Karen Lotz at Candlewick Press has acquired two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo's novel Beverly, Right Here, a return to the world of the Three Rancheros, following National Book Award finalist Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana's Way Home. The new novel, which focuses on tough-talking Beverly Tapinski, is scheduled for fall 2019; Andrea Tompa will edit. Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties brokered the deal for world rights in all languages.
Kristen Pettit at HarperTeen has bought world English rights to bestselling author of the Testing trilogy Joelle Charbonneau's new duology, Verify. Meri Beckley lives in a near-future U.S. without crime or controversy. But when Meri's mother is killed, Meri finds herself drawn into an underground network safeguarding books full of facts, history, and even words—like “verify”—that she didn't know existed. Suddenly, Meri must choose between accepting the “truth” she has been taught or embracing a world the government doesn't want anyone to see. Verify will release on September 24, 2019, with a follow-up, Disclose, in 2020; Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner did the deal.
Allison Moore at Bloomsbury has acquired debut author Michelle Mason's YA novel Your Life Has Been Delayed, about a 17-year-old who takes off on a flight from New York City and lands back home in St. Louis 25 years later, needing to grapple with her family, friends, and new boyfriend moving on without her, and also taking a crash-course in social media and viral news culture while she's the biggest story to hit the internet. Publication is slated for winter 2021; Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Maggie Lehrman at Abrams has bought the YA romantic comedy The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss by debut author Amy Parks. Seventeen-year-old Evie has never been interested in dating; she's been fully occupied by her love of mathematics and her frequent battles with anxiety. Caleb knows Evie isn't ready for romance but assumes that when she is, she will choose him, because he is her best friend and he loves her, and he has almost kissed her 17 times. Publication is set for fall 2020; Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Julie Rosenberg at Razorbill has acquired Cameron Lund's YA debut, The Best Laid Plans, in a preempt. The sex-positive, feminist rom-com follows a high school senior who is convinced she's the only virgin left in her class—and she'd rather not be. But when she asks her longtime best friend to teach her the ropes, she doesn't realize that he's been keeping secrets of his own, and it's only a matter of time before her plan implodes. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Jessica Anderson at Macmillan/Ottaviano has bought Hunting Annabelleauthor Wendy Heard's debut YA thriller, She's Too Pretty to Burn. In this gender-swapped Dorian Gray reimagining, a teen photographer's picture of her introverted girlfriend goes viral, sending them into a spiral of fame and danger as they navigate the waters of an underground San Diego art scene. Publication is scheduled for winter 2021; Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Maria Barbo at HarperCollins has acquired world English rights to The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian by Jonathan Messinger, author, journalist, and co-founder of the podcast production company Gen-Z Kids. The four-book series is based on Messinger's podcast about a group of eight-year-old space adventurers and their robot sidekicks. Publication is set for fall 2020; Joanna MacKenzie at Nelson Literary Agency brokered the six-figure deal.
Olivia Valcarce at Scholastic has bought Yamile Saied Méndez's Random Acts of Kittens, in which a girl tries to spread happiness by pairing a litter of kittens with the perfect owners, but realizes that her good intentions don't always yield the results she expects. Publication is slated for 2020; Linda Camacho at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
David Linker at HarperCollins has acquired S.O.S.: Society of Substitutes from The Day the Mustache Took Over author Alan Katz. The illustrated chapter book series is a humorous adventure about the least likely superheroes of them all—substitute teachers. Publication of the four-book series will begin in summer 2020; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management did the deal for world rights.
Jill Santopolo at Philomel has bought, in an exclusive submission, If I Were a Dog, written and illustrated by veteran children's book editor Joanna Cotler. In the book, children imagine themselves as dogs of all shapes and sizes. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal for world rights.
Eve Adler at Penguin Workshop has acquired Rachael McLean's debut author-illustrator board book, My Best Friend Is a Unicorn, as well as a second book about another fantastical creature. The books give young readers a humorous introduction to the benefits of having magical best friends. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019 and summer 2020; Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has bought North American rights, at auction, to Australian author Robert Hendersen's I See, I See. The immersive, hands-on picture book encourages readers to turn the book to reveal new ways of seeing the pictures. Publication is scheduled in the U.S. for fall 2019. Allison Hellegers sold North American rights on behalf of Alex Adsett Literary Agency in Australia; Allen & Unwin acquired the book for world rights, excluding North American, at auction.
Katie Cunningham at Candlewick has acquired Colors, Animals, and ABC, three titles in a board book series by Chihiro Takeuchi, done in intricately patterned paper cutouts. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for world English rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, on behalf of Berbay Publishing.
David Gale at Simon & Schuster has bought world rights to Rob Broder's debut picture book, Crow and Snow. Crow, a scarecrow, gets lonely out in the field, but every year when the winter comes, his best friend Snow returns to him. Publication is set for fall 2021; the author represented himself.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired world rights to Nana Fatou Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker (l.), illustrated by April Harrison. In the story, a girl overcomes her fears of being teased when she brings her West African grandmother to school for Grandparents' Day, because of the tribal markings on Nana Fatou's face. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency negotiated the deal for the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought A Bowl Full of Peace by Caren Stelson, a nonfiction picture book about Sachiko Yasui, the subject of Stelson's previous book Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story, which won a Sibert Honor. Akira Kusaka will illustrate in his American picture book debut; publication is slated for spring 2020, in advance of the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author in the deal for world rights, and the illustrator represented himself.
Erica Sussman at HarperTeen has acquired three comedic, fantastical, and historical YA novels from the bestselling authors of My Plain Jane, My Lady Jane, and the forthcoming My Calamity Jane: (from l.) Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. This time, the Lady Janies will be helping various Marys get better endings to their stories. Books include My Contrary Mary, about Mary, Queen of Scots, set in the world of My Lady Jane; My Atomic Mary, about Marie Curie; and My Typhoid Mary, about Mary Mallon. The books will publish in 2021, 2022, and 2023; Katherine Fausset at Curtis Brown, Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Lauren MacLeod at the Strothman Agency did the deal for North American English rights.
Ashley Hearn at Page Street has bought An Affair of Poisons author Addie Thorley's YA fantasy duology, Night Spinner. Set in a world inspired by the Arctic tundra, this reimagining of The Hunchback of Notre Dame follows a girl who used to be one of the greatest warriors in the Sky King's army, but after losing control of her ability to wield the threads of darkness, she is imprisoned in a monastery. When offered a chance at reinstatement in exchange for catching a rebel, she eagerly accepts, only to discover that the tides of war have changed. Publication is set for winter 2020; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Janine O'Malley at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Lynne Missen at Penguin Canada have acquired The Beauty of the Moment author Tanaz Bhathena's fantasy duology, called Hunted by the Sky. Set in a world inspired by medieval India, the story tells of a girl with a star-shaped birthmark who is prophesied to be the downfall of a tyrant king, the warrior women who come to her aid, and the boy she falls in love with. Publication is projected for spring 2020, with an untitled sequel to follow; Eleanor Jackson at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner brokered the deal for world rights.
Nicole Frail at Sky Pony has bought world rights to Kissing Ezra Holtz (and Other Things I Did for Science), a contemporary YA novel by Art of French Kissing author Brianna Shrum. Pitched as a YA The Rosie Project, the novel follows rebellious artist Amalia and straight-laced academic Ezra after they are paired on an AP psychology project that posits that anyone can fall in love with anyone under the correct scientific circumstances. The hypothesis is put to the test when the two—practically enemies since before their b'nai mitzvahs—accidentally start to fall for one another. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Steven Salpeter at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal.
Melissa Frain at Tor Teen has acquired Sarah Henning's The Princess Will Save You, a feminist YA fantasy inspired by The Princess Bride. The novel follows a princess who sets off to rescue her true love—a stable boy—after he is kidnapped. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020; Whitney Ross at Irene Goodman Agency handled the two-book deal for North American rights.
Elise Howard at Algonquin preempted world English and Spanish-language rights to Yamile Saied Méndez's Furia, pitched in the vein of Bend It Like Beckham. Set in Argentina, the story centers on Camila "Furia" Hassan, who longs to play professional soccer in the United States and not only has to contend with deeply disapproving parents, but with a blossoming love interest that threatens to tempt her away from her dream. Publication is planned for 2020; Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary brokered the two-book deal.
Jenne Abramowitz at Scholastic Press has bought, in a preempt, Cattywampus, a middle grade fantasy by debut author Ash Van Otterloo. In the story, two young witches—one grappling with the revelation that she is intersex, the other with her father's abandonment—accidentally resurrect a graveyard full of feuding ancestors, and must work together to perform a counter-curse to save themselves and the rest of their Appalachian community. Publication is set for summer 2020; Lauren Spieller at TriadaUS Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Allison Cohen at Running Press Kids has acquired Alan Katz's Really Stupid Stories for Really Smart Kids, a collection of stories about the ridiculous and the absurd. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Rick Richter at Aevitas Creative Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Janine O'Malley at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought North American rights to Helen Frost's All He Knew. Inspired by true events, the middle grade novel-in-verse is set in the early 1940s and follows a boy who is institutionalized because he is deaf, the sister who loves him, and the World War II conscientious objector who helps bring about change. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown represented the author.
Tara Walker at Tundra has acquired world rights to The Barnabus Project, written and illustrated by the Fan Brothers, Eric (l.) and Terry Fan, along with their younger brother, Devin. The picture book, born from an idea they had decades ago, tells the story of Barnabus, half-mouse, half-elephant, who decides to escape along with an oddball assortment of friends from the secret laboratory where they were engineered. Publication is planned for fall 2020; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the Fan Brothers, and Devin Fan represented himself.
Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought a picture book by muralist Katie Yamasaki, co-written with Ian Lendler. Everything Naomi Loved tells the story of a girl whose community is undergoing rapid change, for whom a mural serves to both anchor her to the neighborhood and the people she loves, as well as provide her with the seeds to make a new community. The publication date is fall 2020; Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary brokered the deal for world rights in all languages.
Adonia Ripple and Katie Coit at Yosemite Conservancy have acquired Little Muir's Song, which pairs conservationist John Muir's prose and illustrator Susie Ghahremani's paintings. The book invites children to ramble through rolling hills, climb trees, and listen to birdsong on a journey of appreciation for our natural world. Publication is set for August 2019; Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary did the deal for world rights on behalf of the illustrator. All sales of Yosemite Conservancy titles directly support Yosemite National Park.
Paula Wiseman at S&S/Wiseman has bought world rights to Adam Lehrhaupt's picture book, Book's New Adventure, about the wondrous voyages of a book in the library. Rahele Jomepour Bell will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2020. Alexandra Penfold at Upstart Crow Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick has acquired world rights to Kim Norman's One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus, a counting book with rhythm and a prehistoric twist, illustrated by Pierre Collet–Derby. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Rofe at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Rotem Moscovich at Disney-Hyperion has bought world rights to Perkin's Purple: How One Boy Invented a Color and Created a Revolutionary Rainbow by (from l.) Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn, illustrated by Francesca Sanna. The story follows William Perkin's chance chemical creation of the color purple, previously the hardest color to produce and reserved for royals and the very wealthy, thus opening the brilliance of purple to all, and paving the way for other life-enhancing chemical discoveries. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary represented the authors, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the artist.
