Penny Thomas, publisher at award-winning children’s and YA publisher Firefly Press, has acquired World rights to LIVE, a third book by Carnegie longlisted and Branford Boase shortlisted poet and novelist Luke Palmer from Jane Finigan at Lutyens & Rubinstein Literary Agency.
Sixth-former George leads the school’s coolest band – no party is complete without them. But when tragedy strikes, how can he, and the rest of his year group, rediscover the bright future they’d all planned?
This stunning coming-of-age novel for anyone who ever wanted to be in a band is due to land in bookshops June 2025.
Luke’s first novel Grow dealt with white, right-wing radicalisation among schoolchildren. It was longlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal in 2022 and was a Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week. His second novel Play, is a superb and deeply moving story of four boys growing up together.
Play has just been nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2025.
Penny Thomas said: ‘Luke Palmer is such a talented writer, and we are really delighted that he is publishing his third novel with Firefly. Luke’s insight and writing about the lives of teenagers, particularly boys, is second to none, and this homage to the love of music and the teenage dream confirms him as an outstanding YA novelist.’
Luke Palmer said: I’m delighted to be working with Firefly press again for my third novel. This one’s a real heart book for me and, like all things of the heart, it’s meant to be shared. It’s a book about music and the power of song, which pretty much got me through my teens. But music’s a collaborative thing, and there’s plenty of space in the book for people to bring their own sounds along, too!