Rotem Moscovich at Disney-Hyperion won North American rights at auction to a debut picture book by kidlit blogger Minh Lê, in collaboration with illustrator Isabel Roxas. Let Me Finish! is billed as a first-ever picture book about spoilers, wherein one boy wants to be left alone to read in peace till the end of his book, but various animals can't resist interrupting. Publication is planned for summer 2016; Lê was represented by Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary + Media, and Roxas was represented by Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has acquired in a pre-empt Leila and Tom Hirschfeld's Your Move, Abe Lincoln! and Your Move, Ben Franklin!, the first of four middle-grade books in a comedic, interactive biography series, written by a father and high-school daughter writing team. Publication is planned for spring 2016; Daniel Lazar at Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Jocelyn Davies at HarperTeen has acquired Rebecca Maizel's Between Us and the Moon, a contemporary YA romance about a self-proclaimed science nerd who, over the course of one summer, falls for an older boy and learns that there's more to life than what can be seen through a telescope, and more to herself than equations and experiments, along with a second contemporary YA standalone. The first book's projected pub date is summer 2015; Margaret Riley King at William Morris Endeavor held the auction for North American rights.
Tamar Brazis at Abrams/Amulet acquired world English rights to Courtney Sheinmel's Edgewater, billed as a “YA Grey Gardens,” about a teen who lives in squalor in a crumbling mansion on Long Island and subsists on a mysterious trust fund – but who stands to lose everything when the secrets, lies, and scandals of the people around her are revealed. Publication is planned for fall 2015; Laura Dail of the Laura Dail Literary Agency was the agent.
Jill Davis at HarperCollins imprint Katherine Tegen Books has acquired two picture books by Elise Gravel, Scribbs and The Cranky Ballerina, and a graphic chapter book series called Little Olga, in a five-book deal. Scribbs tells what happens when a rambunctious doodle jumps off the page into the real world, while The Cranky Ballerina and Little Olga introduce two feisty heroines, one a ballerina with a bad attitude, the other a tiny girl with a big personality. The books feature Gravel's trademark doodle illustrations, made famous in the Doodle Jump app. Lori Nowicki of Painted Words negotiated the deal for world rights.
David Gale at Simon & Schuster has acquired world English rights to two middle-grade novels by Isaiah Campbell. AbrakaPOW, set during WWII and based on true events, tells the story of an 11-year-old aspiring magician and the tricks she must use to recapture Nazi POWs who escape from a West Texas prison camp. The second novel, The Struggles of Johnny Cannon, sequel to The Troubles of Johnny Cannon, finds Johnny embroiled in a Mafia blood feud as he searches for his happy ending. Struggles is scheduled to publish in fall 2015, and AbrakaPOW is scheduled for fall 2016. Marietta Zacker of Nancy Gallt Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Margaret Anastas at HarperCollins has bought two picture books by debut author-illustrator Peter Jarvis. Lazy Dave stars an adventurous dog that is misperceived as lazy; it will pub in fall 2015. Fred Forgets, the second title, is a comical tale about an elephant whose memory routinely fails him; it pubs in spring 2016. Kirsten Hall at the Bright Agency did the deal for world rights.
Mary Kate Castellani of Bloomsbury has acquired a debut novel by travel writer Steve Bramucci, called Ronald Zupan & the Pirates of Borneo!, in which a 12-year-old would-be master adventurer embarks on a swashbuckling rescue mission when his parents are abducted by pirates, with the help of his greatest fencing rival, his pet cobra, and his trusty butler. A 2016 pub date is projected; Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger made the two-book deal for world rights.
Shana Corey at Random House has acquired an untitled sequel to Chris Grabenstein's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, published in June 2013, which has just been optioned by Nickelodeon for TV development. The new book introduces the first-ever Library Olympics, with teams from all over the country competing to be crowned the Champions of Freedom of Expression. Publication is set for spring 2016; Eric Myers at the Spieler Agency did the deal for world rights.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperTeen has acquired the next two novels from Sex & Violence author Carrie Mesrobian. The as-yet untitled books will continue in the same vein of gritty realistic fiction; the first book is scheduled for fall 2015. Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Simon Boughton at Roaring Brook Press has acquired for David Macaulay Studio the next two illustrated nonfiction books by Katherine Roy, to follow the fall 2014 publication of her debut, Neighborhood Sharks. The first title, How to Be an Elephant, will follow the birth and maturation of an African elephant (Roy will be traveling to Africa to conduct research), and will pub in winter 2016. The second book is a still-untitled exploration of reproduction in the natural world. Stephen Barr at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
