Lauri Hornik and Julie Strauss-Gabel at Penguin Young Readers have acquired North American rights to To Night Owl from Dogfish, a middle grade novel co-written by Holly Goldberg Sloan (l.) and Meg Wolitzer. Told entirely through correspondence, the book is a Parent Trap-with-gay-dads kind of story about two very different girls on opposite sides of the country who are forced to become friends when their fathers fall in love. The book will be co-published by Dial and Dutton in spring 2019; the deal was co-brokered by Amy Berkower at Writers House and Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Endeavor.
Laura Godwin at Henry Holt/Godwin has preempted North American rights for two books in Japanese author Nahoko Uehashi's (l.) bestselling The Beast Player series, translated by Cathy Hirano. Set in a medieval fantasy world, the series follows the life of a young healer set on protecting a kingdom's most prized possession, despite efforts to control this otherworldly beast. Publication for book one is scheduled for winter 2019; Allison Hellegers at Rights People negotiated the deal on behalf of Adam Freudenheim at Pushkin Press.
Christopher Myers has bought Pet by Akwaeke Emezi for his Make Me a World imprint, in partnership with Knopf. The young adult novel is about finding monsters in a world that claims they don't exist anymore, and a teen who frees a creature from her mother's painting. Erin Clarke will edit. Publication is set for fall 2019; Jacqueline Ko at the Wylie Agency did the deal for U.S./Canadian rights.
Stacey Barney at Putnam has acquired Gumiho, a debut YA contemporary fantasy by Kat Cho, set in modern-day Seoul and based on Korean mythology. A girl who must kill to survive falls in love with a boy after she rescues him from a goblin, changing the course of her immortal life. The first book in the planned duology is slated for fall 2019; Beth Phelan at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for world English rights, while at the Bent Agency.
Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown has bought Mary Crockett's YA novel How She Died, How I Lived. The contemporary novel is about a teen girl who fails to respond to a former classmate's text to hang out, and then learns that he brutally murdered the only girl out of five who did answer. A year later, on the eve of his sentencing, she is still dealing with her survivor's guilt, while also becoming romantically involved with the victim's boyfriend. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Jessica Garrison at Dial has acquired, in a preempt, world English rights for Shana Youngdahl's debut, As Many Nows As I Can Get. The book is about overachievers Scarlett and David, who plunge into a swirl of romance, particle physics, and questionable decisions the summer before they leave for college. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic brokered the deal.
Matt Ringler at Scholastic has bought Stephanie Kate Strohm's That's Not What I Heard. Pitched as John Hughes meets Bye Bye Birdie, the YA comedy follows what happens when a longtime couple splits during their senior year of high school and the whole town takes sides in the breakup. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has bought Codename: Badass, How Virginia Hall Became America's Greatest Female Spy by Outwitting the Nazis, Helping to Build the French Resistance… and Falling in Love Behind Enemy Lines by Heather Demetrios. Told in a Code Name Verity meets Drunk History style, this YA biography of World War II amputee spy Virginia Hall tells the story of the woman whom the Gestapo called "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." Publication is scheduled for winter 2020; Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates handled the deal for world English rights.
Liesa Abrams at Aladdin has acquired The Revenge of Magic, a seven-book fantasy series by James Riley, author of the bestselling Story Thieves and Half Upon a Time series. A long-dead power has re-awakened on Earth, and with it come rampaging monsters. After witnessing the first otherworldly attack, one child is recruited to a government-run school for magic where he's trained with others to fight back. The first book, The Revenge of Magic, pubs in spring 2019; Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret did the deal for North American rights.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has bought Count Me In, a middle grade #ownvoices novel by Varsha Bajaj, in which a 12-year-old girl and the white boy next door become reluctant activists after witnessing a racially charged attack on her traditionally dressed Indian grandfather, and the photos she posts for friends and family go viral. Publication is set for 2019; Jill Corcoran brokered the deal for world rights.
Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has acquired Tanya Guerrero's debut middle grade novel, The Wild Side, inspired by the author's multicultural background (Filipino and Spanish). The contemporary story follows a 12-year-old boy named Pablo whose anxiety issues are exacerbated both by his mother's decision to move with him to the Philippines, where she works as a zoologist, and to take in a foster child with an as-of-yet-unrepaired craniofacial anomaly. Publication is planned for winter 2020; Wendy Schmalz at Wendy Schmalz Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Sheila Keenan at Viking has acquired Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker, a two-book series by Frank Cammuso. The middle-grade graphic novels follow the adventures of a boy whose family pest-control business is really about monster wrangling. Publication for the first book, The Night Door, is slated for fall 2018; a second, untitled graphic novel will follow in fall 2019. Judith Hansen at Hansen Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Jenne Abramowitz at Scholastic has bought the first two books in Catherine Hapka's new chapter book series, Dolphin Island. Abby's life changes when her family moves to their very own island, and its own cove full of friendly dolphins. Publication of the as yet untitled first book is set for fall 2019; Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media negotiated the deal for world rights.
Holly West at Feiwel and Friends has acquired, at auction, world rights to Spy Penguins, a chapter book series by Sam Hay, illustrated by Marek Jagucki. Pitched as James Bond meets Happy Feet, the series follows the adventures of two young penguins who are desperate to become secret agents. In the first book, planned for September 2018, they investigate some fishy business at the City Aquarium. Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency represented the author in the three-book deal; the illustrator was unagented.
Lynne Polvino at Clarion has signed John Parra to illustrate Miranda Paul's Little Libraries, Big Heroes, which tells the story of the Little Free Library organization from founder Todd Bol's first installation to the creation of more than 50,000 mini-libraries around the world. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Adriana Dominguez and Stefanie Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Adrienne Szpyrka at Running Press Kids has bought, with Julie Matysik editing, world rights to Sheri Dillard's (l.) Cowhide-and-Seek, a picture book featuring a cow who is determined to be the winner of hide-and-seek, even though she's the only one playing. Jess Pauwels will illustrate; publication is set for spring 2019. Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Arabella Stein of Bright Group represented the illustrator.
