Elise Howard at Algonquin has acquired debut author Adam Shaughnessy's middle-grade novel at auction, in a two-book deal. Pitched as "the classic style of Roald Dahl meets Rick Riordan," The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable Fib is a tale of gods and mythic creatures loose in a small New England town, and the unlikely pair of kids caught in their midst. The first book is planned for publication in fall 2015; Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Nancy Siscoe at Knopf has acquired Susan Hill Long's Maggie, about an orphan who is given a magic mirror and sets out to find the visions she alone sees in the glass. The book, described as "full of mistaken identities, lost loves, missing princesses, and a tantalizing tinge of magic," is slated for spring 2016 publication. Heather Schroder at Compass Talent Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin's Nancy Paulsen Books has bought Aisha Saeed's debut novel,Written in the Stars, in which a Pakistani-American girl falls in love with a boy in her community against her parents' wishes. When they find out, the consequences are greater than she could have imagined. Publication is set for 2015; Taylor Martindale at Full Circle Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Maria Modugno at Random House has bought 101 Reasons I'm Not Taking a Bath by Stacy McAnulty (l.), illustrated by Joy Ang, in which a child in serious need of a bath comes up with an endless list of imaginative reasons why that's not going to happen. The book is scheduled for spring 2016; Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management represented the author, and Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Amanda Rutter at Strange Chemistry, the YA imprint of Angry Robot Books, has bought The Body Institute by debut author Carol Riggs. In the novel a 17-year-old is recruited as a trainer by a weight-loss clinic: her brain waves are downloaded into clients' bodies so she can exercise for them. Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown Agency sold world English rights; translation rights are with the Taryn Fagerness Agency.
Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has acquired The Ascent of Tosh by Carrie Gordon Watson, pitched as The Matrix meets Donnie Darko with cockroaches – a surreal story depicting the way trauma and grief force a teen into the bizarre recesses of his mind. Publication is expected in spring 2016. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Henry Holt's Christy Ottaviano Books has bought a picture book biography of Ansel Adams by author and environmental educator Cindy Jenson-Elliott, to be illustrated by Christy Hale. The book, with an expected pub date in 2016, tells of Adams's boyhood and how he embraced his passion for nature to become the famous photographer who helped preserve wild and scenic areas throughout America. Stefanie Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the author; the illustrator was unagented.
Georgia McBride at Month9Books has acquired the first two books in Beck Nicholas's science fiction series Lifer, for publication in 2014 and 2015. A teenage slave aboard a spaceship finds herself in the middle of an uprising, while another teen back on Earth searches for his forgotten past in the midst of a brewing rebellion. Ali McDonald of The Rights Factory brokered the deal for U.S. rights.
