Ardi Alspach at Union Square Kids has acquired Bram Stoker-nominated author Lora Senf's (The Clackity) YA horror debut The Losting Fountain. Pitched as Wayward Children meets The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it follows three children who travel across time to reach a mysterious and often horrific fountain where lost things go to be found and where seekers are punished nearly as often as they are rewarded. Publication is set for January 2025; Ali Herring at Spencerhill Associates did the deal for world rights.
Kate Prosswimmer at McElderry Books has bought The Dagger & the Flame, first in a YA romantic fantasy duology by Storm Keeper and Twin Crowns author Catherine Doyle, for publication in fall 2024. The series follows two rival assassins in a city full of shadow magic and dangerous secrets who are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, but their growing attraction to one another surfaces an impossible question: to kiss… or to kill? Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary brokered the two-book deal for North American rights on behalf of Claire Wilson at RCW Literary.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to How Do I Draw These Memories?, a debut YA graphic memoir from author-illustrator Jonell Joshua. In both prose and illustrations this book traces Joshua's childhood and her family's journey—the joys and the struggles—from Brooklyn to Savannah to New Jersey. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; the author represented herself.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has bought a middle-grade debut from Ready Player One author Ernest Cline, called Bridge to Bat City, about the friendship between an outcast girl and a colony of bats, and the larger community's embrace of these feared creatures as environmental stewards. Publication is planned for winter 2024; Yfat Reiss Gendell at YRG Partners negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Nancy Siscoe at Knopf has acquired a middle grade fantasy trilogy by Rooftoppers author Katherine Rundell, beginning with Impossible Creatures. The story follows Christopher, who discovers a world of wonders called the Archipelago, where mythological creatures were secreted away by magic long ago. But those very creatures are now dying, and it will be up to Christopher and Mal, a girl from the Archipelago armed with a charmed compass and a flying coat, to stop the rising evil that threatens to bring peril to both of their worlds. Publication is slated for fall 2024; Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary did the deal, at auction, for North American rights on behalf of Claire Wilson at RCW Literary.
Meghan Maria McCullough at Inkyard Press has bought An Encantadora's Guide to Monstros and Magic and a second book in the Portuguese-inspired middle grade fantasy series by debut author Sarah J. Mendonca. To help save her family's charm shop when it's threatened by the all-powerful Ministry, Rosa Coelho joins a band of thieves to steal a priceless jewel and discovers corruption that must be stopped in a magical, Ocean's 8-esque heist. Publication of the first book is set for winter 2025; Emily Forney at BookEnds Literary Agency sold world English rights.
Alice Jerman at HarperCollins has acquired debut author Leslie Adame's Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic and an untitled sequel, a contemporary fantasy series about 12-year-old Chloe Vega, who must train at an elite magical academy to face off against a powerful sorcerer disguised as an immigration officer after he kidnaps her undocumented parents. Publication is scheduled for winter 2025; Trinica Sampson-Vera and Patrice Caldwell at New Leaf Literary & Media sold world English rights.
Aimee Friedman at Scholastic has bought world rights to Refugee: The Graphic Novel by Alan Gratz (l.), illustrated by Syd Fini. This graphic adaptation of Gratz's novel Refugee follows three young people from different time periods, all seeking refuge—Josef, fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939; Isabel, escaping Fidel Castro's Cuba in 1994; and Mahmoud, leaving war-torn Syria in 2015—and how their stories unexpectedly intertwine. Publication is planned for 2025; Holly Root at Root Literary represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Conor Lloyd and Michael Petranek at Scholastic have acquired world rights to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Wreck and Roll by Stephanie Williams (l.), illustrated by Asia Simone, a middle grade graphic novel based on the TV show in which a rad-skating band of thieves start going wild, and it's up to Marvel's Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl) and Devil Dinosaur to take to the streets and put a stop to their crime spree. Publication is slated for spring 2024; the author represented herself, and Jemiscoe Chambers-Black at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Joy Peskin at FSG has bought, in a preempt, My So-Called Family, the debut middle-grade novel by Gia Gordon, in which newly minted sixth-grader Ash (don't call her "Ashley") Dalton, a comic artist who has been in foster care most of her life, struggles with a middle-school family tree assignment and ultimately comes to learn the true meaning of family. Publication is scheduled for fall 2024; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency sold world rights.
Erinn Pascal at Andrews McMeel has acquired world English rights to Why Are Dogs? and Why Are Horses? by Brittany Long Olsen. These two middle-grade nonfiction comics explore different breeds of dogs and horses, diving into their histories and fun facts. Publication for the first book is planned for spring 2025, with the second to follow in fall 2025; Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis brokered the two-book deal.
Maria Russo at Astra/Minerva has bought world rights for Simone by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen (l.) (The Sympathizer), illustrated by Minnie Phan (The Yellow Áo Dài). In this picture book, a Vietnamese American girl's life is transformed, and her ecological consciousness awakened, after a wildfire forces her and her Má—who shares her own experience of environmental displacement as a child in Viet Nam—to evacuate their home. Publication is set for spring 2024; Nat Sobel at Sobel Weber Associates represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the artist.
Lee Wade at Random House Studio has acquired world rights to This Starry Night by Kirsten Hall (l.), illustrated by Matt Forsythe, a celebration of nature's magic as the sky sets over the sea. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented herself, and Judy Hansen at Hansen Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has bought, at auction, world rights to Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp (l.), illustrated by Beatriz Gutierrez, a picture book that is an ode to family, to music, and to the desert itself. Publication is set for summer 2024; Andrea Morrison represented the author, and Doug Whiteman at the Whiteman Agency represented the artist.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to This Is Not a Sleepy Bear Book, a picture book by Brian Gehrlein (l.), illustrated by Jenn Harney, about an owl narrator who tries to usher a bear into hibernation but is thwarted by a series of amusing and unexpected interruptions. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the artist.
Margaret Quinlin at Peachtree/Margaret Quinlin Books has bought world rights to A Cat Like That by Lester Laminack (l.), illustrated by Nicole Wong, a picture book that depicts a day in the life of a big, round cat as she meanders from one end of the island to the other. Publication is planned for spring 2025; the author represented himself, and James McGowan at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Dainese Santos at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to Figdor Makes a Friend by Julie Falatko (l.), illustrated by Marissa Valdez. It's a first-day-of-school picture book about fussy Figdor, who takes his mother's advice about "making friends" in the most literal way possible. Publication is set for summer 2025; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Alex Wolfe at Penguin Workshop has bought Threads, the debut picture book by embroidery artist Ashley Wong. Sunny and Jemma are best friends, but when Jemma moves away, they learn that it's okay for different friendships to fray or strengthen over time. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Erin Casey Westin at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has acquired world rights to The Riding Lesson, a picture book written and illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann. When horse-crazy Frances is invited to ride horses at her friend Mae's house, her vision of riding the horse of her dreams is thwarted by a short, round pony named Snowball. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has bought The Lots-of-Time Machine, written and illustrated by Paulette Bogan (Virgil and Owen). In this picture book, a little raccoon, dismayed that her family is constantly busy, conspires with her pet dog to build a special fort where everyone has lots of time to play—and be together. Publication is planned for summer 2024; Victoria Wells Arms at HG Literary sold world rights.
Elizabeth Schleisman at Beaming Books has acquired Poppy's Perfect Crayons, written and illustrated by Sally Anne Garland. In this story about how much fun "imperfect" things can be. Poppy doesn't want to ruin her perfect-looking crayons by using them, so her friends lend her their broken, chewed, bent crayons. But when no one has the color she needs, will her own crayons do? Publication is set for fall 2024; Kate Johnson at Caroline Wakeman Literary Agency sold world rights.
Karen Wojtyla at McElderry Books has bought world rights to Firefly Song by Sibert Award author Colleen Paeff (l.), illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim, a picture book biography about self-trained naturalist Lynn Faust and the musical score she created to prove that synchronous fireflies exist in the Great Smoky Mountains and beyond. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Lori Steel at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Emily van Beek at Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Katie Scott at Kids Can Press has acquired world rights to Anna's Camera by Kate Jenks Landry (l.) (Beatrice and Barb), illustrated by Risa Hugo (Why Are You So Quiet?). The story unfolds over the summer that a girl goes to live with her grandparents while her sister is in the hospital for an unnamed illness. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; the author was unagented, and Jacqui Lipton at the Tobias Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Julia Recko at Feeding Minds Press has bought world rights to I Love Blueberries! by Shannon Anderson (l.), illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, to be edited by Emma D. Dryden. The book follows Jolie and her faithful rabbit Munchy as they make new friends and discover how to grow blueberries using hydroponics. Publication is slated for summer 2025; the author represented herself, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Christianne Jones at Capstone has acquired world rights to Overdue: The Misadventure of Bob the Book by Gloria Koster (l.), illustrated by Pawel Gierlinski. When a less-than-enthusiastic child brings Bob home from school, the book goes from a library favorite to a forgotten item who is lost and alone. Publication is set for fall 2024; Emelie Burl at Susan Schulman Literary Agency represented the author, and Tina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
