Paula Wiseman of Simon & Schuster's Paula Wiseman Books imprint has acquired world and audio rights to a first picture book by Melissa Gilbert, actress and author of Prairie Tale, a memoir for adults; Sylvie Frank will edit the book, which is titled Daisy and Josephine and will be illustrated by Julia Kuo. It tells the story of a shy girl named Daisy who gets lonely when she travels with her father for his job, so her father surprises her with a puppy. Can this rambunctious new pet draw Daisy out of her shell? In writing this story, Gilbert drew from memories of her childhood and was inspired by her French bulldog. Publication is set for January 28, 2014. The deal was negotiated with Melissa Gilbert's agents, Dan Strone and Alyssa Eisner Henkin of the Trident Media Group, and with Emily van Beek of Folio Jr. / Folio Literary Management on behalf of Kuo.
Lisa Cheng at Running Press Kids has bought world rights to The Secret Side of Empty by Maria E. Andreu. It's a debut YA novel about a high school senior who is an undocumented immigrant living in New Jersey, who struggles with the possibilities for her future; the author is an immigration rights activist. Publication is planned for spring 2014; Susan Cohen of Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Katherine Jacobs at Roaring Brook has acquired North American rights to Lindsay Smith's Dreamstrider. It's a YA fantasy thriller pitched asGraceling meets Inception, where one girl's ability to move through dreams may be the only thing saving her real world from all-out war. Lindsay Smith is the author of Sekret and Skandal, both forthcoming from Roaring Brook.Dreamstrider is scheduled for fall 2015 publication; Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the two-book deal.
Laura Godwin at Henry Holt has struck a two-book deal with John Boyne, author of the 2006 bestseller The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Both will be middle-grade titles, and the first one – called Stay Where You Are and Then Leave – is slated for spring 2014. Set during World War I, Stay is "told through the uncannily observant eye of a young boy," according to Holt. Eric Simonoff at William Morris Endeavor did the deal for U.S. rights.
David Levithan at Scholastic has bought North American rights to Glamourpuss by Sarah Weeks. In the picture book, Glamourpuss is by far the most glamorous cat in all the land, but when Bluebelle, a chihuahua, arrives for a visit, she wonders if her days of putting the "me" in meow are over. Caldecott Medalist David Small will illustrate, and David Saylor will art direct. Publication is planned for 2015; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties brokered the deal.
Victoria Wells-Arms at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights to a new Princess Academy novel by Shannon Hale, called Dragonfly Sisters. It is the third and final book in the series that began with the Newbery Honor–winning Princess Academy. In the new novel, Miri is about to return home to Mount Eskel when the king surprises her with an urgent mission, sending her to start a princess academy in a far-off territory. Publication is scheduled for winter 2015. Barry Goldblatt of Barry Goldblatt Literary was the agent.
Caroline Abbey at Bloomsbury has acquired a middle-grade debut by Jackson Pearce, called The Doublecross (And Other Skills I Learned as a Super Spy), in a two-book deal. The story follows Hale Jordan, the big-boned child of two spy parents who is often overlooked by his spy-school classmates. But when his parents are kidnapped, he might be the only one (with a little help from his younger sister) who can save the day. Pearce is the author of several YA novels, including As You Wish, Purity, and Sisters Red. Publication is set for winter 2015; Josh Adams at Adams Literary held the auction for world rights.
Karen Wojtyla at Margaret K. McElderry Books has acquired Stacy DeKeyser's One Witch at a Time, a middle-grade companion to The Brixen Witch. In this reimagining of "Jack and the Beanstalk," an unsuspecting girl brings one witch's magic into another witch's province, stirring certain disaster. The book is due in spring 2015; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Kaylan Adair at Candlewick Press has acquired True Son, the third installment of Lana Krumwiede's Psi Chronicles (which launched with Freakling in October 2012 and continues with Archon in October 2013). In this final book, Gevri leads the armies of the Republik into battle with Deliverance, and Taemon faces his toughest decision yet: trust in the ways of peace or make a preemptive strike that will end the age-old struggle over power. Molly Jaffa at Folio Jr. / Folio Literary Management brokered the deal for world English rights.
Becca Goldman at Pants On Fire Press has signed writer Craig Jones to a four-book deal. The first of the books to be published will be Outbreak: The Zombie Apocalypse, a YA horror novel. In the book, a zombie epidemic sweeps across Britain; in a small South Wales village, two brothers, protected because of privilege and wealth, are forced to offer assistance and to make choices that will change their lives forever; it is due out this fall. The second book, also out this fall, is Vamp Town, a YA romance set in a small town on the Irish coast, in which every member of the community must hold onto a centuries-old secret. The acquisition was unagented.
