Candlewick Press will publish 2016 Hans Christian Andersen Laureate Cao Wenxuan's novel Bronze and Sunflower, which tells the story of the friendship between Bronze, a mute village boy, and Sunflower, a girl sent from the city with her father to a rural re-educational “cadre school,” during the Cultural Revolution. Emma Lidbury at Walker Books bought world English rights for the Walker Books Group from Peter Buckman at the Ampersand Agency. The book was published in the U.K. in April 2015, and has been released in France, Germany, Italy, and Korea. Hilary Van Dusen will edit the U.S. edition, which will be published in early 2017.
Erin Stein at Macmillan/Imprint has acquired Laurie Devore's contemporary YA debut How to Break a Boy, along with an untitled second book, at auction. The novel tells the story of a popular cheerleader in a small Southern town as she navigates grief, scandal, a fake relationship with an arrogant golden boy, and a dangerous best friend. Publication is scheduled for early 2017; Diana Fox at Fox Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Kate Egan at KCP Loft has bought Just a Normal Tuesday by writer and TV producer Kim Turrisi. Based on the author's own experience, the debut YA novel follows 16-year-old Kai as she struggles through the emotional aftermath of her sister's suicide. Kai spends a month at grief camp, discovering a roadmap to piecing her broken heart back together. Turrisi is the director of special projects for the SCBWI. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Bethany Buck of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates brokered the deal for world rights.
Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster has acquired Lauren Spieller's debut YA novel, The Wanderings of Dessa Rose. Modern-day nomad Dessa dreams of a life outside the RV caravan, until an opportunity to put down actual roots leaves her questioning whether she's truly ready to say goodbye to her family, the open road, and Cyrus, who wants to be more than “just friends.” Publication is set for spring 2018; Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management did the deal for world rights.
Wendy McClure at Albert Whitman has bought rights to Katherine Locke's The Girl with the Red Balloon, a YA novel about a 16-year-old girl who goes back in time to 1988 East Berlin, and lands in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy of history and magic. The only way to stop people from dying may be to destroy her only way home. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Louise Fury of the Bent Agency negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Jordan Brown at HarperCollins/Walden Pond Press has acquired Anna Meriano's middle grade debut, Love Sugar Magic on behalf of CAKE Literary. The novel follows a girl who discovers that she comes from a long and distinguished line of brujas – witches of Mexican ancestry. But when she bungles a spell, she must race to fix it before her mother and sisters find out she's been practicing magic in secret. Publication is set for late 2017; Victoria Marini at Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Ruta Rimas at Simon & Schuster/McElderry Books has acquired the young readers edition of Tilar J. Mazzeo's Irena's Children (S&S/Gallery). Mary Cronk Farrell will adapt for middle-grade readers the original edition, an account of Irena Sendler's rescue of more than 2,000 children in the Warsaw ghetto. Both the original edition and the young readers edition will publish in September 2016; Stacey Glick at Dystel & Goderich negotiated the deal for North American rights on behalf of Mazzeo, and Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented Farrell.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle Books has acquired world rights to Kim Tomsic's picture book biography Guitar Hero: The Story of Les Paul, about the musician/innovator and how his perseverance helped him invent some of music's greatest technology. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal.
Ann Kelley at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has bought Peggy Archer's (l.) Toad in the Road, to be illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf, a rhyming picture book about the adventures of a tiny toad. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the author and Judy Sue Goodwin-Sturges at Studio Goodwin Sturges represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Paula Wiseman at S&S/Paula Wiseman Books has acquired world rights to Yael Werber's (l.)Spring for Sophie, the story of a girl who is watching and waiting for the start of spring, to be illustrated by Jen Hill. Publication is set for spring 2017; Laurie Abkemeier at DeFiore and Company represented the author and Anne Armstrong from Bright USA represented the illustrator.
Sonali Fry at Little Bee Books has bought Miranda Paul's (l.) Blobfish Throws a Party, a picture book in which a lonely creature's hopeful invitation is misinterpreted time and again, leading to unexpected global chaos. Maggie Caton will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary represented the author, and the illustrator was not agented.
Karen Wojtyla at S&S/McElderry Books has acquired world rights to Barbara Odanaka's Construction Cat, a picture book about a hard-working mother cat who loves her job and her family. Publication is set for summer 2018; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal.
Rob Broder of Ripple Grove Press has bought the rights to author-illustrator Jami Gigot's Seb and the Sun, in which Seb and his friend Walrus live in the cold dark north, and with a little ingenuity, go in search of some sunshine. Publication is planned for 2018; Gigot represented herself in the deal for world rights.
Sarah Dotts Barley at Flatiron Books has preempted Somaiya Daud's debut Mirage, a YA fantasy/SF trilogy inspired by the author's Moroccan background, in which a poor girl from an isolated moon must become the body double to the cruel imperial princess, and learns that life in the royal palace is far more dangerous and complicated than she imagined. Publication of the first book is planned for fall 2017. Annie Stone and Joelle Hobeika at Alloy Entertainment did the deal on behalf of Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency for North American rights; Rights People is handling U.K. and translation rights.
Jessica Almon at Razorbill has acquired YA LGBT fantasy novel Reign of the Fallen by Sarah Glenn Marsh in a two-book deal. The story follows a talented necromancer who must decide whether to save or help destroy the change-averse society that is crumbling around her. The publication date has not yet been set; Lucy Carson of the Friedrich Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Karen Greenberg at Knopf has bought Tracey Neithercott's debut YA novel, Gray Wolf Island, about five teens looking for a legendary treasure on a mysterious island, only discover they must reveal their darkest secrets in order to succeed. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Sarah LaPolla at Bradford Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Jacquelyn Mitchard at Merit Press has acquired YA novel Aftermath by Clara Kensie. Four years after being kidnapped, a 16-year-old girl is rescued and returns home only to discover her disappearance has ripped her family apart; she feels driven to repair her broken family and help find the body of her captor's first victim in order to make peace with the theft of her past. Publication is set for fall 2016; Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Mallory Kass at Scholastic has bought, in a six-figure deal, the next novel by A Snicker of Magic author Natalie Lloyd. Currently untitled, the novel is an adventure set in a mining town where the future looks grim, until one girl brave enough to believe in something better becomes involved with racing a herd of magical horses to change her destiny and bring back hope. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media did the deal for North American rights.
Erica Zappy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired Nancy Furstinger's Inspiring: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals, which spotlights more than a dozen animals that have overcome physical adversity through prosthetics. Publication is planned for fall 2017; John Rudolph at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Tamar Brazis at Abrams has bought Finder, a picture book biography of Sue Hendrickson, the explorer who discovered Sue the T. rex, the largest and best-preserved T. rex ever found. Written by Toni Buzzeo (l.), the book will be illustrated by Diana Sudyka, who volunteers at the Chicago Field Museum, where the Sue the T. rex is housed. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Stefanie Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the author and Andrea Morrison and Rebecca Sherman at Writers House represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Jennifer Besser at Putnam has bought Stacy McAnulty's (l.) picture book series, Max Explains Everything, to be illustrated by Deborah Hocking, in a three-book deal. In each volume, main character Max shares his hard-earned knowledge with less worldly kids. The series is set to launch in spring 2018; Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights for both author and illustrator.
Katherine Tegen of HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired an untitled picture book from New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss. The book tells the story of a girl who single-handedly transforms the life of a lonely classroom hamster. Publication is slated for winter 2018; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties did the deal for North American rights.
Emma Ledbetter at S&S/Atheneum has bought at auction Lisa Wheeler's (l.) People Don't Bite People, a rhyming picture book that offers concrete examples of what we should and shouldn't sink our teeth into, to be illustrated by Molly Idle. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Steven Malk at Writers House represented both Wheeler and Idle in the deal for world rights.
Erin Stein at Macmillan/Imprint has acquired world rights to author Diana Murray's (l.) picture book Doris the Book-a-Saurus, to be illustrated by Yuyi Chen, in which a spiky-tailed enthusiast of “mega-dino-tastic” books is constantly interrupted by her little brothers, who finally learn that reading is just another kind of playing. Publication is planned for spring 2017; Brianne Johnson at Writers House represented the author and Helen Yung of Astound U.S. represented the illustrator.
Wendy McClure and Kelly Barrales-Saylor of Albert Whitman have bought From Here to There by Sue Fliess (l.), illustrated by Christiane Engel, a picture book about two friends, Here and There, who can never be together, so they become pen pals. Publication is scheduled for October 2016; Jennifer Unter of the Unter Agency represented the author and Doreen Thorogood of Good Illustration Agency represented the artist.
Rob Broder of Ripple Grove Press has bought world rights to Piotr Parda's Graduation Day. Parda's first solo title is the wordless story of a girl who does something beautiful after being bullied at school. Publication is slated for spring 2017; the author was unagented.
Brett Wright at Bloomsbury has acquired author-illustrator Rob McClurkan's Playdates Rule, the story of a boy who invites his “little” (read: elephant) friend over for an afternoon playdate. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Anne Moore Armstrong of Bright USA negotiated the deal for world rights.
