Algonquin Books, a division of Workman Publishing, will be launching a children’s books imprint called Algonquin Young Readers. This venture has been in development since 2011.

This new imprint will publish both fiction and narrative nonfiction titles for readers ages seven to seventeen. Veteran children’s publishing executive Elise Howard will serve as editor and publisher.

Algonquin Books publisher Elisabeth Scharlatt gave this comment in the release: “This is an exciting step toward Algonquin’s future, a logical way for us to grow while still keeping our adult list small. We’ve been thinking about attracting younger readers for a long time and now the time is clearly right. More thrilling, though, the books themselves are extraordinary, just dazzling.”