HarperCollins has announced a new line of Dungeons & Dragons books for readers ages 8 – 12, which will include novels, illustrated chapter books, and graphic novels, after acquiring exclusive rights to publish Dungeons & Dragons “middle grade” content in partnership with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast.

The new publishing program will launch in the autumn with the release of Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed by Madeleine Roux and artist Tim Probert, followed by a Dungeons & Dragons: HarperChapters book series scheduled for release in Winter 2022, with by a graphic novel series by by Ignatz and Prism Award winning graphic novelist Molly Knox Ostertag, with illustrations by acclaimed artist Xanthe Bouma.

The first instalment will hit shelves autumn 2022, with books two and three set for autumn 2023 and autumn 2024.

Dungeon Academy is set in Dungeons & Dragons “Forgotten Realms“, and stars a young human girl named Zellidora ‘Zelli’ Stormclash, who enters a prestigious academy for monsters while disguised as a minotaur. The twist is that humans are greatly feared by the monsters and creatures…

Disguised as a minotaur, Zelli keeps to herself and does her work. While in class, Zelli learns of the great human adventurer, Allidora Steelstrike, who oddly resembles her. Could Zelli be – a Steelstrike?

Seeking answers to her true lineage, Zelli embarks on a dangerous adventure. But she won’t be alone. A vegan Owlbear, a cowardly Kobold and a shapeshifting Mimic who only transforms into nice things will join Zelli on her quest for the truth. And who knows, perhaps these monstrous misfits may discover truths of their own …

Get ready for humour, heart, magic and adventure as middle graders and beyond learn to embrace who they are, accept others’ differences and discover that making mistakes is OK – as long as you learn from them…

Madeleine Roux is the New York Times bestselling author of the Asylum series, which has sold into eleven countries around the world and whose first book was named a Teen Indie Next List Pick, and the House of Furies series. A graduate of the Beloit College writing program, Madeleine now lives in Seattle, Washington.

Tim Probert, who lives in New York, is an author and illustrator and graphic novelist, whose work is made of equal parts wonder, magic, and adventure, with a dose of monsters and the occasional dinosaur. In addition to making books, he is an art director at Aardman Nathan Love, working on projects for Nickelodeon, Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, Candy Crush, and more.

In addition to his Dungeons & Dragons work, Tim is writing and illustrating a graphic novel series, Lightfall for HarperAlley. It features the characters Bea and Cad, unlikely friends in an adventure that’s a bit over their heads and takes place in Irpa, a land without a sun

Molly Ostertag, who’s writing the HarperCollins Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series, is an Igntaz- and Prism-Award winning graphic novelist, 30 Under 30 Forbes scholar, and a writer for children’s TV animation. She currently lives in Los Angeles, where she’s worked as a designer on the show Star vs. the Forces of Evil (Disney TVA) and as a writer for Thundercats Roar (Warner Bros.) and the The Owl House (Disney TVA). Among other episodes, she wrote the GLAAD-nominated and Peabody Award Winning episode “Enchanting Grom Fright” for The Owl House.

Her middle-grade graphic novel debut, The Witch Boy, came out in 2017 from Scholastic, and is being adapted into a feature film by Netflix. It was followed by the sequel The Hidden Witch in 2018 and NY Times bestseller The Midwinter Witch in 2019. Her latest book, The Girl From The Sea, debuted as a #1 YA Bestseller last month..

She illustrated the webcomic Strong Female Protagonist with writer and friend Brennan Lee Mulligan (currently on hiatus).

Xanthe Bouma is a freelance illustrator, comics artist, and colourist based in southern California, whose client list includes Chromosphere, Dreamworks TV, Scholastic, Penguin RandomHouse and BOOM! Studios.

Her comics work includes The Dragon Prince: Through the Moon by Peter Wartman, published by Scholastic last September, work on the 5 Worlds series, and a number of web comics.

Separately, WizKids also recently announced a new Dungeons & Dragons board game called Dungeon Scrawlers, which is also aimed at bringing young kids into the hobby.

While most D&D players are over 18, the game can easily be crafted for kids of any age.

In Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Scrawlers: Heroes of Undermountain, you and other adventurers are drawn together to delve into Undermountain, an immense underground of dungeons created by the Mad Mage, Halaster Blackcloak.

Use your markers to trace your path, defeating Monsters, casting Spells, connecting Artifact Fragments, and collecting shiny Treasure on the way! The round ends when one player defeats that dungeon’s mighty Boss, so you only have a few minutes to collect as much loot as possible. The player with the most points after exploring three dungeons is the winner.

Dungeon Scrawlers contains 10 unique mazes of increasing complexity, introducing new challenges as you go. These include portals, locked doors, multiple bosses, time limits, and more! With multiple paths through each maze, and over 100 different three-maze combinations, you’ll never have to stop scrawling…

• Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed is available to pre-order now from your favourite bookshop | ISBN 9780755503827 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link

• Follow Molly Ostertag on Twitter @MollyOstertag

• Xanthe Bouma is online at xanthebouma.squarespace.com | Twitter | Tumblr  | instagram | Inprnt

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

Categories: downthetubes News, Games, Merchandise, Other Worlds

Tags: Dungeon Academy, Dungeon Scrawlers, Dungeons & Dragons, HarperCollins, Hasbro, Madeleine Roux, Molly Knox Ostertag, Tim Probert, Wizards of the Coast, Xanthe Bouma