Kate McKinnon Announces Her New Book for Young Readers (Exclusive)

The 'SNL' alum and Weird Barbie actress says 'The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science', was inspired by her own childhood

A project that Kate McKinnon has been working on since before her rise to on-screen fame is finally coming to fruition.

The actor, writer, comedian and Saturday Night Live alum — most recently known for her turn as Weird Barbie in Barbie — is coming out with her first book: The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, which was inspired in part by her own childhood.

The first in a new series for readers aged 8-12, McKinnon's book will be released by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR), a division of Hachette Book Group, on October 1.

Written in a comedic style fans will recognize from McKinnon's many on-screen credits, the book introduces readers to Gertrude, Eugenia and Dee-Dee Porch, outcasts in the snooty town of Antiquarium. The book is heavily illustrated, primarily featuring character drawings, inventions and diagrams that McKinnon drafted and illustrator Alfredo Cáceres fine-tuned in his signature gothic style.

Related: Greta Gerwig and Kate McKinnon Made 'Strange Musicals' Together in College Years Before ‘Barbie’ (Exclusive)

“I wanted to write the kind of book that I would have loved reading when I was younger, when I was eating honeysuckle on the playground and collecting bugs and falling in love with the natural world," McKinnon says in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "I hope young people read about the adventures of the Porch Sisters and are inspired to get out there and have their own adventures."

In Antiquarium, all girls must go to etiquette school and all dogs must be bichon frisés. The Porch sisters live with their uptight Aunt Desdemona, their materialistic Uncle Ansel and their seven snide cousins, all named Lavinia. After they get expelled from etiquette school for insubordination, the girls find themselves under the tutelage of the infamous Millicent Quibb—a mad scientist with worms in her hair and oysters in her bathtub.

At 231 Mysterium Way, the pizza is fatal, the bus is powered by gerbils and the dean of students is a hermit crab. When the sisters are tasked with saving their town from an evil cabal of nefarious mad scientists, they must learn to embrace what has always made them stand out and determine what side they’re on.

“Kate McKinnon has brought all the intelligence, energy and go-for-broke comedic genius she has on stage to the pages of this book," says LBYR President and Publisher Megan Tingley. "Her essential message that being weird is exactly what makes you wonderful will inspire and empower young readers everywhere.”

For the author, this book and its delightfully strange characters have been a long time coming.

"I started playing with the idea of these characters and this world over a decade ago and am so thrilled to finally bring them to an audience, especially with a team as wonderful as the one at LBYR," McKinnon says.

LBYR Executive Editor Erika Turner acquired North American rights from Ted Malawer at Upstart Crow Literary and will edit the project. The book will be released from LBYR on October 1, 2024.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.