Dana Leydig at Viking has acquired Prince of the Palisades, the next YA novel by Julian Winters, pitched as Red, White, & Royal Blue meets Netflix's Young Royals, in which the roguish prince of Îles de la Rêverie goes to America to clean up his image after a horribly public breakup, and ends up falling for a not-so-royal American boy who might be a fairy tale romance come true, or another disaster in the making. Publication is planned for summer 2024; Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency sold world English rights in the two-book deal.
Kelsey Horton at Delacorte has bought, in a preempt, debut author Megan Davidhizar's YA thriller Silent Sister. Two sisters mysteriously disappear on a school trip, and when only one of them returns—with no memory of what happened—she must piece together the mystery because both of their lives depend on it. Publication is slated for summer 2024; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the two-book deal for USCOM rights.
David Saylor and Emily Nguyen at Scholastic/Graphix have acquired Coming Out Perfect, the YA graphic novel debut by Richard Mercado, about a teenage boy who, after a failed attempt to come out to his parents, resolves to become "the perfect gay kid" by running for student council with the popular gay kid, Raymond. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025 with a sequel to follow in spring 2027; Alice Sutherland-Hawes at ASH Literary did the six-figure deal for world rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda Lab has bought world English rights to Pangu's Shadow, a YA novel by Karen Bao (The Dove Chronicles). Aryl and Ver are two of the most promising biology students in the Pangu Star System—until they become suspects in their teacher's murder. The rivals reluctantly team up to find the real culprit, running up against system-wide inequalities and conspiracies. Publication is set for spring 2024; Tricia Skinner at Fuse Literary brokered the deal; the author was previously represented by Veronica Park.
Reka Simonsen has acquired Freeman Ng's YA novel-in-verse, Bridge Across the Sky. Inspired by the poems that Chinese immigrants to the U.S. carved into the walls of the Angel Island detention facility in San Francisco Bay, the 1920s set novel follows teen Soo Tai Go's lengthy wait to find out if he, his father, and his grandfather will be allowed into the country, and his awakening to the political realities of his new home. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret did the deal for world English rights.
Kelsey Horton at Delacorte has bought Paper Dragons by debut author Siobhan McDermott in a three-book deal. In this middle grade fantasy, pitched as Nevermoor meets Amari and the Night Brothers, a girl discovers she has spectacular powers and must face a series of challenging trials in an underwater realm to prove she is worthy of becoming an immortal, while protecting herself and her friends from an ancient spirit intent on consuming them all. Publication is slated for spring 2024; Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Milena Blue Spruce at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to Tale of the Flying Forest. a middle grade novel by R.M. Romero (l.) (The Dollmaker of Kraków; The Ghosts of Rose Hill). Pitched as a "Jewish Narnia," the story follows the adventures of a girl who journeys through the enchanted flying forest of Bei Ilai to find and rescue her long-lost twin brother, recovering pieces of his broken heart along the way. E.K. Belsher will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2024. Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Erin Clarke at Knopf has bought The Underdogs of Upson Downs (published as Runt in Australia) by Craig Silvey (Jasper Jones) about Annie Shearer and her adopted stray dog Runt, who set out to save their family farm from a greedy neighbor by entering a dog agility contest. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Lesley Thorne at Aitken Alexander Associates brokered the deal for North American rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has won, at auction, world rights to the first two titles in Emma Otheguy's Cousins in the Time of Magic, a middle grade fantasy-adventure series in which three cousins discover a magical time-traveling boat in their tía's backyard and journey into the past, where they witness U.S. history from the Latin perspective. The first book takes the cousins to 1862, a year of civil war in the U.S. and European invasion in Mexico; when the cousins' tía is captured, they must join forces to save her. Publication for the first title is planned for spring 2024; Adriana Dominguez, now at Aevitas Creative Management, did the deal while at Full Circle Literary.
Emily Settle at Feiwel and Friends has acquired Orphan's Song, a middle grade novel in verse by debut author Nicole M. Hewitt, pitched as Frozen meets The BFG. In this reimagining of Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant," an orphaned Human girl and a banished Giant boy each lay claim to a magical garden, their only sanctuary in a dangerous arctic world, where they must put the age-old battle between Humans and Giants aside in order to survive. Publication is slated for winter 2025; Deborah Warren at East/West Literary sold world rights.
Katie Gould at Andrews McMeel has bought author-illustrator Kevin Sherry's Scales & Tales, an interactive book that introduces an original fantasy role-playing game to young readers. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Clarissa Wong at Scholastic has acquired world rights to Becoming Boba by Joanna Ho (l.) (Eyes That Kiss in the Corners), a picture book about the history of boba, cultural shifts through generations, and letting your true colors shine; it explores the common diasporic question, "What does it mean to be boba (or Asian) enough?" Amber Ren (Because) will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2024. Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Rofé, also at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, represented the illustrator.
Celia Lee at Simon and Schuster has bought world rights for Newbery Honoree Kyle Lukoff's (l.) Are You a Friend of Dorothy?, a nonfiction picture book about the sanctuary and community sought by queer people claiming to be "friends of Dorothy" during the mid-20th century when homosexuality was still criminalized in the U.S. Levi Hastings will illustrate; publication is planned for summer 2024. Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch Literary Services represented the author, and Brent Taylor at Triada US represented the illustrator.
Talia Benemy at Philomel has acquired world rights to Devin's Gift by Alana Tyson (l.) (My Red, White, and Blue), illustrated by Ebony Glenn. In the picture book, Devin embarks on a journey to find the perfect gift for his friend's birthday, finding himself stuck between what everyone seems to think a boy might want and what he knows his friend really likes. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Tracy Marchini and Emily Forney at BookEnds represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Lee Wade at Random House Studio has bought world rights to Daisy Rewilds by Margaret McNamara (l.), illustrated by Kerascoët, a humorous picture book about a nature-loving girl who gradually and without even trying rewilds her neighborhood. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Kristin Daly Rens at Balzer + Bray has acquired world rights to Still There Was Bread by Lisl H. Detlefsen (l.), illustrated by David Soman. In this celebration of tradition (and baking), a child reflects upon how Nana's special bread recipe has sustained and nourished generations of their family through good and bad times. Publication is set for fall 2024; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Doug Stewart at Sterling Lord Literistic represented the illustrator.
Allison Cohen at Running Press Kids has bought world rights to The Wheel of the Year by Nikki Van De Car (l.), illustrated by Kiki Kita, a picture book celebrating the eight Pagan festivals that make up the Wheel of the Year. Publication is slated for winter 2024; the author was unagented, and Aurora Barlam at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Hilary Van Dusen at Candlewick Press has acquired world rights to The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice, a picture book biography by Amy Alznauer (l.) (The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity), illustrated by Anna Bron, the story of a puzzle as old as mammoths and the unlikely girl who grew up to solve it. It's planned for spring 2025; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane Books has bought world rights to Meet the Mini Mammals, a nonfiction picture book about the world's small, smaller, and very smallest mammals, written by Sibert Medal Honoree Melissa Stewart (l.), illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Brian Lies. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; the author represented herself, and Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the artist.
Cherrita Lee at Beaming Books has acquired world rights to the picture book Tug-Goat, a version of The Little Engine That Could for a new generation by Kersten Hamilton (l.), illustrated by Adriane Tsai, for publication in spring 2024. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author, and James McGowan at BookEnds Literary represented the illustrator.
