Legacy publishing house HarperCollins has joined forces with Toonstar, a tech-driven animation studio, in a new multi-year agreement to co-produce a slate of original animated series based on select HarperCollins titles.
This new partnership will bring some of the publisher’s most popular stories to life, connecting them with both new and longtime fans through a vibrant new medium. While details around release timing and distribution have yet to be announced, the initiative is poised to meet audiences where they are and keep conversations around these stories going.
The first project planned for development is based on Lisa Greenwald’s The Friendship List. The series is brimming with themes that tweens and young teens can resonate with, focusing on friendship, self-discovery, and navigating the challenges that come with growing up.
The Friendship List follows friends Ari and Kaylan as they take on the ups and downs of the tween years. Through bucket lists and shared goals, the duo works to strengthen their bond while navigating middle school, summer camp, holidays, and the complexities of growing up. The series currently spans four books.
To accompany the project, HarperCollins subsidiary HarperAlley will publish a graphic novel in tandem with the production.
Even with limited details, this is an exciting development—not only for fans of Greenwald’s work, but for publishing overall. The move creates new opportunities for audiences to engage with stories in meaningful ways and further highlights the growing importance of cross-medium storytelling.