Caitlyn Dlouhy at Atheneum has acquired a middle-grade and a young adult novel by An Na, winner of the 2002 Printz Medal for A Step from Heaven. The YA novel, The Middle Place, is an existential exploration of the link between genetics and madness; it's scheduled for 2015. The middle-grade novel, still untitled, follows nine-year-old Mirae, who travels back to South Korea with her adoptive mother in search of her birth mother, and is projected for 2017. Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alessandra Balzer at HarperCollins's Balzer + Bray imprint has bought a debut novel, My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga, at auction, as well as a second, untitled book. In this realistic teen novel, 16-year-old physics geek Aysel is obsessed with planning her own death, although she's not sure she has the courage to go through with it. She makes a pact with an unlikely boy with the same goal, but as she starts falling for him, she starts to question everything she believed was true. Publication is set for winter 2015. Brenda Bowen of Greenburger Associates brokered the deal for North American rights.
Sara Sargent at Balzer + Bray has acquired world English rights to Underneath Everything, a YA debut by Marcy Beller Paul. It's a contemporary psychological thriller about two girls bound by an obsessive friendship. When Mattie decides to take back the boyfriend, friends, and life she thinks Jolene stole from her years ago, she's drawn into an intoxicating – and toxic – relationship that blurs the boundary between friendship and love. Publication is scheduled for fall 2015; Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management did the deal.
Elizabeth Bewley at Little, Brown’s Poppy imprint has bought Kissing Ted Callahan (and Other Guys) by Amy Spalding, an improv comedian and author of The Reece Malcolm List. The story tells of a 17-year-old rocker girl and the boys in her life – a science nerd who's a secret Casanova, a music fiend from another town, and a guy so cute he can only be called "the crush." Publication is planned for spring 2015; Kate Schafer Testerman at KT Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge has signed Don Tate to illustrate Chris Barton's picture book biography Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super Stream of Ideas, about the Tuskegee-educated inventor and NASA engineer whose knowledge of fluid dynamics led to the invention of the Super Soaker. A spring 2016 release is planned. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary did the deal for Barton, and Caryn Wiseman of Andrea Brown Literary did the two-book deal for Tate, which includes Whoosh! and an untitled project.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has acquired Woundabout, a middle-grade novel by two brothers: written by Lev AC Rosen (l.) and illustrated by Ellis Rosen (r.). In the story, two orphaned siblings and their capybara are shipped off to live with a mysterious aunt in a town where time seems frozen. Publication is planned for spring 2015; Joy Tutela at the David Black Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has bought David Potter's The Left Behinds, and the iPhone That Saved George Washington, first in a humorous middle-grade series about a group of prep school kids who find themselves in 1776 America. They've seemingly been taken there by an app on their smartphones, and they have to stop the untimely murder of George Washington before he crosses the Delaware – and get home before their power runs out. Brian DeFiore at DeFiore and Company did the three-book deal.
Phoebe Yeh has also acquired Frostborn by Lou Anders, book one in a three-book middle grade fantasy adventure series called Thrones and Bones, inspired by Norse myth and folklore. The book introduces Karn, who would rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones, and Thianna, half-frost giant, half-human, who team up when they are chased by wyverns, a dead Viking sea captain, and a 1200-year-old dragon. Publication is slated for 2014; Joe Monti of the Barry Goldblatt Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Rotem Moscovich at Disney-Hyperion has acquired world rights to John Claude Bemis's The Alchemist's Son, first in a middle-grade series that reimagines the Pinocchio story. In the story, magic from a restricted foreign land brings the automaton to life through his relationship with the powerful alchemist Geppetto. Publication is scheduled for 2015; Josh Adams at Adams Literary did the two-book deal.
Navah Wolfe at Simon & Schuster has bought world rights to The Creeping by debut author Alexandra Sirowy in a two-book pre-empt. It's a YA thriller in which a girl vanished with her friend when they were both five, and was the only one who returned. Now, years later, she is beginning to recover memories from that time amid a wave of creepy events. Publication is set for summer 2015; Brianne Johnson at Writers House brokered the deal.
Sharyn Rosart at POW! has bought Big Whoop!, a picture book by Maxine Lee, in which an imperturbable fox discovers the joys of friendship. The projected publication date is May 2014; Kirsten Hall at the Bright Group did the deal for world rights.
Hilary Van Dusen at Candlewick has bought an untitled nonfiction picture book by author-photographer George Ancona, about children participating in different community service efforts. Publication is slated for 2015; Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary brokered the deal.
