Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor by Lucy Brandt published by Puffin Books today

Congratulations to Lucy Brandt, whose debut children’s novel Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor is published today. Illustrated by Glady Jose and published by Puffin, Leonora Bolt is the first in a middle grade series about young inventor Leonora, who lives on Crabby Island with her uncle Luther and pet otter Twitchy Nibbles.

Everything changes one day when a strange boy washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals that Uncle Luther has been stealing her inventions and selling them on the mainland. Leonora, armed with her most important inventions, must leave Crabby Island for the first time ever to embark on an unforgettable journey that will test her brainpower to its limits.

Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor was included in the Waterstones list of must-read children’s books for 2022, and is a LoveReading Book of the Month. You can read an extract from Leonora Bolt here.

Lucy Brandt is a mum of two young kids and lives and works in Brighton. She graduated from the University of York with a BA Hons in English and since then she has worked for nearly twenty years in a variety of traditional and digital marketing roles, largely specialising in technology. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves dragging her reluctant family on walks up big hills and swimming in the sea. The second book in the series, Leonora Bolt: Deep Sea Calamity, will be published in summer 2022.