Jeannette Larson at HMH Books for Young Readers has acquired The Full Moon at the Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood, a companion to their 1984 picture book The Napping House, which has sold more than 2.5 million copies. A full moon keeps everyone in the Napping House awake until eventually a musical visitor sends sleepy Granny, her energetic grandson, and their menagerie off to dreamland. The book is slated for publication in fall 2015; Rosalie Heacock Thompson at Heacock Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte Press has acquired Finding Audrey, the first YA novel by Sophie Kinsella, author of the bestselling Shopaholic series. The story features a 14-year-old girl recovering from an anxiety disorder; it blends family comedy, romance, and personal discovery. Publication is set for June 9, 2015; Kim Witherspoon at Inkwell Management brokered the deal for U.S. and open market rights.
Anne Hoppe at Clarion Books has bought The Inexplicable Logic of My Heart, a YA novel set in El Paso about family and friendship, life and death, by Printz Honor author Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe). It's scheduled for spring 2016; Patricia Moosbrugger of Patricia Moosbrugger Literary Agency sold world rights.
Melanie Cecka at Knopf has bought Katherine Coville's (The Cottage in the Woods, spring 2015)Ivy and an untitled sequel. They tell the tale of a girl named Ivy and her grandmother, a healer in the town of Broomsweep, who nurse magical creatures of all kinds, including an injured griffin, a dragon and a herd of temperamental pixies. It's set for fall 2016; Jennifer Laughran at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired North American rights to Scones and Sensibility author Lindsay Eland's Six Times Revenge. Pitched as A View from Saturday meets The Breakfast Club, the middle-grade novel follows Adam and Perk, the school's most scheming minds and best friends as they plan the most epic of epic pranks to take down the school bully. It's scheduled for 2016; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House negotiated the deal in an exclusive submission.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury USA and Ellen Holgate at Bloomsbury U.K. have acquired When We Collided by Emery Lord, author of Open Road Summer and The Start of Me & You. The new book follows Jonah, who is struggling to move on after his father's death, and Vivi, who comes to town hoping for a fresh start, and what happens when their summer love faces the troubles they've each been hiding. Publication is planned for spring 2016; Taylor Martindale at Full Circle Literary brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired world rights to The Flying Girl: How the First Woman Pilot Learned to Soar by Newbery Honor author Margarita Engle (l.), to be illustrated by Pura Belpré Honor winner Sara Palacios. It is a biography of Aída de Acosta, who flew a powered aircraft months before the Wright Brothers' first flight. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Michelle Humphrey at the Martha Kaplan Agency represented the author and Kendra Marcus at BookStop Literary represented the illustrator.
Sharyn Rosart at POW! has bought world rights to This Owl, That Owl by author-illustrator Frann Preston-Gannon. It stars a parliament of dissimilar owls who discover their one common interest, and is scheduled for spring 2015. Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions negotiated the deal.
Rotem Moscovich at Disney-Hyperion has acquired, in a pre-empt, two picture books by author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins. Mother Bruce tells of a grumpy bear who reluctantly adopts a gaggle of baby geese, and This Book Does Not Have Words is about three mice who unsuccessfully attempt to star in a wordless picture book so they can garner fame and artistic respect. Mother Bruce is scheduled for January 2016; Paul Rodeen brokered the deal for world rights.
Jon Yaged at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group has acquired world rights to Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada by Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show; Jean Feiwel of Feiwel and Friends will edit. The book is an account of every father's secret campaign to ensure that their babies' first word is Dada – not Mama; cows, sheep, horses, even mice and frogs do everything they can to get their babies to say that magical first word. Dada will be released simultaneously as a board book and a picture book, and was inspired by Fallon's daughter, Winnie Rose, whose first word was “Mama.” Publication is scheduled for June 9, 2015; Creative Artists Agency represented the author.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown bought Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick's Every Exquisite Thing, a YA novel. It centers on Nanette O'Hare, a high school girl who is given a mysterious out-of-print cult classic by a beloved teacher; the book sparks the rebel within Nanette, but she quickly learns there will be a high price to pay. It's slated for spring 2016; the Weinstein Co. has acquired film rights. Douglas Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic brokered the deal for North American rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired The Thing About Jellyfish, a middle-grade novel from Ali Benjamin, co-author of YA memoir Positive. It tells of a 12-year-old girl who becomes convinced that her estranged best friend's drowning was caused by a rare jellyfish sting, and is determined to find out the truth even if it means traveling to Australia, alone, to prove it. Publication is scheduled for fall 2015; Mollie Glick at Foundry Lit + Media held the two-book auction for North American rights.
Stephanie Pitts at Random House's Schwartz & Wade Books has bought Not As We Know It, a novel by Tom Avery. It's the story of twin brothers – one sick with cystic fibrosis, the other healthy – who find a mysterious creature on the beach. Publication is planned for summer 2016; Sarah Pakenham at Andersen Press sold North American rights.
Donna Bray at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray has acquired two picture books and two early readers by debut author-illustrator Corey R. Tabor in a preempt. First up will be The Jumping Contest, in which Fox schemes to beat out his friends Bear, Elephant, Turtle, Rabbit, and Frog in this year's competition. Publication is set for fall 2016; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has bought world rights to Muddy by Michael Mahin (l.), to be illustrated by Evan Turk. It's a picture-book biography of blues musician Muddy Waters, whose fierce and electric sound laid the groundwork for what would become rock and roll. The book is tentatively scheduled for summer 2017; Minju Chang at BookStop Literary represented the author and Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger represented the illustrator.
Alyson Heller at S&S/Aladdin has acquired a new picture book text by Tara Lazar, author ofThe Monstore and the forthcoming I Thought This Was a Bear Book, among other titles. The new text is titled Way Past Bedtime, exposing the truth of what wild shenanigans parents really get up to after lights out. It will be released in fall 2016; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Virginia Dooley at Scholastic has bought world rights to a book for parents on raising readers through practical hands-on activities written by the authors of the Raise a Reader blog, Amy Mascott (l.), founder of Teachmama.com, and Allison McDonald, founder of NoTimeForFlashcards.com; Maria Chang will edit. The book, tentatively titled 75 Tricks for Raising Rockstar Readers, is set to publish in 2016. Erica Rand Silverman at Sterling Lord Literistic did the deal on an exclusive submission.
Carol Hinz at Millbrook Press has acquired world rights to Family Dam by Sandra Markle (l.), a picture book follows the adventures of a beaver kit during its first year of life. It will be illustrated by Deborah Hocking. Publication is scheduled for spring 2016; the author represented herself, and Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management represented the illustrator.
