Phoebe Yeh at Crown has acquired, in a six-figure pre-empt, three titles in The Conjurers, a middle-grade series with illustrations by author, cartoonist, and amateur magician Brian Anderson. In the first novel, scheduled for fall 2015, Alex, an inventor of mechanical toys and appliances, and his older sister, a romantic idealist, enter the Conjurian, a secret realm of magicians. There, guided by a rabbit humanoid, they battle a shadow conjurer bent on enslaving both the human and magician worlds. The companion Conjurers comic runs weekly on gocomics.com, as does Anderson'd Dog Eat Doug, which is carried by more than 200 newspapers. Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio did the deal for North American OEM rights.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press has bought North American rights to two books by Lauren Morrill, author of Meant to Be. In the first book, The Trouble with Destiny, described as Pitch Perfect meets A Midsummer Night's Dream on a cruise, a drum major must save her school band and navigate romantic disasters when their ship gets stranded at sea. In My Unscripted Life, a sarcastic girl finds herself falling for a celebrity who is filming his next movie in her small town. Publication is planned for fall 2015 and fall 2016, respectively. Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary + Media did the deal on behalf of Paper Lantern Lit.
Zachary Clark at Scholastic has acquired Jungle of Bones, a middle-grade adventure novel, by Touching Spirit Bear author Ben Mikaelsen. After being caught stealing a car, the last straw in a string of angry misdeeds, Dylan's uncle drags Dylan to Papua New Guinea to search for his grandfather's missing WWII fighter plane. When Dylan gets lost in the jungle, he must let go of his assumptions and anger, or be dragged down with them. Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights; . Sean Dailey at Hotchkiss and Associates have film and TV rights.
Melanie Cecka at Knopf has acquired a new chapter book series by Olivia Kidney author Ellen Potter, in a pre-empt. The series, Piper and the Fairy Tree, is set on an island off the coast of Maine, where getting to school by lobster boat and having a fairy tree in your front yard are part of everyday life. Publication will begin in fall 2015; Alice Tasman at the Jean Naggar Literary Agency did the three-book deal for world English rights.
Connie Hsu at Little, Brown has bought world rights to Be Glad Your Dad, the debut picture book by Two Kisses for Maddy author Matthew Logelin (l.) and Sara Bee Jensen, which will be illustrated by Jared Chapman. Scheduled for publication in spring 2016, the book imagines a father as a series of increasingly absurd animals. Rachel Sussman at Chalberg & Sussman negotiated on behalf of the authors; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House represented the artist.
Tamra Tuller at Chronicle has bought world rights to Your Machine Anatomy by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson. The YA novel follows the unlikely friendship of two young women forged via fan fiction and message boards, and is told entirely in texts, chats, and blog posts. Publication is planned for 2016; John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary brokered the deal.
Emma Ledbetter at S&S/Atheneum has acquired world rights to Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen's picture book Rutabaga Book!, a comedic call-and-response tale highlighting the unwavering bond between parent and child. Debut artist Bonnie Adamson will illustrate the story. Publication is slated for spring 2016; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented Bardhan-Quallen, and Marietta B. Zacker at the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency represented Adamson.
Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte Press has acquired Teresa Toten's The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B, winner of Canada's Governor General's Award. Pitched as Eleanor & Park meets The Rosie Project, the story combines romance and whodunit elements but also features teens dealing with OCD. Publication is set for spring 2015; Marie Campbell at the Transatlantic Agency did the deal.
Sharyn Rosart at POW!, the new children's imprint of powerHouse Books, has acquired debut author-illustrator Manuel Šumberac's Steampunk ABC, an alphabetical journey through a steampunk city. It will publish in fall 2014; Kirsten Hall of the Bright Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Margaret Anastas at HarperCollins has bought world rights to Bear & Duck by debut author-illustrator Katy Hudson, a picture book in which a discontented bear seeks a new way of life, but instead makes a new friend. Publication is scheduled for spring 2015; Kirsten Hall at the Bright Agency brokered the deal.
Kelly Delaney at Knopf has bought Fly! by Karl Newsom Edwards, a picture book about a bug trying to see which of his garden friends can help him figure out what he's best at. Publication is scheduled for spring 2015; the project was unagented.
Rebecca Rose at Breakwater Books has acquired world rights to the first book for children by Canadian poet George Murray. Wow Wow and Haw Haw, loosely based on the Celtic legend "How the Fox Lost His Fleas," will feature full-color paintings by Michael Pittman. Publication is set for May 2014; the book was unagented.
