Andrew Karre at Dutton has acquired Carrie Mesrobian's The Hidden Needle, a YA novel about an unusual family of women, the secrets they keep, and the consequences of those secrets – all from the point of view of the youngest daughter, who is visited in her dreams by a 19th-century Irish immigrant girl who died in a nearby asylum. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management negotiated the two-deal for North American rights.
Chelsea Eberly at Random House has bought two standalone contemporary romances from Grey's Anatomy writer and Shuffle, Repeat author Jen Klein. In Summer Unscripted, a girl without a "passion" meets a boy under unlikely circumstances and imagines it’s a sign – he is her passion – until meeting a second boy complicates things. Publication is slated for summer 2017, and the second, still untitled book will pub in summer 2018; Lisa Gallagher at DeFiore & Co. sold world rights.
Laura Schreiber at Disney-Hyperion has acquired playwright Don Zolidis's debut YA novel, The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig (A Love Story) , in a preempt. It's a coming-of-age story set in 1994 Wisconsin, chronicling the on-again-off-again relationship of Amy and Craig, who come to understand each other better through multiple disastrous breakups. Publication date is projected for fall 2018; John M. Cusick of Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management brokered the six-figure, two-book deal for North American rights.
Anna Roberto at Feiwel and Friends has bought at auction Adrienne Kisner's epistolary novel, Dear Rachel Maddow, in which 17-year-old Brynn begins emailing MSNBC host Rachel Maddow for a school project, and ends up using her unsent drafts to talk about everything from her first serious girlfriend to her brother's death and the upcoming school election. When Brynn accidentally forwards her emails to the entire school, she asks herself: what would Rachel Maddow do? Publication is planned for spring 2018; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management did the deal for world English rights.
Fiona Simpson at Simon Pulse has acquired Side Effects, an anthology of personal essays dealing with the impacts of mental illness, edited by Jessica Burkhart, with contributions from Burkhart and 30 other young adult and middle grade writers. Publication is set for fall 2017; Bethany Buck with Ed Maxwell at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates negotiated the deal for world rights.
Alix Reid at Carolrhoda Lab has bought debut author Rebecca Caprara's middle-grade novel, Chance Seedling, in which 12-year-old Isa finds herself becoming invisible to her family when her younger sister develops cancer, until she finds a mysterious apple orchard that gives her hope and a little magic. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Christa Heschke at McIntosh and Otis brokered the deal for North American rights.
Eric Reynolds of Fantagraphics has acquired Geoffrey Hayes's first graphic novel, an original fairytale called Lovo and the Firewolf. When Lovo's father is struck by an evil wood demon named Ood, he becomes ill, and Lovo must confront her deepest fears in order to save him. Publication is set for late 2017; Edite Kroll of the Edite Kroll Literary Agency sold world rights.
Neal Porter at Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books has bought Frances in the Country, a picture book by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Sean Qualls, about a city girl who on a joyful trip to visit her cousins in the country rediscovers what she loves about her urban home. It is slated for fall 2018. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented Scanlon and Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties represented Qualls in the deal for world rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has acquired North American rights to Samantha Berger's (l.)Snail Mail, a tribute to handwritten mail and the importance of slowing down in our everyday lives.Julia Patton will illustrate; publication is planned for spring/summer 2018. Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the author and Alli Brydon at Bright USA represented the illustrator.
Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has bought Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton's picture book, Time for Pancakes, about the journey of a child who participates in the family tradition of making maple syrup. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Victoria Selvaggio at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency sold world rights.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights for Elizabeth Zunon's debut author-illustrated picture book, Grandpa Cacao. As a girl bakes a chocolate cake, she traces her roots back to the Ivory Coast where her grandfather was a cacao farmer, and learns about her African heritage. It's slated for spring 2019; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words did the deal.
Eliza Berkowitz at Sterling has bought a debut picture book, A Couch for Llama by Leah Gilbert, the story of a kooky llama who unexpectedly comes into possession of a couch. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Clelia Gore at Martin Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has bought Blake Nelson's Boy, a story of how everything changes for one teen after a transgression pushes him out of his spot as an insider, leading to new friendships and passions that form him in ways he'd never have imagined. Simon Pulse will simultaneously repackage and rerelease Blake's 1994 novel Girl. The pub date for both is June 2017; Jodi Reamer at Writers House did the deal for North American rights.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has acquired world rights to We Need Diverse Books' anthology of YA short fiction, Lift Off, edited by YA novelist Lamar Giles. The anthology, scheduled for release in 2018, features stories by Melissa de la Cruz, Sara Farizan, Sharon Flake, Eric Gansworth, Malinda Lo, Walter Dean Myers, Daniel José Older, Thien Pham, Jason Reynolds, Gene Luen Yang, Nicola Yoon, as well as by Amina Mae Safi, the winner of WNDB's YA short story contest for previously unpublished fiction. Lift Off is the second collaboration between WNDB and Crown; Barry Goldblatt of BG Literary represented Oh, and Jamie Weiss Chilton of Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented Giles.
Abby Ranger at HarperCollins has bought in a preempt debut author M.K. England's The Disasters, pitched as The Breakfast Club meetsFirefly. In the book, five teenagers who consider themselves to be galactic failures have to use the qualities that flunked them out of Ellis Space Academy to prevent a series of intergalactic attacks. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Barbara Poelle of Irene Goodman brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Nicole Ellul at Simon Pulse has acquired North American rights at auction to Shea Ernshaw's debut YA novel, The Wicked Deep, about three sisters who were sentenced to death for witchcraft in 1811, and the small coastal town that has been plagued by death ever since. It's slated for spring 2018; Jessica Regel at Foundry Literary + Media negotiated the deal.
Rachel Stark of Sky Pony Press has bought world rights to Bibi Belford's Another D for DeeDee. Feeling dumb at a new school, being diagnosed with diabetes, and missing her immigrant dad, who has disappeared, make DeeDee feel lonelier than ever – until a new neighbor offers to help. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Belford was unagented.
Katherine Jacobs at Roaring Brook has acquired world rights to Sarah Glenn Marsh's (l.) nonfiction picture book, Dragon Bones, the true story of Mary Anning, a fossil-hunter who discovered some of the first dinosaur fossils during a time when women often weren't recognized as scientists. Maris Wicks will illustrate; publication is planned for fall 2019. Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis represented the author and Bernadette Baker-Baughman at Victoria Sanders represented the illustrator.
Susan van Metre at Abrams has bought world rights to a picture book by Origami Yoda series author Tom Angleberger (l.), Goldberg!! & the Rich Dude Who Couldn't Sleep, to be illustrated by Elio. Goldberg!! tells the story of a rich, sleepless fellow whose harpsichordist, Goldberg, wasn't successful in lulling him to sleep, until Mr. Bach arrived on the scene and wrote the famousGoldberg Variations. Publication is set for fall 2018; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and Jennifer Rofe at Andrea Brown represented the illustrator.
Neal Porter at Roaring Brook's Neal Porter Books has acquired a new collaboration from Caldecott-winning author and illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead. Music for Mister Moon tells the story of a wistful young cellist named Harriet, who longs to play in solitude. Then she meets the moon, buys him a hat, and plays music just for him. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Cecily Kaiser at Phaidon has bought world rights to Twinkle, Twinkle, ABC by Barney Saltzberg (l.), illustrated by Fred Benaglia, a mash-up of two children’s songs sharing the same melody. It's scheduled for fall 2017; Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Marlena Torzecka of the Marlena Agency represented the illustrator.
Karen Greenberg at Knopf has acquired world rights to two picture books by Urban Babies Wear Black author Michelle Sinclair Colman, to be illustrated by Paul Schmid. You See, I See: In the City and You See, I See: On the Farm follow the perspectives of both a parent and child throughout the day. The books are set for spring 2018. The author represented herself and Steven Malk at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Maria Modugno at Random House has acquired A Name for Baby, a picture book by Lizi Boyd, in which Mama Mouse consults all the other field animals before settling on the perfect name for the new baby. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Liza Voges of Eden Street Literary Agency sold world rights.
Calista Brill of First Second has bought world rights to House Kittens, a set of two graphic novels by John Patrick Green about a group of talented, plucky kittens who struggle to succeed as house-building construction workers in a world of humans. It's slated for fall 2018; Green was unagented.
