Atwood and Grisham are among several authors participating in a novel about the pandemic. The Authors Guild Foundation announced Thursday that it had reached a deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media to publish Fourteen Days: An Unauthorized Gathering." (AP Photo)NEW YORK – One of the first novels about the pandemic will be a collaborative effort, with Margaret Atwood, John Grisham and Celeste Ng among the writers. Novelist and Authors Guild President Douglas Preston came up with the idea as a way to raise money for the foundation. Atwood is editing “Fourteen Days” and helped recruit a wide range of contributors, including Dave Eggers, Ishmael Reed, Monique Truong, Hampton Sides, Mary Pope Osborne and Emma Donoghue.

NEW YORK – Mary Pope Osborne is preparing her million-selling “Magic Tree House” series for a new adventure. She is teaming with playwright Jenny Laird and the illustrators-sisters Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews to adapt her work for graphic novels. The first release will be an adaptation of the first “Magic Tree House” book, “Dinosaurs Before Dark," and is scheduled for May 4. “I’m so excited for Jack and Annie’s time travel adventures to reach a new generation of readers who are drawn to the thrilling visual experience that graphic novels provide,” Osborne said in a statement Tuesday. “As with all of my books, I hope these adaptations will inspire children to learn more about world history and instill in them a lifelong love of reading.”According to Random House Books for Young Readers, Osborne's series has sold more than 140 million copies worldwide since it began in 1992.