Dallas, TX— Brattle Trade, a division of Brattle Publishing Group LLC®, announces the release of Hex: The Apprentice, the first in a new series from author Fran Hodgkins. Preteen heroine Robin West learns from her grandmother, Gram Madder, how to make hexes, paintings that have the power to make things happen. Her life becomes complicated by intolerant neighbors, friends who don’t understand “Madder business,” and a first love.
“A lot of different threads came together as I was working on this story,” said Hodgkins, who grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts. “When I was a kid, my mom had four hex signs that my dad had made for her, and I loved them. The colors and the designs were intriguing. I wondered about their power.” Hodgkins has had this new series in mind for several years. “My dad was a talented artist. His experience made me think about the meaning of art and its impact on the people who come in contact with it. At its heart, Hex is a story about family and art, and what they mean to us.”
Hex: The Apprentice is Hodgkin’s second novel published by Brattle Trade. A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch won a Silver Ben Franklin Award in 2017.
Hodgkins, a New England native, has also authored more than 20 nonfiction titles. Her first book, The Orphan Seal, received the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award from the ASPCA.
“Our target audience—readers between 9 and 13 years old—are still going mad for the supernatural, and we believe that the Hex series will hit home with this group,” said Brattle President and Publisher Richard-Anthony Lena. “After they finish reading Hex: The Apprentice, we know our readers will look forward to the next two books tentatively due to release in 2020 and early 2021.”
Hex: The Apprentice is for sale at booksellers and online stores such as Amazon. Hodgkins will be signing copies of her book at Kids Con in Portland, Maine, on November 16, 2019. Fran will also be interviewed by WMTW-TV Portland at Kids Con.
About Hex: The Apprentice
Robin West is a normal teenager living in a normal town, but when she finds out that Gram Madder makes hexes, her life gets far more complicated than she ever expected. What is a hex? It’s a painting that has the power to make things happen—or to stop things from happening. At least that’s what some people in town believe. Targeted by people who don’t understand what she is doing, Robin must protect herself and her loved ones from a force greater than she could have ever imagined.
About Fran Hodgkins
Fran Hodgkins was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children. As a child, she loved animals and books—especially books! The neighborhood branch library was one of her favorite haunts, and she spent hours there, reading her way through the children’s collection. Fran lives in Rockport, Maine, with her family.
About Brattle Publishing Group
Brattle Publishing Group LLC® is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, Brattle creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning.
Brattle Trade, a division of Brattle Publishing Group LLC®, publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators.
