Connie Hsu and Neal Porter of Roaring Brook Press have acquired four titles from Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat. Hsu was previously Santat's editor at Little, Brown. The four-book deal spans three imprints, and includes picture books and graphic novels. The first, After the Fall, follows the aftermath of Humpty Dumpty's accident. The second, Dude, written by Aaron Reynolds, is a single-word picture book about a surfing platypus and beaver. The third is You Bad Son, a YA graphic novel based on Santat's experience growing up as an only child in a Thai-American family, which centers on his decision to go to art school over pursuing a career in medicine, and what his family faced when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. And the fourth is a yet-to-be-titled second picture book, to be written and illustrated by Santat. The first book will publish in fall 2017; Jodi Reamer at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Fiona Simpson and Sarah McCabe at S&S/Aladdin have preempted sibling writing duo Heidi Lang (r.) and Kati Bartkowski's (l.) debut, Lailu Loganberry's Mystic Cooking, which follows the youngest master chef in 300 years in her efforts to open a restaurant where anyone, not only the wealthy, can feast on her fantastic cuisine including everything from kraken calamari to dragon steak. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Aubrey Poole at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired Wattpad sensation A.V. Geiger's YA debut, Follow Me Back, a romantic thriller for the online generation, told through a combination of police transcripts, Twitter DMs, and a dual POV narrative. When a disguised pop star and his #1 Twitter fan arrange to meet in real life, fake identities are revealed and what should have made for the world's best episode of Catfish turns deadly. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Lydia Shamah at Carol Mann Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Melanie Cecka Nolan at Knopf has bought The Gone Away Place by Christopher Barzak, a YA novel about a 17-year-old girl suffering from survivor's guilt after a natural disaster devastates her community. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
Alessandra Balzer at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray has acquired an untitled companion novel to Julie Murphy's Dumplin', which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean's star turn in the Clover City pageant. Publication is set for 2018; Molly Jaffa at Folio Literary Management/Folio Jr. negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press has bought world rights to a YA novel by Helene Dunbar, called Boomerang, in which a teen who was assumed kidnapped returns to the town he ran from with a scheme to save the boy he had an intense, complicated relationship with during his years away, only to find that while he's changed over the past five years, so has the town. Publication is slated for fall 2017; the author was unrepresented.
Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has acquired world rights for Betty (working title), a middle grade biographical novel by Ilyasah Shabazz, based on the early years of her mother, Betty Shabazz, civil rights icon and wife of Malcolm X. Renée Watson will collaborate. Publication is scheduled for winter 2018; Jason Anthony of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin did the deal.
Erin Stein at Imprint has bought husband-and-wife author-illustrator team Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr's next book, Everywhere, Wonder, about a child's journey of learning to notice, appreciate, and share the world's wonders. Publication is planned for winter 2017; Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore and Company brokered the deal for world rights.
Anna Membrino at Random House has acquired Cirocco Dunlap's Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, in which the narrator gently encourages the reader to interact with a shy dinosaur, with silly results. Publication is set for spring 2018; Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Anna Membrino at Random House has also bought Cirocco Dunlap's This Book Will Not Be Fun, illustrated by Olivier Tallec, in which a persnickety mouse assures readers that they will not enjoy the book, while trying to distract from the fantastical antics of a word-eating flying whale, a funky break-dancing glow worm, and others. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Michaela Kozaric at Quelle Belle Histoire represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Margaret Anastas has acquired The Bad Seed by Jory John (l.), illustrated by Pete Oswald, a humorous picture book about a bad guy who makes an important and life-changing realization. It's set to publish in spring 2017; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Jennifer Besser at Putnam has bought author-illustrator Leonard Kenyon's debut picture book, This Book Is Not for Chickens, a journey through a haunted town that is not for scaredy-cats or chickens. Publication is tentatively planned for fall 2017; Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Jessica Echeverria at Lee and Low has acquired world rights to Midnight Teacher: The Story of Lilly Ann Granderson by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by London Ladd. Midnight Teacher is the true story of a courageous enslaved woman who believed in the power of education and risked her life to teach others how to read and write. It's slated for publication in spring 2017; Halfmann represented herself and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the artist.
Sylvie Frank at S&S's Paula Wiseman Books has bought an untitled picture book biography by Carrie Clickard (l.). The story, told in verse, is about a culinary icon who emigrated to the United States and changed the food landscape; debut artist Katy Wu will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
