Dana Carey at Random House/Lamb has acquired, with Wendy Lamb editing, Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by William C. Morris Award finalist Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock (The Smell of Other People's Houses). The YA collection of interconnected short stories centers on teens across the rural American West whose lives blaze with secrets, rage, and love. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Aimee Friedman at Scholastic has bought, in a two-book deal, an untitled YA novel by Debbie Rigaud (Truly Madly Royally), co-author (with Alyssa Milano) of the bestselling Hope series. The #OwnVoices novel follows Simone, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, who, when faced with an arranged prom date set up by her strict parents, decides to create a senior year “bucket list” of all the things she and her friends haven't done yet. Publication is scheduled for 2021; Laura Dail at Laura Dail Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Natashya Wilson at Inkyard Press has acquired The Witch King plus a sequel from debut author H.E. Edgmon. The fantasy duology tells the story of witch and angry trans boy Wyatt Croft, who wants nothing to do with his mediocre magic or his betrothal to fae prince Emyr North, but his plans to change his fate are shattered when the kingdom is threatened by a coup and Emyr comes to claim him. Publication of book one is planned for summer 2021; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.
Krista Marino at Delacorte has bought, at auction, Victoria Lee's (The Fever King and The Electric Heir) A Lesson in Vengeance. Pitched as The Secret History meets Genuine Fraud and The Craft, the novel follows Felicity Morrow, a senior returning to school after her girlfriend's tragic death, only to meet a new student and teenage literary prodigy who transferred to research the school's bloody history, and recruits Felicity into a murderous experiment of their own. Publication is set for 2021; Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Liz Kossnar at Simon & Schuster has acquired Under a Midnight Sun by Ellie Cypher, the survivalist tale of a 17-year-old girl who must cross the icy no-man's land outside her town to rescue her sister, not knowing that she's about to come face-to-face with what she's only heard about in myth. Publication is currently slated for spring 2021; Rachel Ekstrom at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management handled the deal for world English rights.
Maya Marlette at Scholastic has bought Leah Johnson's (You Should See Me in a Crown) new YA romance, Rise to the Sun. Set over the course of four days at a music festival, the novel features strangers Toni and Olivia, who meet and realize that the music is more than just a way out; it's a way through… if they are brave enough to face it together. Publication is scheduled for summer 2021; Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic brokered the deal for world rights.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street has acquired world English rights for Tori Bovalino's YA novel Ink. When Tess and Eliot stumble upon an ancient book hidden beneath their school library, they accidentally release a demon from his book-bound prison, and he'll stop at nothing to stay free. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Uwe Stender and Amelia Appel at TriadaUS Literary Agency did the deal.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has bought Donna Freitas's The Big Questions Book of Sex & Consent, a book for upper middle grade readers and older, a journey into the Big Questions that will help readers become thinking persons about sex and consent. The book will publish in fall 2020 on the Levine Querido launch list; Miriam Altshuler at DeFiore and Company negotiated the deal for world rights.
Allison Moore at Bloomsbury has acquired The Best Worst Summer, a middle grade novel by Elizabeth Eulberg (the Great Shelby Holmes series). The book follows a girl who moves to a new house and discovers a shoebox time capsule left by another girl three decades prior; the story alternates chapters between 2021 and 1989 to reveal why the latter chose each item and added a note begging for her best friend's forgiveness. Publication is set for spring 2021; Erin Malone at William Morris Endeavor handled the deal for the U.S., Canada, Philippines, and open market rights.
Zachary Clark at Scholastic has bought The Hacker's Key, a middle grade debut by Jon Skovron (the Empire of Storms trilogy; The Ranger of Marzanna). Pitched as Alex Rider meets Ally Carter, the novel features a girl raised by a criminal mastermind who must use her unique skill set to locate a dangerous weapon and keep it away from government agents and villainous syndicates alike. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management did the deal for world English rights.
Mark Siegel at First Second has acquired Monster Locker, a middle grade graphic novel series written by Jorge Aguirre (l.) with art by Andrès Vera Martinez, in which a sixth-grader named Pablo and his friends must stop various monsters that emerge from a portal inside of his locker from destroying their entire grade school. Publication is scheduled for 2022; Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has bought North American rights to Jadie in Five Dimensions by Dianne K. Salerni (Eleanor, Alice, & the Roosevelt Ghosts). Supposedly abandoned as an infant and left by her parents to die, 13-year-old Jadie is serving as an Agent for the four-dimensional beings who saved her life when she discovers that her origin story is a lie, her birth family has suffered multiple tragedies engineered from 4-space, and the time has come to uncover the conspiracies of her life. Publication is set for fall 2021; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties did the deal.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired Alone Like Me by author-illustrator Rebecca Evans, a picture book about two girls in China who find comfort in a budding friendship while navigating the government's discriminatory Hukou system. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Essie White at Storm Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Lauri Hornik at Dial has bought, in an exclusive submission, Corinna Luyken's The Tree in Me, a picture book that celebrates the interconnectedness between people and the world around us through growth, renewal, and recognition of ourselves in others—and in nature. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Steven Malk at Writers House represented Luyken in the deal for world rights.
Ginee Seo at Chronicle has acquired world rights to Is This Love?, written by Cedella Marley (l.). The picture book adapts of one of Bob Marley's best-loved songs, framed as a heartwarming depiction of an older child's promise to care for a beloved new sibling. Alea Marley will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Susan Ginsburg at Writers House represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the artist.
Wendy McClure at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Sam Is Our Sister, a picture book by Ashley Rhodes-Courter (l.) and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley. The story, based on the experiences of the author's family, follows three siblings, one of whom is transgender, as they play astronauts, learn about what it means to become your true self, and realize they will always be together. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Jacqueline Flynn at Joelle Delbourgo Associates represented the author, and Sam Groff at Advocate represented the illustrator.
Carolyn Yoder at Boyd, Mills & Kane/Calkins Creek has bought world rights to Evicted: Burton Dodson, Voting Rights and the Fayette County Tent City Movement by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Charly Palmer, a picture book that explores the grassroots voting rights movement in Tennessee, which began with the unsuccessful lynching of Burton Dodson and ended with evicted sharecroppers achieving their right to vote. Publication is set for spring 2022; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Liza Kaplan at Philomel has acquired world rights to TheSaurus by Shelli R. Johannes (How to Be a Unicorn). The picture book is about a big-word-loving dinosaur who learns that finding the right word doesn't always mean finding the biggest one. Mike Moran will illustrate. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Lara Perkins at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Bria Ragin at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Carole Boston Weatherford's (l.) as-yet-untitled picture book biography about the life of the late Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Toni Morrison, illustrated by Erin Robinson. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author, and Marlena Torzecka at Marlena Agency represented the illustrator.
Beth Terrill at NorthSouth has bought world rights to Baptiste and Miranda Paul's (c.) picture book, Peace, a concept picture book that explores definitions of words and actions small and big that foster peace. Estelí Meza, winner of the A la Orilla del Viento, the premier Picture Book Contest Award in Mexico, will illustrate. Publication is set for fall 2021; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the authors, and Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the artist.
Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press has acquired North American rights to Amber and Clay, a middle-grade verse-and-prose novel by Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz (l.). Set in the harsh world of ancient Greece, the story revolves around a curse that binds two children: the Thracian boy, “as common as clay,” who figures in Plato's Meno and aspires to be an artist, and a wealthy Athenian girl, “as precious as amber,” who serves the goddess Artemis. The philosopher Sokrates plays a major role in the novel, as do several Greek gods. Julia Iredale will illustrate; publication is set for spring 2021. Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Alexandra Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the artist.
Jessica Smith at Simon Pulse has bought Lynn Painter's The Do Over, a romantic comedy and YA spin on Groundhog Day, in which Emilie Hornby is forced to keep reliving the worst Valentine's Day ever until she embraces her daily clean slate and says and does everything she wants. But when it's finally February 15th, she's left to face the fallout of her actions. Publication is planned for 2022; Kim Lionetti at BookEnds negotiated the deal for world rights.
Ashley Hearn at Page Street has acquired world rights to Breeana Shields's The Splendor, a YA novel about a luxury magical hotel that promises to fulfill its guests' wildest fantasies, but when a girl's sister comes back from a visit forever changed, she checks in herself, only to discover the hotel is hiding nefarious secrets. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks has bought the middle-grade series Who Invited the Villain? by debut author Victor Pineiro. Pitched as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure in middle school, the first book, Pirates Make Terrible Guests, follows Javi de Silva, a sandwich-obsessed Puerto Rican sixth grader, who inadvertently lets Blackbeard the Pirate loose on his town when his antique dinner table brings his homework to life. Book one is slated for fall 2021; Elana Roth Parker at Laura Dail Literary Agency brokered the three-book deal for world English rights.
Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired, at auction, North American rights to former editor Caroline Gertler's debut, Many Points of Me. When NYC sixth-grader Georgia Rosenbloom finds a drawing by her deceased father, a famous artist, she sets out to prove it's a sketch for a painting inspired by her that he wasn't able to create. In the process, she rediscovers the importance of her best friend, her own artistic inspiration, and how to hold on to her father while also letting him go. Publication is set for winter 2021; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties handled the two-book deal.
Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has acquired world rights to Alison Wilgus (l.) and Rii Abrego's middle-grade graphic novel Grace Needs Space!. In this SF adventure, Grace is excited to spend the weekend away from her overbearing mother and finally get to spend time with her “fun” mom on a delivery to Titan, but when things go sideways, it’s up to Grace (with some help from her mother back home) to save the day. Publication is planned for 2022; Eddie Schneider at JABberwocky Literary represented Wilgus, and Molly O'Neill at Root Literary represented Abrego in the deal.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has bought, in a two-book deal, The Stars of Whistling Ridge by Cindy Baldwin, a middle grade novel about the 12-year-old daughter of a fallen star whose quest for a forever home pulls her whole family into a centuries-old mystery that may cost them everything. Publication is scheduled for summer 2021; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. negotiated the deal for world rights.
Samantha Swenson at Tundra has acquired debut author Dee Hahn's The Grave Thief, a middle-grade novel in which an impoverished boy is caught robbing a royal cemetery and must fight a monster alongside a royal accomplice to save his brother and the nation. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Naomi Davis at BookEnds did the deal for world English rights.
Alyson Heller at S&S/Quix has bought Allison Gutknecht's chapter book series Pet Pals, about self-proclaimed "lifers" at an animal shelter whose friend group is thrown off kilter when one of their ranks gets adopted. Publication of the first book is planned for summer 2021; Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management brokered the four-book deal for world rights.
Allison Moore at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights to author-illustrator Maddie Frost's Iguana Be a Dragon, about an iguana who doesn't think he's special enough to hang out with interesting new animal friends, and gets into a fireball of trouble pretending to be something else. Publication is set for spring 2022; Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency handled the deal.
Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press has bought, at auction, world rights to Jonathan Stutzman and Isabelle Arsenault's The Mouse Who Carried a House on His Back, a picture book about a mouse who finds that his small home is able to accommodate an ever-growing collection of animals in need. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Maria Modugno at Random House has acquired world rights to Carrie Finison's (l.) Hurry Little Tortoise, illustrated by Erin Balzer. The story is about a tortoise who, despite her best efforts, gets passed by all her friends while trying to be on time. Publication is slated for summer 2022; Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Agency represented the illustrator.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought world rights to Hair Story by NoNieqa Ramos (l.). Written in rhythmic verse, this picture book follows two friends, a Boricua girl and a black girl, as others first try to tame their tresses and eventually celebrate their gorgeous, natural hair. Keisha Morris will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2021. Emily Keyes at Fuse Literary Agency represented the author, and Claire Easton at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Melissa Warten at FSG has acquired, at auction, world rights to The Book of Rules, a debut picture book by Brian Gehrlein (l.) and illustrated by Tom Knight (Good Knight, Bad Knight). In the book, children are encouraged to follow interactive "rules" of increasing mindfulness lest they be eaten by the monster in the margins. Publication is set for fall 2021; Melissa Richeson at Apokedak Literary represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Ellen Cormier at Dial has bought world rights to Patience, Patches by Christy Mihaly (l.), illustrated by Sheryl Murray. The picture book is a dog's-eye-view of how patience is a virtue, especially when a new baby comes home. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Adonia Ripple and Katie Coit of Yosemite Conservancy have acquired world rights to Terry Pierce's (l.) Eat Up, Bear!, illustrated by Nadja Sarell, a board book featuring the good natural foods that black bears should eat. Publication is slated for summer 2021; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Kate Kendrick at Astound US represented the illustrator.
