HarperCollins imprint Quill Tree Books has announced Nimona creator ND Stevenson‘s next book, Scarlet Morning. The first in a two-part series beginning this fall, the middle-grade novel will follow two children who embark on a pirate adventure to find their missing parents. It shall mark Stevenson’s first prose novel, but will still feature over 100 illustrations from the acclaimed writer and comic strip artist.
From the powerhouse creator of Nimona comes a breathtaking illustrated novel following two orphans who leave the only home they’ve ever known to sail with an eccentric crew of pirates. Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for 15 boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs… until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door.
They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them. Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend — and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration — before the truth tears them apart. Wickedly funny, deeply emotional, and sharply incisive, Scarlet Morning is a tale of love, betrayal, and the extraordinary lengths we’d go to save a world broken beyond repair.
Stevenson, 33, states, “Scarlet Morning represents the enduring power of childhood wonderment and my lifelong passion for storytelling. Born from the whimsical beginnings of a 12-year old kid’s imaginative play – what we called ‘The Pirate Game’ – to a 600-page draft at 15, this story has been my constant companion. In 2020, I revisited this world, weaving a tale that bridges past and present, grief and hope. Scarlet Morning represents over 15 years of growth in my life, both personally and as a storyteller. I hope it feels as real to you as it does to me.”
Jennifer Ung, Editorial Director of Quill Tree and HarperCollins Children’s Books, said, “Scarlet Morning is a triumph — both an entertaining romp and a searing examination of what it means to be a young person inheriting a world that’s been distorted beyond recognition. We’re so proud to publish this ambitious new work from the dazzling ND Stevenson, and cannot wait for readers discover the wondrous, terrifying, and beautiful things that await in Dickerson’s Sea.”
Scarlet Morning will be released in hardback on September 23, 2025, and retail at 432 pages for $19.99. It will be Stevenson’s first major work since 2020, when the series finale of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (which they were the showrunner on) was released on Netflix, and their last book, the memoir The Fire Never Goes Out, was released by HarperCollins. During the interim, Netflix released the film version of Nimona, while Stevenson became attached to an animated series based on Lumberjanes for HBO Max. There has been no word on the latter project since, although there has never been any confirmation that the show was canned as a result of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger (that led to Max dropping the HBO moniker) either.
In any case, you can read an exclusive excerpt from Scarlet Morning at People magazine, and keep up with Stevenson in the meantime via their newsletter, I’m Fine I’m Fine Just Understand.
