Donna Bray of HarperCollins's Balzer + Bray imprint preempted North American rights, in a two-book deal, to the YA novel Tease by debut author Amanda Maciel, who is an editor at Scholastic. In the book, a high school junior faces criminal charges for bullying after a classmate commits suicide. Tease is set for summer 2014, and the second book will be a stand-alone novel. Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary brokered the deal.
Miriam Juskowicz at Amazon Children's Publishing's Skyscape imprint acquired world English rights (excluding Canada), and Lynne Missen at Razorbill/Penguin Canada acquired Canadian rights, in a three-book deal for Megan Crewe's Earth & Sky, a romantic SF adventure about a girl who discovers that visitors from beyond the stars have been altering Earth's history, and she teams up with an alien rebel to save the world as she knows it. Publication will begin in fall 2014. Josh Adams at Adams Literary was the agent.
Kathy Landwehr of Peachtree Publishers has acquired two nonfiction projects by Cynthia Levinson. Watch Out for Flying Kids! spotlights teens who soar over cultural, religious, and political boundaries in two nonprofit children's circuses – an urban-suburban circus in St. Louis, and an Arab-Jewish circus in Israel. The second book, Fault Lines in the Constitution will be co-written with Levinson's husband, Sanford Levinson, and will look at the many flaws in the U.S. Constitution, some of the consequences of those flaws, and the ways that some state constitutions offer thoughtful alternatives. The first project (Watch Out) is tentatively scheduled for spring 2015. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Shana Corey at Random House has bought U.S., Canadian, and open market rights to Funny Pages: Recess!, a graphic anthology edited by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka. The recess-themed comic anthology is geared to early readers and pays tribute to the classic Sunday comics of the past. It will contain original stories, popular and new characters, recess ninjas, superheroes, and secret clubs. Holm, Holm, and Krosoczka provide contributions to the collection, as well as Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, Dan Santat, Gene Yang, Ursula Vernon, and Eric Wight. Publication is scheduled for July 2014.
Steve Geck at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired an all-new poetry treasury by writer and editor Charlotte Zolotow, called A Charlotte Zolotow Collection of Seasonal Poetry. It will be published in 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the author's birth. As a children's book publisher, Zolotow has worked with some of the leading figures in the industry, including Paul Zindel, Mary Rodgers, Laurence Yep, Paul Fleischman, and Francesca Lia Block. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky will also be reissuing a picture book by Zolotow, A Tiger Called Thomas in fall 2014, with new illustrations. Edite Kroll of the Edite Kroll Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Alyson Day at HarperCollins Children's Books has acquired world English rights to two untitled picture books by Garth Stein, to be illustrated by R.W. Alley. The books star Enzo, the hero of Stein's bestselling novel for adults, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and its middle-grade adaptation Racing in the Rain. The picture books are scheduled for fall 2014 and fall 2015. Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Management did the deal for Stein, and Emily van Beek of Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management negotiated the deal for Alley.
Victoria Wells Arms at Bloomsbury has signed Caldecott Honor artist Betsy Lewin to illustrate Lori Mortensen's Mousquerade Ball, in which an unexpected, uninvited guest makes for an unforgettable black-tie gala. Publication is set for 2016; Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties did the deal for Lewin, for world rights.
Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick has acquired two full-color illustrated chapter books by cartoonist and illustrator Juana Medina; they are the first titles Medina will both write and illustrate. The stories are based on Medina's experiences growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, and focus on Latina heroine Juana as she navigates life and elementary school. The first of the two still-untitled books is slated for publication in fall 2016. Gillian MacKenzie of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency brokered the deal.
Kari Sutherland at HarperTeen has bought North American rights to screenwriter Victoria Aveyard's debut novel, The Red Queen, which is set in a fantasy world where society is divided by the color of blood. It features a 17-year-old who, to save her family, must assume the role of a long-lost princess while secretly aiding a revolution. The novel was pitched as Graceling meets The Selection; it will be published in winter 2015. Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Media was the agent.
