Sarah Grill at Wednesday Books has acquired in an exclusive submission, The Calculation of You + Me by Serena Kaylor (Long Story Short). In this YA rom-com, pitched as a teen Love Hypothesis by way of Cyrano de Bergerac, STEM-focused calculus geek Marlow sets out to learn all about romance to win back her golden-boy ex-boyfriend. With the reluctant help of Edward, her surly goth lab partner, she's got her arms full of romance novels, and a brain full of tropes to turn herself into the perfect romantic heroine. But as sparks start to fly with the wrong guy, she's wondering if there's really a set solution to love. Publication is set for spring 2024; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret sold world English rights.
Meriam Metoui at Viking has bought, at auction, the graphic novel rights to Maggie Stiefvater's (l.) acclaimed YA series The Raven Cycle, about four private school boys, a psychic's daughter, and a Welsh legend that lies dormant beneath the mountains of a sleepy Virginia town, with a six-figure deal. Sas Milledge (c.) is illustrating, and Stephanie Williams (r.) will adapt; publication of the first volume is scheduled for spring 2025. Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management represented Stiefvater for world rights in a four-book deal. Williams represented herself, and Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented Milledge.
Kelsey Sullivan at Disney has acquired Better Left Buried by debut author Mary E. Roach. Pitched as Knives Out meets Two Can Keep a Secret, this contemporary YA mystery follows two teen girls in a small Appalachian town who must solve the murder of a local amusement park millionaire. As the town's secrets come to light, the girls must face their own pasts—along with their growing feelings for each other—or risk becoming the next victim. Publication is planned for winter 2024; Claire Friedman at InkWell Management did the deal for world English rights.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has bought, in an exclusive submission, YA horror/psychological thriller The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan (Hot Dog Girl; Some Girls Do). Sloan and her girlfriend, the sole surviving counselors of a summer camp massacre, search to uncover the truth behind what happened that fateful night, but what they find out might not only drive them apart—it might just get them killed. Publication is slated for fall 2023; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties sold world English rights.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has acquired Sabrina Fedel's All Roads Lead to Rome. When the daughter of a diplomat fake dates a Scottish celebrity in Italy, she soon finds herself living her own Roman Holiday until the feelings get real and the paparazzi's knives come out. Publication is scheduled for summer 2024; Michelle Hauck at Storm Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Monique Jones Brown at Little Press/PISH has bought In the Ring, a YA novel by debut author Sierra Isley. When queer teen Rose enrolls in boxing classes to alleviate her anxiety exacerbated by a recent sexual assault, she finds herself sucked into an underground fight club and the charms of its ringleader. Will the fight world unravel her already fragile mental state or will it unearth a strength she never knew she had? Publication is set for fall 2023; Tina Schwartz at the Purcell Agency sold world rights.
Avi Ehrlich at Silver Sprocket has acquired Charger County, a YA graphic novel by Cathy G. Johnson (The Breakaways). New to Charger County High, Liz decides to join the drama club for her freshman athletics credit. There, she meets her first friends, all senior girls with a penchant for rebellion. When the spring musical is canceled, they decide to film their own sequel to their favorite action movie—but the goofy violence of their own film echoes the harm teenage girls face in real life. Publication is planned for 2025; Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Mary Cash at Holiday House has bought an untitled middle grade novel by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Finding Langston) that explores the life of editor, educator and activist Ida B. Wells who, orphaned at age 16, became a champion of the voiceless and risked her life uncovering harrowing truths in her work as investigative journalist and anti-lynching crusader. It's slated for publication in spring 2025; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio handled the deal for world rights.
Polo Orozco at Putnam has acquired Daughters of the Lamp and a sequel by debut author Nedda Lewers. In this middle grade fantasy steeped in folklore, an Egyptian American girl named Sahara travels to Cairo, where she discovers she's next in the legacy of women tasked with guarding Ali Baba's treasure. Publication for the first book is scheduled for spring 2024 and the second for summer 2024; Kelly Dyksterhouse at the Tobias Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alex Wolfe at Penguin Workshop has bought Ain't It Funny and a second untitled novel by Margaret Gurevich. In the contemporary middle grade novel, when Maya's parents separate as her father pursues his comedy dreams, she hatches a plan to bring them back together by performing stand-up in her school's talent show, no matter how difficult her undiagnosed anxiety and OCD makes that feel. Publication of the first book is set for fall 2024 with the second book in summer 2025; Kaitlyn Katsoupis at Belcastro Agency did the deal for world rights.
Catherine Laudone at S&S/Paula Wiseman Books has acquired, in an exclusive submission, to author-illustrator Cyndi Marko's Monster Up, a picture book about a monster named Seth who learns that it's okay to feel scared sometimes while helping a friend search for her missing pet. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Elizabeth Bennett at Transatlantic Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has bought One Foggy Christmas Eve, a picture book by Kerilynn Wilson, author of the forthcoming YA graphic novel The Faint of Heart. On Christmas Eve, one girl is so excited to deliver a special present to her Nana and Papa that she braves the fog outdoors, which makes everything unfamiliar and maybe a little scary. But this is a night full of wonder—and maybe even magic—that leads both to Nana and Papa's and an even better present to slide under the tree. Publication is slated for fall 2024; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House did the deal for North American rights.
Farrin Jacobs at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to And She Was Loved, a picture book biography of Toni Morrison by Andrea Davis Pinkney (l.) and Caldecott Honor illustrator Daniel Minter. Publication is scheduled for fall 2024; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House represented the author, and Rick Margolis at Rising Bear Literary Agency represented the artist.
Yasemin Uçar at Kids Can Press, with Patricia Ocampo editing, has bought world rights to Willa and Wade, a three-book series by Judith Henderson (l.), illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour, about Willa (an ostrich) and Wade (a penguin), two flightless birds with unique dreams and the determination to achieve them. Book one publishes in spring 2024, followed by book two in fall 2024 and book three in 2025. Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary Studio represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Naomi Kirsten at Chronicle has acquired world rights to E-I-UFO by Zach von Zonk (l.), illustrated by Benjamin Chaud. A UFO spin on the classic Old MacDonald sing-along, this picture book debut follows an alien who beams up a barnyard full of animals, with unexpected results. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Melissa Nasson at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author, and Debbie Bibo at Debbie Bibo Agency represented the illustrator.
Kait Feldmann while at Scholastic bought world rights to Junior Takes a Leap by Ebony Lynn Mudd (l.). Pura Belpré and Coretta Scott King Honor artist C.G. Esperanza will illustrate; Andrea Pinkney will edit, and Jess Harold served as transitional editor. Normalizing boys who dance, this picture book follows a Black boy who uses the familiar sounds of his city to bridge his new world dancing ballet to the streets that he came from. Publication is set for spring 2025; while at Raven Quill Literary Agency, Lori Steel at Red Fox Literary negotiated the two-book deal for the author, who is now represented by Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency, and Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker represented the illustrator.
Sydnee Monday at Kokila has acquired in an exclusive submission, world rights to Dancing with Water by Gwendolyn Wallace (l.), illustrated by Tonya Engel. This picture book is an intergenerational story that takes place in a rural Black community in the American South, and follows a nonbinary child named Kit as they learn the sacred practice of well-digging from their grandpa. Publication is slated for summer 2025. Wendi Gu at GreenburgerKids represented the author, and Gail Gaynin at Morgan Gaynin Agency represented the illustrator.
Courtney Code at Abrams has bought world rights to All at Once Upon a Time by Mara Rockliff (l.), illustrated by Gladys Jose. The picture book is a topsy-turvy fractured fairytale where favorite stories are told simultaneously, but very incorrectly. Publication is scheduled for fall 2024; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown has acquired Doña Fela's Dream: The Story of Puerto Rico's First Female Mayor by Monica Brown (l.), a picture book biography about Felisa Rincón de Gautier, activist and first woman mayor in the Americas, who established innovative civil services for women, children, and the poor as mayor of San Juan, illustrated by Puerto Rican artist Rosa Ibarra. Publication is set for fall 2024; Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel sold world rights for the author; the illustrator represented herself.
Kathy Landwehr at Peachtree has bought world rights to The Treasure Collector, created by real-life friends David Zeltser (r.) (Ninja Baby) and debut illustrator Benjamin Arthur. This picture book tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a junk-collecting raccoon named Reginald and Fiona, a sea star he finds abandoned in a discarded fish tank. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author and illustrator.
Kathleen Keenan at Kids Can Press has acquired world rights to Floof Visits Earth by C.J. Hong (l.), an interactive picture book in which readers engage with a fluffy, lovable alien whose spaceship has landed on Earth. A.J. Smith will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2024. The author represented herself, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Nivair Gabriel at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Miso Magic by Moni Ritchie Hadley (l.), illustrated by Mizuho Fujisawa, a picture book in which miso ferments and koji grows, along with the bonds of Susumu and his father. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Sarah Stephens at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Michelle Frey at Knopf has acquired Morgan Watchorn's YA fantasy debut, Fire to the Stars, in a two-book deal for publication beginning in spring 2025. Set in the kingdom of Florent, where anyone can succumb to the Ignition—a monthly solar event that turns unlucky humans into vicious dragon shifters—the novel follows unlikely heroes Abel, a disgraced dragon slayer whose unorthodox research may be the cure to the curse, and Claire, a dragon shifter from a sisterhood of thieves who hires him to pursue a false lead, as they must break every rule designed to protect them from each other to survive and find redemption. Josh Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has bought, at auction, North American rights to Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph (14 Ways to Die; Lock the Doors) pitched as R.L. Stine meets I Know What You Did Last Summer, featuring a group of friends that every year hold funerals for their secrets in the Dark Place. But this year, their secrets are coming back from the dead. Publication is planned for fall 2023; Pete Knapp at Park and Fine Literary and Media did the deal on behalf of Claire Wilson at RCW Literary.
Christine Collins at Disney-Hyperion Books has acquired climate researcher Brianna Craft's YA debut, We Don't Have Time for This, a romance wherein a tied election throws two rival teen activists together to lead their school's environmental justice club, and they are surprised when their clashes lead them to discover what they're up against and why they've never cared more—for their communities and each other. Publication is slated for 2024; Veronica Park sold world rights while at Fuse Literary. Gordon Warnock now represents Craft.
Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends has bought Linus and Etta Could Use a Win by Caroline Huntoon (Skating on Mars), which follows a 13-year-old trans boy, Linus, as he's roped into running in the student body president election at his new school by his new friend, Etta, who has an ulterior motive: winning a bet against her ex-best friend and rival. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has acquired world rights, in an exclusive submission, to Full Shift, a graphic novel by the creators of Coven, Jennifer Dugan (l.) (Hot Dog Girl; Some Girls Do) and Kit Seaton (Wonder Woman: Warbringer). After the death of her father, a reluctant teen werewolf on a desperate quest for a cure accidentally attracts the attention of werewolf hunters, endangering her pack—and the girl she loves. The only way to save them is to embrace the things inside her that are howling to get out. Publication is set for fall 2024; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Ben Grange at L. Perkins Agency represented the illustrator.
Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee/Yellow Jacket has bought Hour of Need: The Daring Escape of the Danish Jews During World War II by Ralph Shayne (l.), illustrated by Tatiana Goldberg, in association with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. This middle grade graphic novel, centered on the journey of a Danish girl's family, tells the true story of how the people of occupied Denmark, with help from the Danish Resistance, risked their lives to help evacuate their Jewish population to Sweden in small fishing boats. Publication is planned for summer 2023; Dan Strutzel at Inspire Productions handled the deal for world rights.
Katie Scott at Kids Can Press has acquired The Matilda Effect by L.E. Carmichael (The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome) in an exclusive submission. The illustrated middle grade nonfiction anthology will introduce readers to all sorts of amazing women throughout time who never got the credit they deserved. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Emelie Burl at Susan Schulman Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Susan Kochan at Putnam has bought world rights to the first three books in a new chapter book series by Brittany Mazique (l.), illustrated by Ebony Glenn. The first installment, Millie Magnus Won't Be Bullied, introduces a spunky girl who is the target of a bully; Millie knows standing up to him won't be easy, but she is not about to let him upset her friends or jeopardize their Field Day fun. Publication is set for fall 2024; James McGowan at BookEnds represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow has acquired Ann Kim Ha's picture book A Friend for Eddy, a story about a lonely goldfish whose world is limited to the small glass fishbowl he calls home and can only imagine finding a fish friend to swim and play with, but who takes a leap of faith. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary sold world rights.
Kaylan Adair at Candlewick has bought world rights to the picture book Hilwa's Gifts by Palestinian American debut author Safa Suleiman (l.), illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan. In the story, Ali visits his family in Palestine during the olive harvest and learns about the many gifts that his favorite tree, Hilwa, offers. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Karen Wojtyla at McElderry Books has acquired world rights to Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space by debut authors Melissa Trempe (l.) and Natalia Ojeda (c.), illustrated by Manu Montoya (r.). The picture book tells a story of persistence as a ladybug, who dreams of becoming an astronaut, teams up with a girl who aspires to be a scientist. Their tale is based on Dr. Ojeda's real-life experience as part of an all-girls’ class in Chile who convinced NASA to send the first ladybugs, or chinitas, into space. Publication is slated for spring 2024; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the authors, and Kate Kendrick at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown has bought world rights to Treehouse Town, a picture book by Gideon Sterer (l.), illustrated by Out on a Limb artist Charlie Mylie, about a utopian, fantastical world in the treetops run by children and animal friends. Publication is scheduled for winter 2024; Stephen Barr at Writers House represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the artist.
Susan Dobinick at Astra Young Readers has acquired world rights to A Forest Begins Anew by Louise M. Aamodt (l.), illustrated by Elly MacKay. This picture book explores both the destructive and regenerative power of forest fires. Publication is set for spring 2025; Emily Keyes while at Fuse Literary represented the author, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown has bought world rights by Camp Nani by Raakhee Mirchandani (l.), a picture book about a girl who goes to spend the weekend with her Nani while her parents are away and all the fun things they get to do together at "camp," illustrated by Holly Hatam. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the artist.
Katie Heit at Scholastic has acquired world rights to Volcanoes from the creators of Caves, written by Nell Cross Beckerman (l.) (When the Sky Glows) and illustrated by Kalen Chock, exploring one of the world's most explosive wonders. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and the artist represented himself.
Winsome Bingham at Reycraft has bought world rights to A Walk Through the Redwoods, a picture book written by Bridgitte Rodguez (l.) and illustrated by Natalia Bruno. A girl walks through a redwood forest with her aunt, discovering a hidden world filled with plants, animals, and a fairy ring. Publication is set for fall/winter 2024; the author and illustrator represented themselves.
