Sony Pictures is triumphant as the film studio acquires the film rights to author Thomas Taylor’s Malamander according to Deadline. Sony indulged itself in a heated eight-way bidding war and would emerge the victor of the middle-grade YA novel.

Thomas who stepped into the limelight after gaining attention for his illustration work for the U.K. cover of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone wrote Malamander as the first in a planned book series and will experience a U.S. release on September 10th through the Candlewick/Walker Books conglomerate. The book saw its first release in the U.K. earlier this year.

The story follows Herbert Lemon who prides himself as a lost-and-found advocate of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Lemon returns lost things to their owners through much difficulty and takes on his biggest challenge by returning a girl named Violet Parma to her parents who were reportedly missing 12 years ago. She pleas for Lemon to pursue them and connects their disappearance to the presence of a legendary sea monster commonly known as the eponymous “Malamander.”

A follow-up is slated to be released next year. Malamander does not have a release date. Sony did not announce any further details in regards to crew.

EXCLUSIVE: In what was said to be an eight-way bidding war, Sony Pictures has beat out the competition for the film rights to #Malamander, a middle-grade, YA novel by author Thomas Taylor https://t.co/k8HjAWBMMV

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) July 11, 2019