Crossing the Line, the “stunning” narrative verse novel by debut author Tia Fisher, has been snapped up by Bonnier’s Hot Key Books.

Erik is trying to figure it out. One moment he’s skipping school, and the next, he’s running for his life from a drugs gang. How did everything go so wrong?

The YA novel, read by the Children’s Society, a charity working to help young people facing abuse, exploitation and neglect, follows Erik, a teenage boy who is groomed to work for county lines, where dealers in cities supply drugs to towns and rural areas.

Executive publisher Emma Matthewson said: “I am so proud to be publishing Tia’s debut novel. The widespread damage that county lines cause to young people and their families is so clear. Tia in her well-researched, immersive and powerful narrative shines a much-needed light on this sadly topical area.”

Tia said:  “Erik’s story is a fiction, but it’s intended to show that this can happen to any child. I hope that Crossing the Line is a gripping read which might even help a future victim or their family.”

Subscribers can read the full Bookseller announcement here.

Follow Tia on Twitter @tiafisher_.