Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen has acquired Hope Is Our Only Wing, the debut novel by 2018 Carnegie Medal nominee Rutendo Tavengerwei. Set at a time of national upheaval in the author's native Zimbabwe, an unlikely boarding school friendship illuminates the power of hope and the possibility to heal in the face of tragedies beyond a teenager's control. Publication is set for September 2019; Ruth Logan at Bonnier Zaffre UK negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Robyn Chapman at First Second has bought world rights to Win!, debut author Cynthia Yuan Cheng's YA graphic memoir about a shy and geeky Taiwanese-American teenage girl who joins her high school's boys' football team. Publication is scheduled for 2021; the author was unagented.
Lauren Smulski at Inkyard Press has acquired Sacha Wunsch's debut YA novel, The Many Alters of Astrid Hayes, in which humans have evolved to each house several personalities, called alters. When 16-year-old Astrid heads off to a new school, with her three other alters in tow, she begins experiencing blackouts, and discovers her mind contains a fifth alter—a dark, dangerous personality determined to take sole control of their body. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Lane Heymont at the Tobias Agency did the deal for world rights.
Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown has preempted debut author A.J. Sass's Ana on the Edge, a middle grade novel following Ana-Marie Jin, the U.S. juvenile champion in figure skating, who must continue her winning streak to justify all the money her mother has spent on choreography and costumes. But a trans friend and a case of mistaken identity throw Ana for a loop she wasn't expecting, as she discovers her non-binary identity and what it means for her both on and off the ice. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Trisha de Guzman at FSG has bought, in an exclusive submission, Morris Award finalist Akemi Dawn Bowman's middle grade debut, Generation Misfits. The story follows a homeschooled Japanese-American girl who starts at a performing arts school for the first time, where she doesn't quite fit in until she joins the J-POP club. There, she finds friends who share her mutual love of her favorite group, Generation Love, and who band together to perform in the school's talent show. Publication is set for winter 2021; Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management did the two-book deal for world English rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired world rights to a middle grade novel-in-verse by the author of Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science, Jeannine Atkins. Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math is about seven women scientists ranging from Caroline Herschel to Edna Lee Paisano to Katherine Johnson and the ways that math shaped their work. The book will be published in summer 2020; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties brokered the deal.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has bought She's the Man by Poison and Dog Days of History author Sarah Albee. It’s an in-depth look at bold women throughout history who dressed like, acted like, or disguised themselves as men to achieve their goals. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Cheryl Klein at Lee & Low/Shen's Books has bought Ten Blocks to the Big Wok, a picture book by author-illustrator Ying-Hwa Hu. As Mia enjoys the sights of Chinatown on her way to the Big Wok restaurant with her uncle, the reader learns the numbers one through 10 in Chinese, as well as classic elements of Chinese culture. The bilingual book will include both Chinese and English text. Publication is slated for spring 2020; the author was unagented.
Maria Modugno at Random House has acquired Nicola Slater's Hello House, Hello Farm, Hello Zoo, and Hello Garage, a series of lift-the-flap/touch-and-feel board books featuring animal friends playing in settings familiar to toddlers. Publication is planned for spring 2020 for Hello Farmand Hello House, and for spring 2020 for Hello Garage and Hello Zoo; Erin Murgatroyd and Kate Wilson at Nosy Crow negotiated the deal for U.S. rights.
Tracey Keevan at Disney-Hyperion has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Blanket by Loryn Brantz, author of the Feminist Baby series. In the new picture book, a favorite blanket takes readers on an extremely cozy adventure. A publication date has not yet been set; Ed Maxwell at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Debra Dorfman and Jeremy West at Scholastic have bought Grumpy Unicorn by author-illustrator Joey Spiotto, an illustrated collection of comics about a unicorn that isn't all rainbows and sunshine, featuring his least favorite things like seasons (all of them), holidays (every single one), traveling (anywhere), and more. Publication is scheduled for September 2019; Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown has acquired author-illustrator Maddie Frost's Smug Seagull, as well as an untitled second picture book. In the humorous summertime story, a self-proclaimed “best snack swiper in town” seagull gets taught a lesson about patience by a self-effacing crab. Book one will publish in summer 2020; Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Lauri Hornik at Dial has bought The Gift Inside the Box, a debut picture book by organizational psychologist Adam Grant (l.), author of Give and Take and Originals, and his wife, Allison Sweet Grant (center). The picture book, which is illustrated by Diana Schoenbrun, follows a gift in search of a giver, offering a new take on generosity. Publication is slated for October 8, 2019; Richard Pine at InkWell Management and Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired world rights to Village by the Sea author Mượn Thị Văn's (l.) picture book I Love You Because I Love You, illustrated by Jessica Love, Stonewall Award winning author-illustrator of Julián Is a Mermaid. The call-and-response story explores the big and small, simple and complicated reasons we love someone—highlighting commonalities between all types of families. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore and Company represented the illustrator.
Melanie Cordova at Candlewick has bought world rights to Laurenne Sala's (l.) picture book, Mi Casa Is My Home, a bilingual celebration of home and family starring Lucía who lives en su casa with her big, loud, beautiful familia. Zara Gonzalez Hoang will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2021. Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook Press has acquired world rights to Livia Blackburne's (l.) I Dream of Popo, illustrated by Julia Kuo. The picture book follows a girl who preserves her bond with her grandmother through memories of their relationship and her homeland in Taiwan. Publication is scheduled for winter 2021; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented the author, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Linda Elovitz Marshall's Have You Ever Zeen a Ziz?, a quirky story about a mythological Jewish bird. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Kyle Reed will illustrate. Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis represented the author, and Emily Coggins at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to We Laugh Alike/Nos reímos igual, written by three-time Pura Belpré Honor author Carmen T. Bernier-Grand(l.), illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez. Written in English and Spanish and based on the author's experiences as an immigrant, the picture book is about the sense of wonderment when children make connections across language barriers. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Claire Easton at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Ryan Thomann at Lonely Planet Kids has bought world rights to Myths and Legends Around the World by Alli Brydon (l.), illustrated by Julia Iredale. The book features curious myths and epic legends full of rich histories, cultures, and beliefs from every corner of the globe. Publication is scheduled for October 2019; the author represented herself, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Louise May at Lee & Low has acquired world rights to Butterfly for a King by the Sibert Medal-winning team of Susan L. Roth (l.) and Cindy Trumbore. The nonfiction book, which Roth will illustrate, blends multiculturalism, animal preservation, and ecology to trace the history of a rare Hawaiian butterfly from its arrival on the islands up to the current efforts to conserve it. Publication is set for fall 2020; Victoria Wells Arms at Wells Arms Literary/Hannigan Salky Getzler represented Roth, and Susan Cohen at Writers House represented Trumbore.
Michael Steere at Down East has bought world rights to a new title by picture book author Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Mark Scott Ricketts. In Happy Birthday, Maine!, Moose and Paul Bunyan throw Maine a birthday party to celebrate its 200th anniversary of statehood; facts about Maine will be woven throughout the book and in the back matter. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the author, and illustrator was unagented.
Stacey Barney at Putnam has acquired Heather Herrman's The Corpse Queen, in which orphaned 17-year-old Molly Green goes to live with her affluent aunt in 1850s Philadelphia, only to discover the source of her aunt's secret wealth is from robbing graves and selling the bodies to anatomists. Molly must decide what she will do to claim a place of power in a male-dominated medical society. The book is set for spring 2021, to be followed by a second, untitled standalone; Caitlin Tutterow will edit. Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman brokered the deal for world rights.
Monica Perez at Charlesbridge has bought Dana Alison Levy's debut YA novel Above All Else. In the story, high school seniors and best friends Rose and Tate rope in and keep each other safe whenever they climb, but their attempt to summit Mount Everest creates new dangers and forges new connections, forcing them to question who—or what—they value above all else. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency did the deal for North American English and translation rights.
Mark Irwin at Insight Comics has acquired at auction author-illustrator Matthew Dow Smith's YA graphic novel The October Girl. When 18-year-old Autumn Ackerman's imaginary friend from childhood walks into her coffee shop as a living, breathing thing, she is drawn into the world of the Night Folk—but not everyone welcomes her with open arms. As she learns that everyone seems to know more about her connection to this strange world than she does, the mysterious Mr. Balloon is hell-bent on destroying her. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Moe Ferrara at BookEnds Literary sold modified world rights in the three-book deal.
Connie Hsu at First Second has bought, in a preempt, In Limbo by Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee, a debut graphic memoir about growing up Korean-American, living in a New Jersey suburb while living up to the expectations of her Korean identity, capturing her struggles with body image, social and academic anxiety, and overwhelming feelings of Otherness. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Ed Maxwell at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates negotiated the deal for world rights, which includes a second, untitled graphic novel.
Emily Easton at Crown has acquired at auction Celesta Rimington's debut, The Twister, the Elephant & Me, and an untitled second novel, both for middle graders. The first book is about a girl who can talk to the wind, the elephant who saved her life during a tornado, and the epic treasure hunt that leads her to find something even more valuable and lasting. The books are set for summer 2020 and summer 2021; Danielle Burby at Nelson Literary Agency brokered the six-figure deal for North American rights.
Weslie Turner at Macmillan/Imprint will edit Con Quest!, a middle grade fiction debut by Sam Maggs, author of The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy. Twin siblings dodge their too-cool-to-be-geeky older sister as they compete to win a scavenger hunt at a comic convention. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Emily Seife at Scholastic Press has bought A Guard Dog Named Petunia by Denise Gosliner Orenstein (Dirt). In the middle grade novel, a girl named Bean is determined to raise bail money for her brother by selling her best friend's dog. But when Petunia's buyer turns out to be an unsavory character, Bean finds herself torn between her desire for her brother's freedom and what she knows to be right. Publication is planned for 2020; Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Renee Hooker at Penguin Workshop has acquired Geisel Honor author-illustrator Tina Kügler's Who Ate My Book?, an illustrated early reader about a goat that jumps, a fish that swims, a dog that digs, and a whole lot of trouble. But which naughty pet ate this book? Publication is scheduled for 2020; Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Diabetes Doesn't Stop Maddie!, a picture book by Sarah Glenn Marsh (l.), illustrated by Maria Luisa Di Gravio. When Maddie is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, she learns to manage her disease at home, school, and playing sports—but she worries about being treated differently. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
