Just in time for Valentine's Day: Connie Hsu at Little, Brown has bought world rights to A Crankenstein Valentine by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat, the follow-up to Crankenstein. In the story, a cranky boy-turned-monster is facing the heart-shaped horrors of Valentine's Day, from gushy love poems to a crazed secret admirer. A fall 2014 is planned; Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the author and Jodi Reamer at Writers House represented the artist.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has bought a "steamy" three-book series by Nicole Williams (author of the Crash trilogy) called Bet You Can't, about romances between unlikely high schoolers. The first book chronicles the improbable relationship between flamboyant Isla (a member of the "social elite") and nerdy Tristan, and will pub in spring 2016. Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Rebecca Kilman at Razorbill acquired world rights to The Law of Loving Others, a YA novel by debut author Kate Axelrod. Emma returns home from boarding school to find that her mother having a schizophrenic breakdown, and her boyfriend pulls away when she needs him most. Emma mingles newfound freedoms with the devastating implications of her mother's illness. The book is set for publication in January 2015; Melissa Flashman at Trident Media Agency did the deal.
Kristin Ostby at Simon & Schuster has acquired, at auction, two picture books by debut author-illustrator Rubin Pingk. In the first book, Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas, the best snowfall of the year has fallen on Christmas Eve. Yukio loves a good snowball fight, but none of the other ninjas will play with him for fear of landing on Santa's naughty list. Samurai Santa will tentatively pub in fall 2014; Carrie Hannigan at Hannigan Salky Getzler brokered the deal for world rights.
Lee Wade at Random House's Schwartz & Wade Books has acquired world rights to Margaret McNamara and Vladimir Radunsky's The Librarian: Melvil Dewey, a picture book biography about the pioneering American librarian and inventor of the Dewey Decimal System. Publication is scheduled for fall 2016; Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the author; the illustrator represented himself.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has bought world rights to Acorn from the mother-son team of Lola Schaefer and Adam Schaefer, to be illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. The book explores, through the humble acorn, the way a single species can be instrumental in building an ecosystem. It will pub in fall 2015; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the co-authors, and Kirsten Hall of the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Catherine Onder at Bloomsbury has acquired the final three titles in Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series. Books one and two have already been released; book three, Heir of Fire, pubs in September 2014. Maas has also written five companion novellas, first published as e-books; a hardcover edition of the stories will be published as The Assassin's Blade in March 2014. The first book in her new series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be released in spring 2015. Tamar Rydzinski at the Laura Dail Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Liz Szabla at Feiwel and Friends has bought a four-book debut YA series, Ladybirds, by U.K. author Jenny McLachlan, in a pre-empt; it was pitched as Geek Girl meets Dirty Dancing. In book one, Flirty Dancing, a girl signs up for classes so she can enter a national dance competition, and discovers her dance partner is the hottie who just happens to be the bullying queen bee's boyfriend and the kindest boy in school. Anna Roberto will edit the series, which is set to launch in fall 2015. Miriam Altshuler sold North American rights on behalf of Julia Churchill at A.M. Heath (Bloomsbury is publishing in the U.K.).
Nancy Conescu at Dial has bought a picture book biography of artist Keith Haring, written by the late artist's sister, Kay Haring. Publication for Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing is planned for 2016, pending the selection of an illustrator. Adriana Domínguez of Full Circle Literary negotiated the deal for world rights at auction.
Caitlyn Dlouhy at Atheneum has acquired Mogie: The Heart of the House, a picture book written by Newbery Honor author Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal (I Must Have Bobo!). It tells the true story of an Labradoodle named Mogie at Ronald McDonald House Houston, who has comforted thousands of children and families from all over the world. The book is published in conjunction with Ronald McDonald House Houston, which will receive a share of the proceeds from sales. It pubs in June 2014; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties was the agent.
Wesley Adams and Janine O'Malley at FSG have signed Vin Vogel to illustrate Music Class Today!, the debut picture book written by David Weinstone, Brooklyn kindie rocker and founder of Music for Aardvarks music classes. Vogel is a Brazilian illustrator and character designer based in New York City, who has illustrated more than 45 books for children. Publication is slated for fall 2015; John M. Cusick of the Greenhouse Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Susan van Metre at Abrams has bought world rights to McToad Mows Tiny Island, a picture book written by The Strange Case of Origami Yoda author Tom Angleberger, to be illustrated by Nurse, Soldier, Spy illustrator John Hendrix. McToad likes Thursdays because on Thursdays he mows Tiny Island instead of Big Island. It takes a lot of machines to get McToad's lawn mower to Tiny Island, but not so much time to mow, so there's always time for lemonade. Publication is set for fall 2015. Caryn Wiseman of Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for Angleberger, and Rebecca Sherman of Writers House did the deal for Hendrix, did the deal for world rights.
Anne Schwartz at Random House's Schwartz & Wade Books bought world rights to Michelle Edwards's A Hat for Mrs. Goldman, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. In the picture book, a girl knits a special hat for an elderly neighbor, who is also her knitting teacher. Publication is sent for fall 2016; Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management represented the author, and Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the illustrator.
Anne Schwartz at Schwartz & Wade Books also bought Andrea Zuill's Wolf Camp, a picture book about a pet dog who attends a sleepaway camp to exercise his inner wolf. It will pub in spring 2016; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink did the deal for world rights.
Lynne Polvino at Clarion has acquired Ronald Smith's Hoodoo, a Southern Gothic middle-grade novel set in rural 1930s Alabama, in a two-book deal. In the story, a boy from a long line of folk magic conjurers must unravel a web of family secrets and overcome his inability to cast a simple spell in order to defeat a stranger who wants to use the darker powers of hoodoo for evil. Adriann Ranta at Wolf Literary Services held the auction for world rights.
Michelle Nagler at Random House has acquired Jen Klein's Shuffle, Repeat, a contemporary romance in the vein of When Harry Met Sally, if Harry were a loner teen girl and Sally were the popular boy forced to drive her to school every day. When their epic battle over the music playlist develops into friendship and eventually love, no one is more surprised than these two opposites. Chelsea Eberly will edit, for publication in spring 2016. Lisa Gallagher at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates brokered the deal for world rights.
Natashya Wilson at Harlequin Teen has bought Inviolate and Invincible by Dawn Metcalf, the third and fourth titles in the Twixt series for teens. The books will continue the story of a girl who is accidentally marked by a mysterious boy to whom she becomes indelibly bound, finding herself caught between the world of the Folk and the world of humans. Publication is scheduled for summer 2015 and summer 2016; Sarah Davies of the Greenhouse Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
