Young adult novel by Brian Selznick, 'Run Away With Me,' to be published next April

NEW YORK (AP) — Author-illustrator Brian Selznick's next book is for teens and up.

Selznick's coming-of-age love story, “Run Away With Me,” will be published next April, Scholastic announced Thursday. Set in Rome and centering on an Italian teen named Angelo and an American teen named Danny, Selznick's novel will feature over 100 pages of illustrations and more than 200 pages of prose.

“I lived in Rome for nine months with my husband during the pandemic, where new friends introduced me to their favorite parts of the ancient city. I marked everything on a map, and quickly imagined two boys connecting the locations while falling in love," Selznick said in a statement. "Soon, stories about other young men, in other eras, started to appear to me, making a tapestry of love that has been present throughout all of time. I wanted Danny and Angelo — and my readers — to remember that we’ve always existed, and loved, and found moments of joy.”

Selznick, who turns 58 this weekend, is known for such children's favorites as “Wonderstruck” and “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Scholastic is calling “Run Away With Me” a young adult novel, for ages 12 and up.