Harper To Publish Stand-Alone YA Novel "A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA" By Bestselling Author Tahereh Mafi

A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is a contemporary #ownvoices novel about a hijab-wearing Muslim teenager in a post-9/11 world, who deals with Islamophobia while simultaneously falling in love for the first time. Tahereh's bestselling dystopian Shatter Me series has built an enthusiastic fan base of readers around the world with over a million copies sold in all formats of the series here in the US while being translated into over 25 languages. A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is based on the author's own life and it's the book that her fans have been waiting for her to write.

It's 2002, a year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet another new high school. It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. 

So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.  But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not sure she'll ever be able to let it down.

"A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA is definitely the most autobiographical novel I've written to date," Tahereh Mafi said. "It's inspired by my experiences in high school and the years I spent break-dancing with my brothers. I feel like I've been writing this book in my head for many years now, and it feels really good to have finally put it down on paper."

Tara Weikum, Vice President & Editorial Director at HarperCollins added, "This book is just the kind of #ownvoices novel that Tahereh's readers are clamoring for—it spotlights her talent for creating dizzying, heart-wrenching romance, highlights highly relevant issues of xenophobia that are prevalent in society today, and stars a whip-smart protagonist anyone will be able to identify with."

HarperCollins pre-empted this acquisition for the publication here in the US, as there were eight additional publishers interested in acquiring the novel. UK/Commonwealth rights have already sold to Lindsey Heaven, Editorial Director at Egmont UK, by Cecilia De La Campa at Writers House for simultaneous publication. Egmont will be launching her Shatter Me series and this new title as a major event this year.

Tahereh Mafi is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series, Whichwood, and Furthermore. She can usually be found over-caffeinated and stuck in a book. You can find her online just about anywhere at @TaherehMafi or on her website, www.taherehbooks.com.

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers, such as Charlotte's Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book, and series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including e-books and apps. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, has operations in 18 countries, and is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at  www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.

SOURCE HarperCollins Children's Books

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