Eliza Swift at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired world English rights to When the Night Comes by Marieke Nijkamp (This Is Where It Ends). Pitched as The Society meets Contagion, the YA novel is about a group of teens in a residential facility who celebrate when their guards abandon them, only to discover that a catastrophic event has occurred outside their walls, and they must work together if they want to survive. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Jennifer Udden at New Leaf Literary & Media negotiated the deal.
Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has bought Adrienne Young's Fallen City duology, a Greco-Roman inspired fantasy where a glittering world, a lottery built on lies, and a forbidden romance come together as an 18-year-old girl desperately attempts to escape a city under siege. Publication is scheduled for winter 2022; Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.
Carmen Johnson at Amazon/Skyscape has acquired, at auction, world rights to Jonny Garza Villa's #OwnVoices debut novel, Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. Pitched as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets One Day at a Time, the book centers a Mexican-American Texan high school senior Julián Luna and the repercussions that follow after he accidentally comes out to the world on social media. Julián finds himself juggling the joy of falling head over heels in love with a boy from California, and the fear of his conservative father finding out before he's ready. Publication is set for summer 2021; Claire Draper at the Bent Agency did the deal.
Sydnee Monday at Kokila has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to artist and comedian Rinny Perkins's nonfiction debut Not Everyone Is Going to Like You: The Art of Self-Validation, a guide to adulthood for black girls with a focus on radical self-care. Featuring graphic collage that pays homage to 1970s black woman-centered ephemera, the book will cover topics including identity, sex and dating, mental health, and navigating the workplace. Publication is slated for 2022; Monica Odom at Odom Media Management negotiated the deal.
Farrin Jacobs at Little, Brown has acquired, in a preempt, Together as One by 15-year-old Claire Sarnowski, written with Sarah Durand. The middle-grade memoir tells of Claire's years-long friendship with a Holocaust survivor that not only changed their lives but the public school curriculum in their home state of Oregon. Tuesdays with Morrie meets I Will Always Write Back in this story that champions activism and getting to know your community, while introducing young readers to the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of one of their peers. Publication is planned for winter/spring 2022; Peter Steinberg at Foundry Literary + Media handled the deal for North American rights.
Lauri Hornik at Dial has bought world English rights to Shane Pangburn's debut middle-grade series, The Reject Room. When a series of escalating pranks disrupts state standardized test day, flooding the middle school hallways with escaped pets, students, cafeteria pudding, marshmallows, and chaos, school administrators call in the usual troublemakers, the "Rejects" of the Reject Room, to find out who's responsible. Publication is set for 2021; Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment and Sarah Burnes at the Gernert Company sold the Spilled Ink & Pseudonymous Bosch production.
Kate Prosswimmer at Simon & Schuster has acquired It All Begins with Jellybeans (previously published in Australia as Sick Bay), a middle grade novel by Australian author Nova Weetman. Two girls—one struggling with the loss of a parent and difficult finances, and one who has type 1 diabetes—strike up an unlikely friendship in the nurse's office, gaining new perspectives. Publication is scheduled for summer 2021; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio sold North American rights.
Janine O'Malley at FSG has bought The Adventure Is Now, a middle-grade contemporary fantasy by Jess Redman (The Miraculous; Quintessence). Video game-loving Milton P. Greene has had the rottenest year of all time—and it gets even rottener when his parents send him to the electricity-free Lone Island for the summer. But on the island, Milton finds a field guide full of fantastical creatures, clues to a hidden treasure, and a definitely unrotten real-life adventure. Publication is slated for May 2021; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties did the deal for North American rights.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has acquired world rights to Patricia Hruby Powell's Cave of the Heart: A Story of Martha Graham, an illustrated middle grade biography of choreographer and dancer Martha Graham built around the theme of movement's power to communicate. Publication is planned for spring 2023; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary negotiated the deal.
Lee Wade at Random House Studio has bought Tweet by B.B. Cronin, a wordless picture book about a boy who loves birds so much that he's willing to be a tree. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group brokered the deal for North American rights.
Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has acquired world English rights to Rebecca Jordan-Glum's picture book, Kitty, in which Granny, who is delighted to cat-sit, discovers she's sitting for the worst cat ever… who may not actually be a cat at all. Publication is set for winter 2022; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the deal.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has bought world rights to G My Name Is Girl: A Song of Celebration from Argentina to Zambia, written and illustrated by Dawn Masi. This rhyming, alphabetical celebration of girls around the world is based on the classic jump rope rhyme, with each letter representing two girls' names, their country, and an empowering adjective to describe their personalities. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Christa Heschke at MacIntosh & Otis did the deal.
Sylvie Frank at S&S/Wiseman has acquired world rights to Chirp!: Chipmunk Sings for a Friend, written by Jamie A. Swenson and illustrated by Scott Magoon. Chipmunk spends her days sitting on her rock and chirping by herself, but when she sets out to find a companion that will sing along with her, she finds friends (and harmonies) in unexpected places. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the author, and Paul Rodeen at Rodeen Literary represented the artist.
Jennifer Greene at Clarion has bought Mr. Walker Steps Out by National Book Award finalist Lisa Graff, illustrated by Christophe Jacques, about a human-shaped WALK symbol who, tired of watching all the wonderful things in the world go by below his signal box, decides to jump down and join in. Publication is set for spring 2021; Stephen Barbara at Inkwell Management represented the author for North American rights, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator for world rights.
Jill Davis at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Come On In: There's a Party in This Book, written by Jamie Michalak (l.) (Joe & Sparky series), and illustrated by Sabine Timm in her picture book debut. The book features photos of found-objects-brought-to-life. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Victoria Wells Arms at Wells Arms Literary/HG Literary represented both author and illustrator.
Katie Heit at Scholastic has bought world rights to educator and STEAM expert Rekha S. Rajan's Amazing Landmarks, an illustrated compendium of 10 iconic global landmarks, with interactive stories that prompt readers to understand how and why each was built, and explore the unique challenges faced in design and construction. Graphic artist and founder of IdeaStorm Studios Alex Asfour will illustrate. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Lilly Ghahremani at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and the artist represented himself.
Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek has acquired The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America by Jan Lower (l.), illustrated by Susan Reagan. The nonfiction picture book features the electrical engineer who transformed the development of electric transmission in the 1920s using a graphical calculator of her own invention. Publication is planned for spring 2023; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary represented both the author and the illustrator in the deal for North American rights.
Hilary Van Dusen at Candlewick has bought world rights to Suma Subramaniam's (l.) debut picture book, Namaste Is a Greeting, an exploration of Namaste through everyday observation and simple actions to honor the divine within all people. Sandhya Prabhat will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2022. Miranda Paul at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Alice Sutherland-Hawes at Madeleine Milburn Agency represented the illustrator.
Georgia Amson-Bradshaw at Frances Lincoln has acquired world rights to Hello Mom, written by Donna Amey (l.) and illustrated by Aura Lewis. This series celebrates families in all their diversity; each title focuses on a different family member, and explores what makes them special. The first in the series, Hello Mom, is a tribute to the mothers we all know and the many roles they take on, from inventors to detectives, from stylists to tech wizards, and from cheerleaders to zookeepers. Publication is set for spring 2021; the author represented herself, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Maria Dismondy at Cardinal Rule Press has bought world rights to Kindness Is a Kite String, a picture book by Michelle Schaub (l.), illustrated by Claire Laforte, a story of kindness as a domino effect that brings a community together. Publication is slated for spring 2021; the author was unagented, and Kate Kendrick at Astound Art Agency represented the illustrator.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has acquired three new novels from Nic Stone (Dear Martin, Odd One Out, and Clean Getaway). Publication for the first one, a YA book that will address mental health in the black community, is scheduled for spring 2022; a contemporary middle grade novel will follow in spring 2023, and a second YA is slated for fall 2023. Creative Artists Agency did the deal for USPCOM English rights.
Nicole Sclama at HMH has bought These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan, in which a girl strikes a deal with a dangerous fae king in order to save her sister, only to find herself caught in a power struggle between two treacherous faerie courts. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Dan Mandel at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has bought, in a preempt, Jasmine Walls (l.) and Eisner-nominated Teo DuVall's YA graphic novel, Brooms. Set in an alternate 1930s Mississippi, the story centers on six BIPOC witches teaming up to compete in illegal broom races. Publication is planned for fall 2022; Peter Ryan at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the deal for world rights.
Andrea Colvin at Little, Brown has bought, in a preempt, Mismatched, the YA debut graphic novel by writer Anne Camlin (l.) and illustrator Isadora Zeferino. Pitched as a queer modern-day retelling of Emma, the book is set in a high school in Queens where the president of the school's GSA club fancies himself just the matchmaker his friends need. Publication is set for 2023; Britt Siess at Martin Literary & Media Management represented both creators in the deal for world rights.
Jessica Smith at Simon Pulse has acquired Amelia Diane Coombs's Exactly Where You Need to Be, an #OwnVoices contemporary YA novel about a girl with OCD who goes on a forbidden road trip with her best friend and her crush to meet her idols, the hosts of a popular true crime podcast. Publication is slated for summer 2022; Jennie Kendrick at Red Fox Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Alyson Day at HarperCollins has bought, in a two-book deal, The Castors of Glendunny, a middle-grade animal fantasy series by Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky (Guardians of Ga'hoole). The story follows a colony of beavers that has been hiding in the wilds of Scotland for 500 years, and the young hero who must save his fellow Castors... and guard their dangerous secret. Publication for the first book is planned for spring 2022; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group did the deal for world English rights.
Susan Dobinick at Bloomsbury has acquired Birdie's Billions, a middle grade novel by Edith Cohn (Spirit's Key). After causing her mother to lose her job, sixth grader Birdie Loggerman prays for money and must make some tough choices when she finds exactly what she asked for hidden in the wall of an abandoned house. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Ardi Alspach at Sterling has bought world English rights to author-illustrator Marty Kelley's Pugnapped!, an illustrated middle-grade novel in which fourth-grader Stevie Blunt and his best friend, Rudy, take on a last-minute dogsitting gig from a doting pug owner. But when pampered pooch Cupcake goes missing, Stevie and Rudy have just hours to find out if the culprit is their arch enemy, the Mystery Neighbors, the suspicious satellite TV repairman, or Stevie's little sister. Publication is set for spring 2021; Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary negotiated the deal.
Yasemin Uçar at Kids Can has acquired world rights to screenwriters Sally and Brian Dutra's three-book chapter book series, Frankie D: Vegan Vampire, the story of a young vampire trying to make it in a new town and a new school, taking things one bite-size piece at a time. Publication is slated to start in spring 2023; Victoria Wells Arms of Wells Arms Literary/HG Literary, Fonda Snyder of Alchemy Ink, and attorney Larry Weinberg co-agented the deal.
Allyn Johnston at S&S/Beach Lane has bought world rights to Corita's Words by Jeanette Winter, a picture book biography of social justice activist Sister Mary Corita Kent—an artist, teacher, and nun—who lived and worked during the freewheeling 1960s and ’70s. Her brightly colored Pop Art-inspired silkscreen prints were optimistic advertisements for Goodness, Hope, and Tolerance—including the iconic LOVE postage stamp. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the author-illustrator.
Monica Perez at Charlesbridge has acquired Abuelita and I Make Flan by 2018 We Need Diverse Books Walter Grant recipient Adriana Hernandez-Bergstrom, making her author-illustrator debut. The picture book features a girl who accidentally drops a family heirloom while baking with her abuela and must find a way to make things right. Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Emily Mitchell brokered the deal for world rights.
Simon Boughton at Norton has bought world rights to A Place Called Sargasso, written by Golden Kite Award winner Barb Rosenstock (l.) and illustrated by Sibert Honor winner Katherine Roy, who previously collaborated on Otis and Will Discover the Deep. In the middle of the Atlantic, there's a perfect place—the Sargasso Sea, the only sea on Earth without a shore. It's named for the Sargassum seaweed that shelters and sustains a diverse community of life. Publication is set for summer 2022; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Stephen Barr at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Carolina Ortiz at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Rise Up and Write It, written by Nandini Ahuja (l.) and illustrated by Anoosha Syed, an interactive storybook about a young activist determined to build a new community garden for her neighborhood that is both a celebration of civic engagement and a reminder that anyone can make a difference. Publication is slated for winter 2021; the author represented herself, and Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel and Taylor Martindale Kean at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator.
Kelly Delaney at Knopf has bought Not Enough Lollipops by Megan Maynor (The Sandcastle That Lola Built), illustrated by Micah Player, a lesson in false scarcity about a girl who wins a wagon full of lollipops in a school raffle and must figure out the best way to share them with her classmates. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Minju Chang at BookStop Literary represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Karen Wojtyla at S&S/McElderry has acquired world rights to Stephen W. Martin's (l.) Fluffy McWhiskers: Cuteness Explosion, about a little cat who is so cute that anyone who sees her will instantly explode (literally!), which makes it difficult for her to find even one friend. Dan Tavis will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2021. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown represented the illustrator.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Sourcebooks eXplore has bought world rights to Lisa Katzenberger's (l.) picture book It Will Be OK, about an anxious, overwhelmed giraffe and his loyal zebra friend, whose patience and presence help him face his greatest fear head-on. Jaclyn Sinquett will illustrate; publication is set for February 2021. Wendi Gu at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the author while at Janklow & Nesbit, and Christy Tugeau Ewers from the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek has acquired world rights to Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World, written by Vivian Kirkfield (l.) and illustrated by Jana Christy. The nonfiction picture book centers Annie Londonderry, who set out from Boston in 1894 to become the first female to ride a bicycle around the globe, changing the world's perceptions of what a woman could do. Publication is slated for spring 2023; Essie White at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.
Sarah Rockett at Sleeping Bear has bought world rights to Little Dandelion by Julia Richardson (l.). The book follows dandelion seeds as they swirl across and bloom on all seven continents, with STEM tie-ins combining botany, geography, and zoology. Kevin and Kristen Howdeshell will illustrate. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Victoria Selvaggio at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Deborah Wolfe Ltd. represented the illustrators.
Jess Riordan at Running Press has acquired North American rights to Sesame Street Breathe, Think, Do with Elmo: Problem Solving for Little Monsters, written by Sesame Workshop with Robin Newman, illustrated by Ernest Kwiat. This interactive picture book features Sesame Street's simple, playful, three-pronged strategy for mindful problem-solving. Publication is set for July 2021; Karen Halpenny represented Sesame Workshop, Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the writer, and the illustrator represented himself.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has bought world rights to A Christmas Too Big, written and illustrated by Colleen Madden. The picture book is about a girl who is overwhelmed by her family's "too-big" way of celebrating Christmas and who discovers another perspective from her neighbor's experience. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Mela Bolinao at MB Artists brokered the deal.
Emily Kleinman at Mudpuppy has acquired, in an exclusive submission, author-illustrator Katy Tanis's original board book, Love in the Wild, featuring rhyming text and colorful animals in a celebration of the diversity of love. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Jeffrey Salane at Little Simon has bought world rights to two board books, Curls and Glow, by author and poet Ruth Forman (l.), illustrated by Geneva Bowers. Curls celebrates hair and Glow celebrates skin tone. Publication is planned for spring 2021 and summer 2021, respectively; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan represented the writer, and Kate Kendrick at Astound represented the illustrator.
