Company, Getty Publications, and others.
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