From The Bookseller:

Barrington Stoke has acquired Murder on a Midsummer Night by Lucy Strange, author of The Secret of Nightingale Wood, a Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month, and Our Castle by the Sea, which was nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

World rights to the cosy, seasonal whodunnit were acquired by publisher Ailsa Bathgate from Luigi Bonomi at LBA Books. Murder on a Midsummer Night, the first in a planned series, will be published in July 2026.

Its synopsis reads: “Preparations for Sir Percy’s summer party have transformed Mulberry Hall into an enchanting wonderland and siblings Eliza and Bram Rose are thrilled to be part of the festivities. As guests mingle in whimsical costumes and the air fills with excitement, Eliza can’t help but overhear snippets of conversations that hint at secrets and tensions among the grown-ups.

“But the evening takes a dark turn when a guest is found dead, plunging the party into chaos. Eliza must use her wits to unravel the means, motive and opportunity behind the murder. But with a host of quirky characters in attendance – from the grumpy gardener to a scorned singer – everyone becomes a suspect.”

Strange said: “I’ve loved reading murder mysteries ever since I was a child, so it is an absolute dream to launch the Mulberry Hall Murders along with Ailsa and the wonderful team at Barrington Stoke, and to see the first book brought to life so brilliantly by Hannah Peck’s illustrations. I think murder mystery stories are uniquely interactive – we get to play detective along with the characters in the story and help solve the puzzle. With this fun dyslexia-friendly series, our hope is that the murder mystery genre will now become accessible for even more young readers.”

Bathgate commented: “I have long wanted to publish a great murder mystery for our readers, but our short format poses a real challenge for authors when it comes to structuring a plot that can satisfy in terms of twists and turns, clues and red herrings to build to a rewarding climax. With Murder on a Midsummer Night, Lucy has done a brilliant job, delivering a clever, funny and really charming story that I just know our readers will love.”