Krestyna Lypen at Algonquin has acquired, at auction, Up All Night, edited by Laura Silverman, a YA anthology about what can happen in the hours between sunset and sunrise. Contributors include Brandy Colbert, Kathleen Glasgow, Maurene Goo, Tiffany D. Jackson, Amanda Joy, Nina LaCour, Karen M. McManus, Anna Meriano, Marieke Nijkamp, Kayla Whaley, Julian Winters, and Francesca Zappia. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich and Bourret negotiated the deal for world rights.
Miriam Newman at Candlewick has bought Edgar Award winner and National Book Award finalist Nancy Werlin's Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good, the story of a high school student who finds herself torn between secretly attending sci-fi cons with fellow “Bloodygits”—as fans of her beloved show, Bleeders, are known—and a type-A boyfriend who disdains the show. Publication is set for spring 2021; the author represented herself in the deal for world rights in all languages.
Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen has acquired the YA novel Finding My Voice by Marie Myung-Ok Lee, originally published by Houghton Mifflin in 1992 and widely considered the first contemporary YA by an Asian-American author featuring an Asian-American protagonist. The novel follows 17-year-old Ellen Sung as she navigates a senior year full of adolescent anxieties, familial expectations, first romance—and the trauma of racism—informed by the author's upbringing as a member of the only Korean family (and family of color) in her small Minnesota town. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Kimberly Witherspoon and Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management did the deal for world English rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought Marcia Argueta Mickelson's YA novel Where I Belong. Guatemalan-American high school senior Milagros “Millie” Vargas struggles to balance her family's needs with her own ambitions for her future, especially after her mother's employer announces his run for Senate and tries to use Millie as a poster child for “deserving” immigrants. Publication is slated for fall 2020 or spring 2021; Kathy Green at Kathryn Green Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Liza Kaplan at Philomel has acquired Audacity author Melanie Crowder's new YA novel, Mazie, about a 1950s farmgirl who sets out to pursue her dream of Broadway, only to find that success will bring her startlingly full-circle. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
John Morgan at Macmillan/Imprint has bought The Wicker King and The Weight of Stars author K. Ancrum's new YA novel Darling, a post-modern retelling of Peter Pan set in modern-day Chicago. Wendy Darling is taken along with Peter and his lost boys through the city's nightlife and underbelly. But she's starting to think he's not everything he's led her to believe, and that the Lost Boys might be in more trouble than they realize. Publication is set for fall 2020; Eric Smith at P.S. Literary did the deal for world rights for Darling and an untitled second novel.
Jennifer Klonsky at Putnam has acquired, in an exclusive submission, National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor recipient Deb Caletti's debut middle grade novel, A Flicker of Courage, and one other book in the True Tales of Adventure and Triumph series. The series follows a group of friends, led by resilient underdog Henry, who must take on the nasty, spell-casting Vlad Luxor, ruler of a world like ours, but nothing like ours. Publication is planned for January 2020; Michael Bourret brokered the deal for world English rights.
Michele Wells at DC has bought Dear Justice League author Michael Northrop's middle grade graphic novel, Dear Super-Villains, in which curious kids ask a rogue's gallery of Harley Quinn, Lex Luthor, Catwoman, Black Manta, and more of the world's greatest villains about life on the dark side, how they can be so good at being bad, and why they do it. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal for world rights.
Rob Valois at Penguin Workshop has acquired a middle grade debut by Michelle Krys writing as M.K. Krys, called This Town Is Not All Right, and an untitled sequel. Twelve-year-old twins Beacon and Everleigh move to a remote fishing village for a fresh start after the death of their older brother, only to discover that not everything is as it seems in Driftwood Harbor. When Beacon discovers a connection between the strange happenings in the town and a mysterious crash that happened 50 years ago, the kids find out the hard way that the town will do whatever it takes to keep their dark secrets buried. Publication of book one is set for summer 2020; Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary did the deal for world rights.
Tricia Lin at Aladdin has bought The Emerald City Theater by Cory Leonardo, author of The Simple Art of Flying. The middle grade novel follows a spectacle-wearing hedgehog who secretly makes his home in a movie theater along with two chickens, while he dreams of a return to his beloved owner Dorothy. Quite unexpectedly, he finds himself on a journey made for the movies, befriending a headstrong mouse, a heartbroken squirrel, a fearful raccoon, and a magical moth, all while dodging a wicked owl along the way. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.
Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to Lauren Allbright's Milo Moss Is Officially Un-Amazing, a middle grade novel about a boy desperately trying to get a “win” worthy of a Guinness World Record—but ultimately discovering what “winning” really means along the way. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020; John Rudolph at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal.
Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster has bought world rights to author-illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins's new picture book, Vampenguin, following the antics of a young vampire and little penguin who switch places during a day at the zoo. Publication is slated for summer 2021; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management brokered the deal.
Tiffany Liao at Henry Holt has acquired world rights to I Am Perfectly Designed by Karamo Brown (l.), the culture expert on Netflix's Emmy Award-winning series Queer Eye. Co-written with his son Jason Brown, Karamo's debut picture book is an ode to loving who you are, exactly as you are. Anoosha Syed will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Esther Newberg and Heather Karpas at ICM represented the author, and Taylor Martindale Kean at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator.
Jen Besser at Roaring Brook Press has bought, in an exclusive submission, North American English-language rights to Come with Me co-creators Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaitre's What the World Could Make, featuring two bunnies, as well as two follow-up stories with the same rabbits. In the first book, Large and Small celebrate their friendship and the resilience and abundance of the seasons, from the first snowfall to the golden leaves of autumn. Publication is planned for spring 2021, with the second and third books publishing in spring 2022 and 2023; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented the author and the illustrator.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has acquired bestselling author and Twitter sensation James Breakwell and illustrator Sophie Corrigan's You Can’t Be a Pterodactyl, for fans of Mo Willems and Drew Daywalt. The book is about how dreams—no matter how silly they might sound—are still worth living and imagination makes anything possible. The book is tentatively scheduled for spring 2023; Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group did the deal for world rights.
Talia Benamy at Philomel has bought world rights to Deanna Kizis’s (l.) Please Don’t Read This Book, a picture book breaking the fourth wall, in which the narrator tries, and increasingly fails, to convince the reader that reading this book will be no fun at all. Sam Boughton will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2021. Faye Bender at the Book Group represented the author, and Claire Cartey at Holroyde Cartey Ltd. represented the illustrator.
Namrata Tripathi at Kokila has acquired world rights to Shelly Anand’s (l.) debut picture book, Laxmi’s Mooch, about an Indian-American girl who gets teased at school for having a mustache, but then embarks on a personal journey towards accepting herself and her heritage, and eventually celebrates her mooch in all its glory. Nabi H. Ali will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2021. Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services represented the author, and James Burns at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Joy Bean at Boyds Mills & Kane has acquired world rights to The Story of You by Lisa Ann Scott (l.), illustrated by Maribel Lechuga. The picture book shows children that their actions reveal to the world who they are—that they can be the authors of their life stories. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency represented the author, and Aurora Meyer at Astound represented the illustrator.
Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has bought world rights to Emily Kilgore's (l.) The Whatifs, illustrated by Zoe Persico, a picture book about Cora and her Whatifs: little creatures that weigh her down with fear and worry-filled thoughts until she learns to shift her fears into positive, wonder-filled questions. Publication is set for fall 2020; Adria Goetz at Martin Literary Management represented the author, and James Burns at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Rob Broder at Ripple Grove has bought Kirsten Pendreigh's debut picture book, Let the Baby Push the Buttons! Two babies in different parts of the city like to push buttons. If they don’t get to push the buttons, it is not a pretty sight. What will happen when both babies meet in the middle of the city? Dan Shanahan will illustrate; publication is slated for 2021. Both the author and illustrator represented themselves in the deal for world rights.
Katherine Jacobs at Roaring Brook has acquired Moxie author Jennifer Mathieu's new YA novel, Bad Girls Never Say Die. Pitched as a female version of The Outsiders, the book follows a gang of tough girls in early 1960s Houston who find friendship and love in unexpected places, while battling the many obstacles life has thrown at them. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Maggie Lehrman at Amulet has bought Between Perfect and Real and a second untitled YA novel by debut novelist Ray Stoeve. Everyone thinks Dean Foster is a lesbian, including the girlfriend he's falling in love with, but when he's cast as Romeo in the school play, he realizes he can't go back to being seen as a girl when he steps off the stage and needs everyone to know he's a trans guy. Publication is set for spring 2021; Lauren Abramo at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret did the deal for world English rights. Stoeve is the creator of the YA Trans Ownvoices Masterlist and a contributor to Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance, a forthcoming anthology.
Arianne Lewin at Putnam has acquired, in a six-figure preempt, Tess Sharpe's YA novel The Girls I've Been, about the daughter of a con artist who must use her skills to get herself, her girlfriend, and her ex-boyfriend free during a hostage situation at a bank. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich and Bourret brokered the deal for world rights.
Hannah Smith at Owl Hollow has bought Ashlee Cowles's The Poppy & the Rose, a YA gothic mystery in which a teen girl must unravel clues from a strange English manor and a young heiress's diary, discovering a web of family secrets dating back to the Titanic. Publication is planned for fall 2020; Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alex Borbolla at Atheneum has acquired Cuban-American author-illustrator Alexis Castellanos's debut, Isla to Island, a wordless middle grade graphic novel following Marisol, a girl growing up in 1960s Cuba. When her parents begin to fear for their daughter's safety under Castro's regime, Marisol is sent from her beloved island to a new home in New York City. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker handled the deal for world English rights.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperCollins has bought Ragweed and Poppy by Newbery Medalist Avi (l.), with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca. The new book in the Poppy series—the first in more than 10 years—tells the story of how Ragweed and Poppy met, picking up where Ragweed left off and ending where Poppy begins. The book will publish in spring 2020, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Poppy; Gail Hochman at Brandt & Hochman represented the author, and Noel Silverman represented the illustrator in the deal for USPCOM rights.
Alyson Heller has acquired North American rights to Barbara Dee's (Star-Crossed, Halfway Normal, Maybe He Just Likes You) new middle grade novel, Violets Are Blue. The book is about a seventh-grade girl obsessed with special effects makeup who learns that her mother, an ER nurse, is struggling with opioid addiction. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management brokered the deal.
Suzy Capozzi at Sterling has bought Love, Love by Guggenheim Fellow and poet Victoria Chang (Is Mommy?), a middle grade novel-in-verse about a Chinese-American girl growing up in Michigan who is both bullied in school and also trying to solve the mystery of why her sister's hair is falling out. Publication is set for spring 2020; Liza Voges at Eden Street negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Joanna Cárdenas at Kokila has acquired world rights to Leila in Saffron author Rukhsanna Guidroz's (l.) middle grade debut, Samira Surfs, illustrated by Fahmida Azim. Told in verse, the story follows Samira, a 12-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, as she finds peace and empowerment in an all-girl surfing community. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Wendi Gu at Janklow & Nesbit represented the author, and Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator.
Justin Krasner at Odd Dot has bought David J. Peterson's (l.) Create Your Own Secret Language: A Beginner's Guide, illustrated by Ryan Goldsberry. The workbook will teach readers ages 10–14 how to invent codes, ciphers, hidden messages, and more. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media represented the author; the illustrator was unagented.
Nicole Otto at Macmillan/Imprint has acquired Rise of the Dragon Moon author Gabrielle Byrne's The Edge of Strange Hollow, an offbeat fairy tale about a girl living on the edge of a fantastical forest, and what happens when she decides to venture into it. Publication is scheduled for winter 2021; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management brokered the deal for world English rights.
Taylor Norman at Chronicle bought the North American rights to Dana Middleton's new middle grade novel, Truth or Consequences, about Jewel, who has a unicorn horn growing out of her forehead, and the way being different—or becoming normal—changes her life, her friendships, and the magic of the world around her. Publication is planned for 2021; Kate McKean at the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency represented the author.
Tamar Brazis at Viking has acquired, in an eight-house auction, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman, writer, activist, and inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. The picture book celebrates the change that drives our nation forward, and extends an invitation to young readers to be the change. The announcement comes on the heels of Gorman's Independence Day poetry reading with the Boston Pops. Change Sings is set for publication in 2021; Steven Malk of Writers House negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins has bought, in a six-house auction, Linzie Hunter's author-illustrator debut, What If, Pig?, a picture book that introduces a relatably anxious new character who, after deciding to throw a party for all of his friends, can't help but think of everything that could go wrong. Publication is slated for summer 2021; Lindsay Auld at Writers House brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Alli Brydon at Trigger/Upside Down has acquired Bonnie Lui's debut picture book, ABC of Feelings. The book follows a diverse group of kids through life's ups and downs as they feel a wide range of emotions. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 did the deal for world rights.
Allyn Johnston at Beach Lane has bought bestselling author Adam Rex's Pluto Gets the Call, a fact-filled planetary picture book about a heartbroken Pluto, who, upon learning he's no longer a planet, roams the solar system looking for answers. Geisel Award-winning artist Laurie Keller will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Steven Malk at Writers House represented both author and artist in the deal for world rights.
Liz Bicknell at Candlewick has acquired, at auction, world rights to Printz Award winner Nina LaCour's (l.) picture book debut, Me in the Middle, about a child whose routine is thrown off balance when Mommy leaves for a week-long work trip, but finds joy with her Mama as they plan a special welcome home surprise. Kaylani Juanita will illustrate; the book is planned for an April 2022 publication. Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Charlotte Sheedy at Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Emma Ledbetter at Abrams has bought world rights to Nora Ericson's (l.) Too Early, an ode to the morning from the perspective of an early-rising child, illustrated by Elly MacKay. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek bought world rights to Suzanne Slade's (l.) Blast Off!, a picture book biography about Mary Morgan, the rocket fuel scientist who created a fuel concoction that powered the rocket that launched America's first satellite, Explorer 1, into space. Sally Wern Comport (Ada's Violin) will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2022. Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.
