David Levithan at Scholastic has acquired world rights to Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures, plus two other books in a new series by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce, which will be illustrated by Stiefvater. In the series, Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures, her aunt is a vet for magical creatures, and her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok – and they often do – Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston's Guide to Magical Creatures, a reference work that requires frequent amending. Scholastic will publish Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The first volume will be published in May 2015; Laura Rennert from Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented Stiefvater, and Josh Adams from Adams Literary represented Pearce.
Barbara Marcus of Random House Children’s Books has acquired Off the Page, a new YA novel by Jodi Picoult and her daughter, Samantha van Leer; Beverly Horowitz will edit for Delacorte Press. Picoult and van Leer previously collaborated on another YA novel, Between the Lines, which Simon Pulse released in 2012. In the new story, 16-year-old Delilah has gotten together with Oliver, a prince who has, literally, sprung from the pages of a fairy tale. For Oliver to exist in Delilah's world, however, he must take the place of another boy; Edgar then comes forward and volunteers to swap places with Oliver. It's scheduled for a May 2015 release; Laura Gross of Laura Gross Literary Agency did the deal for world rights (exclusive of U.K. and Commonwealth).
Kristin Rens at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray has acquired North American rights to two new YA novels from C.J. Redwine, author of the Defiance trilogy. The first book, The Shadow Queen, is a dark fantasy inspired by "Snow White," in which a princess has lived in hiding from her stepmother for years, until the false queen sends out a new kind of huntsman – the crown prince of a nation of powerful dragon shifters, desperate enough to save his people to ally himself with even an evil usurper. It's scheduled for 2016; Holly Root of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency was the agent.
Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought two novels by Natasha Friend, author ofPerfect. In Gobsmacked, 13-year-old Anna must navigate the murky waters of middle school without her best friend, who has moved on to different – more popular – group of girls, and without her mother, who is in the psychiatric ward after a suicide attempt. The second novel is untitled; publication for Gobsmacked is set for winter 2016. Rebecca Sherman of Writers House sold world rights to both books.
Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow Books preempted a new YA fantasy novel by Victoria Schwab in a two-book deal. Monster tells the story of a teen boy and girl who never should have met, since their fathers are rival leaders of a divided city where violence breeds literal monsters. Conspiracies and betrayals send the teens on the run for their lives, but together, they could become each other's worst nightmare. Publication is planned for 2016; Holly Root of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Annette Pollert at Sourcebooks has acquired The Summer After You and Me, the third YA novel by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, which follows a New Jersey teen named Lucy who struggles to mend her broken heart and rebuild her life in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Publication is scheduled for spring 2015; Kerry Sparks of Levine Greenberg Rostan negotiated the deal for world rights.
Greg Hunter at Carolrhoda Books has acquired North American rights to Robin Yardi's debut novel, The Midnight War. When Mateo sees two skunks steal his sister's tricycle, he can't believe his eyes. Fortunately, he and his friend Ashwin are aspiring knights, and they're prepared for a quest to retrieve the trike and win a stinky midnight war. Publication is scheduled for 2016; Erica Rand Silverman at Sterling Lord Literistic negotiated the deal.
Katie Carella at Scholastic Branches has acquired world rights to author-illustrator Amy Marie Stadelmann's debut early chapter book series Olive & Beatrix. It features twin sisters who could not be more different: one is a witch and one is perfectly ordinary; with a little bit of magic and a lot of smarts, the sisters must work together when spells go awry. Teresa Kietlinski at Prospect Agency did the two-book deal for publication in 2015.
Nancy Inteli at HarperCollins has acquired, at auction, My Little Sister and Me and an untitled picture book by debut author-illustrator Maple Lam. For the very first time, Mom asks Big Brother to bring Little Sister home from the bus stop – all by himself! But as the challenges amass, Big Brother must do his best to get Little Sister home safely. Publication is set for summer 2016; Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary & Media brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Laura Godwin at Henry Holt has signed Pura Belpré Illustration Award-winner Rafael López to illustrate Bravo! , a biographical collection of poems about famous Latinos by Newbery Honor author Margarita Engle. The text sale was previously announced; a publication date has not been set. Stefanie Von Borstel and Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary represented López.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has bought world rights at auction to What George Forgot, a debut picture book by Kathy Wolff, plus an untitled sequel. In the story a boy, George, forgets an important part of his morning routine. An illustrator has not yet been chosen. It's slated for spring 2016; Erica Rand Silverman at Sterling Lord Literistic did the deal for world rights.
Andrea Welch at S&S's Beach Lane Books has acquired world rights to Trudy Krisher's (l.) Bark Park, a rhyming picture book about all the different dogs that bark at the park. Brooke Boynton Hughes will illustrate, and publication is planned for summer 2017. Marietta Zacker of Nancy Gallt Literary represented Hughes; the author was unagented.
Shannon Delany of Leap Books has acquired Linda Joy Singleton's newest YA novel, Never Been Texted. Ashlee, whose discount cell phone receives texts from a brokenhearted stranger, must decide whether or not to meet the sender. Publication is scheduled for fall 2015 for English rights; the deal was unagented.
Louise May at Lee & Low Books has acquired world rights to And the Gold Grass Waved by Susan L. Roth (l.) and Cindy Trumbore, winners of the 2014 Sibert Medal for Parrots Over Puerto Rico. Their new nonfiction picture book, which combines a cumulative song-based text with scientific information, explores the role of prairie dogs as a keystone species in North American grasslands. Publication is scheduled for spring 2016; Victoria Wells Arms of Wells Arms Literary represented co-author and illustrator Roth, and Susan Cohen of Writers House represented co-author Trumbore.
Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has bought world rights toNaughty Mabel, the first-ever book by actor Nathan Lane (l.) and his partner Devlin Elliott (center), illustrated by Dan Krall. The picture book is first in a series about Mabel, a French bulldog (based on the authors' own naughty pup), who is queen of the Hamptons and has a penchant for getting her perfectly pedicured paws into trouble. It's set for fall 2015; Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the authors, and Abigail Samoun of Red Fox Literary represented the illustrator.
Michael Green at Philomel has acquired two middle-grade novels by Lisa Graff, author of A Tangle of Knots and Absolutely Almost, in what Green describes as an “aggressive multi-book deal”; Jill Santopolo of Philomel will edit. The first book, A Clatter of Jars, is a companion novel to A Tangle of Knots; it's scheduled for summer 2016. The second is a standalone novel calledWinnie on Wednesdays, about a girl who lives in a treehouse on Wednesdays because of a custody agreement from her parents' messy divorce; it's slated for summer 2017. Stephen Barbara of Foundry Literary + Media negotiated the six-figure deal for North American rights. Barbara also sold paperback, digital, and audio rights to Eileen Kreit at Puffin for Graff's The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower, which was originally published by HarperCollins in 2008. An ebook edition will publish simultaneously with the paperback edition, both in summer 2015.
Meredith Rich at Bloomsbury Spark has bought two projects from Daisy Whitney, writing as Lauren Blakely, for publication in 2015: 21 Kisses, a New Adult novel due in spring 2015, and an untitled crossover novella with a holiday theme, coming in fall 2015. Both books will be part of the new Wrapped Up in Love series that is a spinoff of Lauren Blakely's Caught Up in Love series. Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Meredith Rich also acquired two projects by Trisha Leigh, writing as Lyla Payne, for Bloomsbury Spark: Mistletoe and Mr. Right, a New Adult Christmas novella, in which a 19-year-old is thrilled to accompany her boyfriend home to Ireland for the holidays, only to find that his family disapproves of her, and the family's sexy farmhand happens to witness every mistake she makes; it will publish in December 2014, and The Historians, a YA novel, is due in spring 2015. Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency did the world rights deal.
Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought a debut novel by Kate McGovern called Rules for 50/50 Chances. A high school senior and ballet dancer named Rose discovers that she has a 50/50 shot at inheriting her family's genetic curse – Huntington's disease – and must decide if she wants to get the test. But when she meets a boy from a similar genetic pool, Rose begins to question her carefully plotted-out life. Publication is planned for fall 2015; Mollie Glick at Foundry Media negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Amy Cloud at S&S's Aladdin Books has acquired world English rights to YA author Alison Cherry's middle-grade debut, Grandma Jo's Guide to Prim & Proper Pilfering. In the story, 12-year-old AJ's summer stay with her grandmother takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that Grandma's bridge club is actually a cover for a septuagenarian heist ring. In exchange for keeping her grandmother's secret, AJ gets to join the team, but must decide for herself what it means to be one of the good guys. It's slated for 2016; Holly Root of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Kate O'Sullivan at HMH has bought Bull, a contemporary retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur in verse for teens, by David Elliot. In the story, a bull asks readers to ally their sympathies with the Minotaur rather than Theseus. It's scheduled for fall 2016; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary sold world rights.
Tara Walker at Tundra Books has acquired author-illustrator Jay Fleck's debut original picture book, Ellie & Tank. Set to publish in fall 2016, the story explores the challenges of an unrequited friendship. Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions brokered the deal for world rights.
Leila Sales at Viking has acquired Dylan the Villain by K.G. Campbell, illustrator of the Newbery Award-winning Flora and Ulysses. The picture book details a boy's competition to be the biggest super-villain in his kindergarten class at super-villain school. It's scheduled for publication in winter 2016; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words negotiated the deal.
Celia Lee of Scholastic has bought world rights to Pirasaurs! by Josh Funk (l.), illustrated by Michael Slack, in which a young recruit joins a crew of dinosaur pirates on a treasure-hunting adventure. It will be published in 2016; Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency represented the author, and Lori Nowicki of Painted Words represented the illustrator.
