Dynamite Entertainment’s new juvenile imprint, Dynamite Kids, has acquired the North American rights of M.G. Leonard’s The Ice Children. The rights include the audio from Cathryn Gregory at Macmillan Publishers International Limited.

The Ice Children is a modern fairytale about the magic of winter, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” Written by the bestselling author of Adventures on Trains, Twitch, and Beetle Boy, the hardcover book features black and white illustrations by Penny Neville-Lee. The book is written for Middle Grade readers.

“At the stroke of midnight on the dawn of December, five-year-old Finn Albedo is found frozen in the city park standing on a pedestal of ice. His heart is beating, he is smiling serenely, but no one can wake him,” per the synopsis. “Finn’s big sister, Bianca, suspects that the beautiful sparkling book Finn got from the library has something to do with it, but the book has vanished. Does the tall mysterious stranger who first discovered Finn know more than they will admit.”

As more children are found frozen, Bianca realizes that she doesn’t have much time to save her brother. Her quest takes Bianca into a winter world filled with beauty and danger as she tries to save her brother and other Ice Children.

“The Ice Children makes for a compelling winter treat as it is full of mesmerizing danger and excitement, with a strong ecological message, too,” Dynamite Entertainment CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci said. “We’re all thrilled at Dynamite to be bringing M.G. Leonard’s talent for writing exciting mystery stories to our North American readers.”

The Ice Children arrives in January 2025.