Houghton Mifflin Writes a New Future for Itself

Linda Zecher wants to put Carmen Sandiego and Curious George to work.

Zecher, the chief executive at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co., is pushing the Boston textbook publisher beyond the classroom and into people’s homes by mining a treasure trove of curious monkeys, hairy-toed hobbits, and other characters from the company’s small, but venerable trade book division. Since joining the company from Microsoft Corp. four years ago, Zecher has targeted the consumer education market, developing a range of digital products to reach children and parents.