Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has acquired, in an exclusive auction, North American rights to Three Kisses, One Midnight, a Halloween collaboration by Roshani Chokshi (l.), Sandhya Menon (c.), and Evelyn Skye (r.), told in the tradition of Let It Snow. Set in a town reminiscent of Stars Hollow, the book features interconnected stories about three witchy best friends and their romantic quest involving love potions (that may or may not work) and true love's kiss before the clock strikes midnight. Publication is set for 2022; Thao Le at the Dijkstra Agency did the six-figure deal.
Foyinsi Adegbonmire at Feiwel and Friends has bought, in a preempt, a debut YA thriller and another untitled YA novel by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Pitched as Gossip Girl meets Get Out, Ace of Spades takes place at a private school where a mysterious source spreads rumors about two of the very few Black students, who must not only fight for their reputations, but also for their lives. Publication is planned for June 2021; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency represented the author for this North American deal on behalf of Zoë Plant, also at the Bent Agency.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz has acquired world rights to an untitled YA nonfiction book about Leopold and Loeb by Candace Fleming (The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh). Examining the event known at the time as "the crime of the century," the book explores two college-aged criminals, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who, in 1924, murdered a boy in their effort to commit a "perfect crime." Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Ethan Ellenberg at the Ethan Ellenberg Agency brokered the deal.
Stephanie Stein at HarperTeen has bought, at auction, North American rights to The Upper World by Femi Fadugba. This debut YA novel follows Esso, a teen boy from south London, caught up in a deadly feud when he slips through to a world where he can see glimpses of the past and the future. While Esso tries to use this new gift to avert a crisis, in 2035, a girl named Rhia is about to meet a mysterious stranger who desperately needs her help to change his past. Publication is slated for winter 2022; Claire Wilson at Rogers, Coleridge and White negotiated the two-book deal.
David Linker at HarperCollins has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson (We Are the Ants), a historical fantasy set during the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Jack, an orphan and magician's assistant, spies on their rivals to steal secrets of their magic tricks to find that the other magician's assistant, Wil, can perform real magic. This truth will result in death, so Jack and Wil face the ultimate choice to trust one another or vanish from it all. Publication is set for fall 2021; Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary did the deal for world English rights.
Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte will publish a YA edition of Notes from a Young Black Chef, by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Lori Galvin at Aevitas Creative Management negotiated the deal for U.S., Canadian, and open market rights.
Elizabeth Lynch at HarperTeen has bought world English rights to Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey. Inspired by You've Got Mail, the debut YA follows a teenage girl who tries to save her family's indie bookstore by taking down the flashier bookstore that moved in across the street—and the cute boy who works there. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Bridget Smith at JABberwocky Literary brokered the two-book deal.
Joanna Cárdenas at Kokila has acquired Tumble, a middle grade novel by Celia C. Pérez (The First Rule of Punk and Strange Birds). Adela "Addie" Diaz has a big life decision to make when her stepfather proposes adoption, but before she makes it, she reaches out to her estranged biological father—a lucha libra legend in New Mexico—and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, which brings her closer to understanding the expansive definition of family. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary handled the deal for world rights.
Kaylan Adair at Candlewick has bought, at auction, The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson (Midnight Without a Moon and A Sky Full of Stars). In a story centering a family trying to keep hope alive in the face of poverty and racism, 11-year-old Ellis Earl Brown discovers that being a hero sometimes means being in the right place at the right time when he crosses paths with Senator Robert Kennedy during his Poverty Tour of Mississippi in 1967. Publication is set for spring 2022; Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic negotiated the deal for world rights.
Amanda Ramirez at Simon & Schuster has bought Finley Walsh Adventure Agency, a middle grade novel by Briana McDonald (Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing). Finley and her best friend Sophie were adventurers—until Sophie found new friends. So, when Finley and her brothers are sent to stay with their estranged uncle, she decides that they'll accompany her on adventures instead. But they soon find themselves at odds with each other and realize some places are better left unexplored. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Jennie Kendrick at Red Fox Literary did the two-book deal for world rights.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown has acquired middle grade novel Operation Sisterhood by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. Eleven-year-old Bo has gotten used to it just being her and her mother in their cozy New York City apartment. But when her mom gets married, Bo must adjust to instant sisterhood, and a music-minded blended family that is much larger, louder, and more complex than she ever imagined. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary brokered the deal for North American POM rights.
John Morgan at Macmillan/Imprint has acquired world English rights to Fellowship of the Castle, a middle-grade adventure by Jess Rinker. It chronicles the wilderness adventures of three kids searching for a rumored castle in the woods near their town. Publication is scheduled for summer 2022; Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency negotiated the deal.
Chris Hernandez at Razorbill has bought, in a preempt, world rights to middle grade graphic novel Lost Time by debut author-illustrator Tasha Mukanik. Pitched as a mix of Jurassic World, How to Train Your Dragon, and Lost in Space, the story follows a girl who travels back in time and gets trapped in the Cretaceous Period with no one to help her survive or get back home—except for a pterosaur she befriends and learns to ride. Publication is set for spring 2023; Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary handled the two-book deal.
Alyson Heller at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to The Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy Tandon. Set in a coastal Maine town, this middle-grade novel follows a group of friends as they work to unravel a witch's curse while contending with an even more terrifying prospect: growing up and growing apart. Publication is planned for fall 2022; Emma Sector at Prospect Agency brokered the deal.
Lisa Sandell at Scholastic has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Poison, Predators, and People: Not Your Typical Book About Monarchs by Dana L. Church, in which middle grade readers can explore the world of monarch butterflies, the science of monarchs, the scientists who study them, and the people with whom they share their habitat. A publication date has not been set; Stacey Kondla at the Rights Factory did the deal.
Candice Keimig at ABDO has acquired world rights to Murky Creek Phantom Finders, a six-book chapter book series by Brigitte Henry Cooper, about brother-and-sister phantom finders investigating the ghostly happenings in the spooky coastal town of Murky Creek. Publication of the series is slated for spring 2022; Clelia Gore at Martin Literary & Media Management negotiated the deal.
Feather Flores at Chronicle has bought world rights to Maria Mariposa by Karla Arenas Valenti (l.), a bilingual story about a girl who receives a gift from her home in Mexico, on her first day of school in the U.S.—and how she finds a way to share the magic of that gift with everyone around her. Ana Ramírez González will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2023. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Yasemin Uçar at Kids Can has acquired world rights to Up and Adam, a picture book by debut author Debbie Zapata (l.), illustrated by Yong Ling Kang. Adam, a boy with Down Syndrome, and his dog, Up, help their town in the aftermath of a big storm, lifting spirits as they go. Publication is planned for spring 2022; James McGowan at BookEnds represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Ariel Richardson at Chronicle has bought world rights to There Is a Rainbow by Theresa Trinder, illustrated by Grant Snider, a picture book about hope and resilience in the face of difficult circumstances, inspired by the rainbows placed in windows and drawn in sidewalk chalk during the coronavirus pandemic. Publication is set for spring 2021; Mark Gottlieb at Trident Media Group represented the author, and Judy Hansen at Hansen Literary represented the illustrator.
Beth Terrill at NorthSouth has acquired world rights to Carmen Oliver's (l.) picture book The Twilight Library, illustrated by Miren Asiain Lora, in which the "Night Librarian" spins a tale of mystery for the creatures of the forest. Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary represented the author, and Valentina Colombo at Phileas Fogg Agency represented the artist.
Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has bought world rights to Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi, Second to None, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Chris Hsu. The picture book biography chronicles the life of Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, demonstrating her strength and leadership in her more than 30 years in public office. Publication is slated for fall 2021; Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Vicky Holifield at Peachtree has acquired world rights to Serengeti, written by Leslie Bulion (l.), illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. A series of interconnected verses, adapted from a traditional Swahili poetry form, follow the great migration of wildebeest, zebras, and others into and out of the Serengeti short grass plain, mimicking the web of life in the Serengeti. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Jenna Pocius at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Asia Citro at the Innovation Press has bought world rights to Queen of Leaves by Stephen Briseño, a picture book biography of Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexia, illustrated by Diana Toledano. Publication is set for fall 2022; Natalie Lakosil at Bradford Literary represented the author, and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.
Christopher Robbins at Familius has acquired world rights to What Will I Be, from A to Z by Laura Wadsworth Carter, introducing 26 STEAM career possibilities from astronauts to zoologists. Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Victoria Selvaggio at Storm Literary represented the author.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has bought world rights to Stand as Tall as the Trees: How an Amazonian Community Protected the Rain Forest, a picture book autobiography by Patricia Gualinga (l.), environmental and Indigenous-rights defender of the Pueblo Kichwa de Sarayaku, a community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, co-written with Laura Resau (c.). Ecuadorian artist Vanessa Jaramillo (r.) will illustrate. Simultaneous publication in English and Spanish is slated for summer 2022; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary represented Gualinga and Resau, and the illustrator represented herself.
