Arianne Lewin at Putnam has, in a pre-empt, acquired Dana Mele's debut YA, People Like Us, in a six-figure, two-book deal. Pitched as Gone Girl meets Thirteen Reasons Why, it tells the story of a tight-knit group of girls who discover the body of a classmate in the lake of their posh private school, and are then targeted by a revenge website that threatens to expose their darkest secrets and implicate them for murder. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Andrea Somberg at Harvey Klinger Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Kate Harrison at Dial has bought Michael Belanger's debut YA novel, The History of Jane Doe, about a high school history buff who looks back over the last year of his life and tries to unravel the complicated relationship he had with the (ex) girlfriend he calls Jane Doe. Publication is scheduled for summer 2018; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Grace Kendall at FSG has acquired memoirist Eric Kester's debut YA novel in an exclusive submission. Right Tackle chronicles a make-or-break small-town football season that pushes brotherhood to its limits. Publication is set for spring 2018; Helen Adams Zimmermann at Zimmermann Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Nicole Frail at Sky Pony Press has bought Gwen Cole's Ride On, a western set in the near future in which a teen outlaw crosses paths with a girl whose brother has been taken by the Lawmen gang. When a long-buried secret is revealed, her rescue mission becomes his quest for revenge. Publication is planned for spring 2018; Rachel Brooks at L. Perkins Agency did the deal for world rights.
Caroline Abbey at Random House has acquired at auction two middle grade books by debut author Allison Varnes. The first book, Property of the Anarchist Librarian, is about a girl's struggle with her parents, her school administration, and the school board over her possession of banned books, as well as her creation of a secret lending library and her desire to protect her recently fired school librarian. The second book is untitled. Publication is slated for September 2018; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management sold world English rights.
Cheryl Klein at Scholastic has bought, and David Levithan will edit, Alyson Gerber's second middle grade novel, Focused, where the world of competitive chess meets Fish in a Tree. In the book, Clea comes to terms with her ADHD diagnosis and discovers the different ways she can succeed. Publication is scheduled for 2018; Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Sonali Fry at Bonnier Publishing USA has acquired Stu Truly, a middle-grade debut from picture book author Dan Richards, about a 12-year-old boy whose father owns the town butcher shop, and what happens when a new girl catches his eye—a girl who happens to be a vegetarian. Publication is set for spring 2018; Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Jill Davis at HarperCollins has bought Everybody Says Meow and another untitled picture book, from Mr. Puffball author-illustrator Constance Lombardo. In her new story, Mabel the cat has her paws full trying to get all the cats to say “meow” in unison. The first book will be published in 2019; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Karen Nagel at Aladdin has acquired world English rights to One Little Monster, written and illustrated by Mark Gonyea. It's a rhyming/counting book in which, one monster, then two and more, scare their way along a trail to the 10th, and a surprise ending. The book is scheduled for summer 2018; Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio brokered the deal.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has bought in a preempt Andrew Prahin's picture book, Elbert, the Curious Clock Tower Bear, about a mechanical bear and his growing curiosity. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Paul Rodeen at Rodeen Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Emma Ledbetter at Atheneum has acquired Keith Calabrese's debut picture book, Lena's Shoes Are Nervous: A Kindergarten Dilemma, to be illustrated by 2017 Pura Belpré Award winner Juana Medina, about a girl who projects first-day-of-school jitters onto her shoes, and, with help from her other clothes, calms their nerves and gets them out the door. Publication is planned for fall 2018. Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt sold North American English rights for the author, and Gillian MacKenzie of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency sold world rights for the illustrator.
Andrew Smith and Anne Heltzel at Amulet Books have bought, and Heltzel will edit, a nonfiction book from 13-year-old singer, dancer, and actress, and former Dance Moms cast member JoJo Siwa, called JoJo's Guide to the Sweet Life. The book is a middle-grade memoir that shows young women how they can move past bullying and negativity to accomplish anything they imagine. Publication is set for October 2017 with a first printing of 250,000 copies; Sarah Passick and Celeste Fine at Sterling Lord Literistic negotiated the deal for world rights.
Alex Arnold at HC/Katherine Tegen Books has acquired author Corey Ann Haydu's next middle-grade novel, Eventown, and a second untitled middle-grade project. Eventown follows two sisters whose family moves to a seemingly idyllic new town, but soon finds that all is not as it seems. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Erica Finkel at Abrams has bought author Tommy Greenwald's Talking to Teddy, an epistolary middle-grade novel told through dialogue, interview transcripts, text messages, and an online forum, about a boy in a coma from a mysterious football-related injury. As family, friends, teammates, and coaches come to talk to Teddy, the mystery unravels of how the injury occurred, and what the implications of the injury are for the community, as well as the game of football. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Brianne Johnson at Writers House did the deal for world rights.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired Claire Legrand's Empirium trilogy, a YA fantasy series pitched as Throne of Glass meets Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the story, two young women centuries apart—one a troubled, magic-wielding queen; the other a bounty hunter serving a ruthless empire—must fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, only to discover as their stories intersect that they have the power to save their world or doom it. The first book in the trilogy, titled Ashborn, is planned for spring 2018; Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency sold world rights.
Elizabeth Bewley at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has bought in a preempt two contemporary YA novels by Sophie Jordan, Girl Code and Guy Code. Told from alternating points of view, Girl Code follows two best friends who make—and subsequently break—rules for navigating the world of guys, school, parties, and family. Guy Code will explore a similar set of rules, but from alternating male perspectives. Publication for the first book is set for January 2019; Maura Kye-Casella at Don Congdon Associates negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Michael Strother at HarlequinTeen has acquired Toil & Trouble, an anthology of feminist stories of witchcraft, co-edited by Tess Sharpe (l.) and Jessica Spotswood and featuring contributions from Brandy Colbert, Zoraida Cordova, Andrea Cremer, Kate Hart, Emery Lord, Elizabeth May, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Karuna Riazi, Lindsay Smith, Nova Ren Suma, Robin Talley, Shveta Thakrar, Tristina Wright, and Brenna Yovanoff. The book will be published in fall 2018; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the deal for world rights.
Sonali Fry at Little Bee Books has bought world rights to Carole Boston Weatherford's The Roots of Rap, to be illustrated by Frank Morrison, a picture book chronicling the early years of hip-hop through four pillars: graffiti, breakdancing, DJing, and MCing. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Sterling Children's Books has acquired at auction Nugget & Fang author Tammi Sauer's picture book But the Bear Came Back, about a plucky bear whose antics eventually win over a reticent child to the joys of friendship. U.K.-based artist Dan Taylor will illustrate. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown represented the author and Anne Moore Armstrong at Bright USA represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Eliza Berkowitz at Sterling has bought debut author-illustrator Aura Lewis's Gloria's Voice, a picture book biography of feminist icon Gloria Steinem. Publication is set for spring 2018; Alli Brydon at Bright USA brokered the deal for world rights.
