Bestselling and Award-Winning Author Jason Reynolds to Publish THE LAMPLIGHTER'S SON With Kokila
Jason Reynolds | Photo Credit: Adedayo Kosoko
It was announced on September 16, 2026, that Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, has acquired #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds’ groundbreaking new novel, THE LAMPLIGHTER’S SON, an absurd, fantastical collection of interconnected short stories set in one location, This Street, as it evolves over the span of decades. The deal for North America and Open Market rights was brokered by Elena Giovinazzo of Heirloom Literary & Media and Namrata Tripathi, President and Publisher, Kokila.
In THE LAMPLIGHTER’S SON the folks on This Street speak with a matter-of-fact outlandishness that follows squarely in the tradition of Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein, but the telling of those stories—the Telling is all Jason Reynolds. It is a tapestry of a book, woven from the unassuming threads of each tale, and nothing short of a revelation.
Jason Reynolds said, “I couldn’t be happier to work with Penguin Young Readers, more specifically the brilliant folks at Kokila, on what is no doubt my most ambitious project to date. I’m grateful that a book like this will exist in the world, as a reminder of the power of imagination, the necessity of strangeness, and the unmatched function of story.”
Namrata Tripathi added, “Jason Reynolds has established himself as a beloved and masterly storyteller across genres and for readers of all ages. I’m thrilled that Kokila will be publishing this ambitious work, where Jason takes his love of craft to tell an unforgettable and uniquely American story.”
Jason Reynolds is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books for children and young adults. A 2024 MacArthur Fellow, Jason is best known for his novels All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), the Track series, and Long Way Down, which received Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Honors. Among his many accolades, Jason was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2020-2022. Jason lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.