Children's writer signs £1m deal for Ruby Redfort books

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Ruby Redfort, undercover agent and mystery solver, is already famous to Child's fans as the favourite literary character of Clarice Bean herself.

Now Ruby is to get her own solo series for HarperCollins Children's Books.

It follows letters from young readers querying whether the books Clarice was reading - starring Ruby - really existed.

The deal comes on the 10th anniversary of the publication of the first Clarice Bean story in 1999. Since then, they have gone on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Child, 41, who lives in Belsize Park, said: "All the readers seem to love Ruby. I think it's because she has everything. She's very, confident, she gets to have all these adventures and money seems no object. And there's a sassiness about her.

"It's a big deal for me, more than anything because it shows confidence. And I'm very interested in the world within a world, the fantasy becoming a reality."

Ann-Janine Murtagh, Child's editor for seven years, predicted the Ruby Redfort series would take the children's book world by storm.

"Lauren Child is absolutely a genius when it comes to creating characters. Ruby is set to be the hippest, coolest, all-action girl since ever," she said.

Child was working as an unsuccessful lampshade designer when her writing career eventually took off. "It took five years for anyone to pick her [Clarice] up, Child said.

"It was a long time of not being published. It's really nice to look back on 10 years of Clarice because I really believed in it. Clarice was my first creation."

Child, whose partner, Adrian Darbishire, is a barrister, is also the creator of the Charlie and Lola picture books.

These have sold six million copies and been turned into a television series seen in 35 countries. But she "never made a penny" from these because of a bad deal early in her career.

An exhibition of the original artwork from the Clarice Bean series will be at the Illustration Cupboard Gallery in London from 22 June until 2 July. The 10th anniversary of Clarice Bean is being celebrated by workshops and talks at the Victoria & Albert Museum.