David Linker at HarperCollins has acquired singer Kelly Clarkson's first picture book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, illustrated by Laura Hughes, and featuring an original lullaby written and performed by Clarkson. The book chronicles the night before a girl's first trip to the zoo; she is so excited to see the animals and ride the carousel that she can't fall asleep – until a magical lullaby from her mother sends her off on an adventure. The book will pub on October 4, 2016; CAA sold world rights.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperCollins has bought A Flicker in the Clarity, and a second untitled YA novel from Amy McNamara. The novel tells the story of Evie Ramsey, who learns that loving your best friend might not be enough to save her, and that sometimes in order to become your true self you need to strike out on your own. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Mark Siegel at First Second has acquired world rights to the YA fantasy graphic novel Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea (l.) and Yana Bogatch. It tells the story of a town where every woman is a witch, and what happens when one of them goes missing. Publication is slated for 2018; Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary represented both authors.
Natashya Wilson at Harlequin Teen has bought debut author Abigail Johnson's YA novel If I Fix You, in which a girl obsessed with fixing cars has her heart crushed when she walks in on her mother wrapped around the boy she might love. It's planned for fall 2016; Kim Lionetti at BookEnds brokered the deal for world rights.
Robin Herrera at Oni Press has bought The Green Witch by Corin Howell. The book follows Anne, a troubled teenager who befriends a witch living in the woods near her house and learns about the forest and all of its magical creatures – both good and evil. Publication is slated for 2018; the author was unagented in the deal for world rights.
Kieran Viola at Disney-Hyperion has acquired, at auction, world rights to a middle-grade fantasy series called The Adventurers Guild, by Zack Clark (r.) and Nick Eliopulos, in a three-book deal. The first book,Sea of Stars, introduces a broken world of monsters, dwarves, and elves, where two friends are drafted into the perilous Adventurers Guild, only to uncover a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the foundations of their city. It's set for fall 2017; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented Clark and Josh Adams at Adams Literary represented Eliopulos.
Elizabeth Bennett at HMH has signed Charise Mericle Harper to write the Next Best Junior Chef series, three chapter books about kids who compete on a fictitious televised cooking competition. Christine Krones will edit. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017, fall 2017, and spring 2018; Amy Rennert at the Amy Rennert Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Tamar Brazis at Abrams Appleseed has acquired debut artist Bob Bianchini's Charlie Rides, a transportation book in which a boy and his father test out all kinds of vehicles. Publication is planned for 2017; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Neal Porter at Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books has bought world rights to What a Cold Needs by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Chris Sheban. The book is a journey into one of the most common occurrences in a child's life – being home from school battling not only a cold but the boredom that goes along with it. Publication is set for fall 2018; Rick Richter at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth represented Bottner, and Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented Sheban.
Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster has acquired Benjamin Strouse's debut picture book, Hey Boy, illustrated by Jennifer Phelan, about a boy and a stray dog who meet one day, and stay devoted to each other over the years in spite of many obstacles (adoption, distance, money, and age). Publication is slated for August 2017; Daniel Lazar of Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has acquired world rights to Josh Funk's (l.) It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk, to be illustrated by Edwardian Taylor. In this version of the story, Jack and the other characters talk back to the narrator, refusing to play their roles. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary agency represented the author, Alli Brydon of Bright USA represented the illustrator.
Orli Zuravicky at Scholastic has bought Alyssa Satin Capucilli's I Will Love You, the story of a mother's never-ending love for her child that transforms into a magical adventure. Lisa Anchin will illustrate. Publication is set for 2017; Liza Voges of Eden Street represented the author and Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media represented the artist in the deal for world rights.
Julie Matysik at Sky Pony has acquired world rights to Rock Away Blues, by Dandi Daley Mackall, a picture book about a girl and her grandmother who twist, boogie, monster mash, and bunny hop their way through an evening together. Mike DeSantis will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for May 2017; Elizabeth Harding of Curtis Brown represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Anne Hoppe at Clarion has bought world rights to Carol Brendler's The Pickwicks' Picnic, a vehicular counting tale starring a resourceful set of siblings and a jam-packed highway. Renee Kurilla will illustrate. A fall 2017 publication is planned; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Jennifer Rofe at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Donna Bray at Balzer + Bray has bought Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis's The Golden Thread, a picture book biography of folk musician Pete Seeger, celebrating Seeger's music as both a dynamic tradition and a spearhead for social change. Bray also acquired Meloy's untitled middle grade novel about an impressionable young American who falls in with a ragtag group of pickpockets in 1961 France, to be illustrated by Ellis. Publication for the first book is slated for summer 2017, with the second to follow in fall 2017. Steven Malk at Writers House negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Neal Porter of Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books has acquired Lemony Snicket's picture book,Goldfish Ghost, about a diminutive ghost finding his place in an all too solid world. Lisa Brown will illustrate. Publication has been set for spring 2017; Daniel Handler represented Mr. Snicket; Charlotte Sheedy of Charlotte Sheedy Literary represented Handler and Brown in the deal for world rights, excluding the U.K.
Zareen Jaffrey at Simon & Schuster has bought, in a six-figure auction, Gabrielle Prendergast's teen fantasy series Zero Repeat Forever. The series has two central characters: a teenager in Northern Canada named Raven who is one of only a few surviving humans after an attack by creatures called Nyx; and a Nyx warrior named Eighth. When the two cross paths, they find themselves united in their grief and decide to get Raven to safety, even if it means endangering Eighth. Publication of book one in the series is scheduled for 2017; Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for U.S. rights.
Elise Howard at Algonquin Young Readers has acquired Adele Griffin's Your Only Girl in a two-book, six-figure deal. Set in 1976 in a wealthy enclave on Fire Island, the novel features a love triangle in which an insider and a girl from outside the gilded gates vie for the love of a mysterious newcomer. It's slated for 2017; Emily van Beek at Folio Literary Management negotiated the deal for North American English-language rights.
Michelle Frey at Knopf has bought Erika L. Sánchez's debut YA novel,Brown Girl Problems, the story of Julia, a Latina girl whose older sister is the perfect Mexican daughter until she is killed, leaving Julia to carry all of her parents' expectations by herself – and to uncover her sister's secrets. Publication is set for fall 2017; Michelle Brower at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth brokered the deal for U.S., Canadian, and open market rights.
Anne Heltzel at Abrams has acquired Elise Chapman's new YA novel,Along the Indigo. In the story, a young woman is under pressure to start working at a brothel; desperate for a way out, she forges a connection with a boy whose tragic past is more connected with her own than either of them realizes. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Elizabeth Bewley at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has bought Things I Should Have Known by Claire LaZebnik, about a popular Los Angeles teen who tries to find love for her autistic sister. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Alexis Hurley at Inkwell Management brokered the deal for world English rights.
Alison Weiss of Sky Pony Press has acquired the first three books in the Project Droid chapter book series by Nancy Krulik (r.) and her daughter, teacher Amanda Burwasser, in which third-grader Logan struggles to adjust to his new life and protect a big secret when his mom builds him a very literal-minded robot cousin. The series will be illustrated by Mike Moran. The first two books,Science No Fair! and Soccer Shocker will release in fall 2016, with the third to follow in spring 2017. Kenneth M. Weinrib of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo represented the authors, and Erica Rand Silverman of Sterling Lord Literistic represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Lindsay Brown at Aladdin's Beyond Words imprint has bought world English rights to Lee Wind's nonfiction middle grade book, The Queer History Project: No Way, They Were Gay? Wind is the writer and LGBTQ activist behind the I'm Here. I'm Queer. What the Hell Do I Read? blog. His nonfiction middle grade book will feature profiles and primary sources that explore LGBTQ loves and lives. Publication is set for September 2017; Danielle Smith at Red Fox Literary negotiated the deal.
Stacey Friedberg at Dial has acquired Wizardmatch, a middle grade novel by Lauren Magaziner, in which a Grand Wizard de Pomporromp holds a competition to determine which of his descendants will inherit his powers, with one major condition: only one grandchild from each family can compete. Eleven-year-old Lennie is snubbed in favor of her younger brother, leading her to sabotage the contest in hopes of proving her magic abilities. The book is scheduled to publish in 2017; Brianne Johnson at Writers House did the deal for world rights.
Connie Hsu at First Second Books has bought world rights to the middle-grade graphic novelFirst Friends, written by Shannon Hale (l.) and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. The book tells the autobiographically inspired story of surviving elementary school while making and keeping friends. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary represented Hale; Pham by Linda Pratt at Wernick & Pratt.
Jean Feiwel at Feiwel and Friends has won at auction a picture book by Scholastic employee Tom Booth called Blink!, in which kids are invited to join a staring contest. Publication is slated for spring 2017; Rick Richter at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Emma Ledbetter at Atheneum has bought at auction Julie Fogliano's If I Was the Sunshine, a picture book that explores the love between parent and child, to be illustrated by Loren Long. Publication has not yet been scheduled; Steven Malk at Writers House represented both Fogliano and Long in the deal for world rights.
Mary-Kate Gaudet at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to You Don't Want a Unicorn! by Ame Dyckman (l.), illustrated by Liz Climo, a cautionary tale of wishing for and keeping this oh-so-unsuitable pet. Publication is tentatively set for spring 2017; Scott Treimel represented the author, and Kathleen Ortiz at New Leaf Literary & Media represented the illustrator.
