Ruqayyah Daud at Little, Brown has acquired, at auction, debut author Alyssa Villaire's YA fantasy novel The Glittering Edge and a sequel, about a teenage girl in small-town Indiana who is tossed into a decades-long magical feud between two families in order to save her mother's life—a quest that will involve witch covens, first love, and a secret that will change her town forever. Publication of the first book is slated for summer 2025; Peter Knapp and Stuti Telidevara at Park & Fine Literary and Media sold North American rights.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has bought Playing for Keeps by Jennifer Dugan (Some Girls Do), a YA sapphic romance starring a baseball pitcher and a student umpire who fall for one another, despite the fact that player-official dating is strictly prohibited. Publication is scheduled for summer 2024; Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary did the deal for world English rights.
Samia Fakih at First Second has acquired Henna for the Jinn, Safiya Zerrougui's historical fiction YA graphic novel about an Algerian girl who takes a job as a henna painter in a mysterious noble Turkish household while she investigates the disappearance of her brother. Publication is planned for 2026; Paloma Hernando at Einstein Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Erinn Pascal at Andrews McMeel has bought world English rights to The Stream Team series by gaming streamer Nick "NickEh30" Amyoony (l.) and E.C. Myers. Pitched as The Avengers meets Fortnite for middle schoolers, the series features a group of gamers who must use their new superpowers to stop a video game boss that has crossed into reality. Book one is set for 2024; David Purse at Inked Entertainment did the six-figure, two-book deal. Anthony Mattero at CAA represented Amyoony, and Eddie Schneider at JABberwocky Literary represented Myers.
Julia Sooy at Odd Dot has acquired Rebecca Donnelly's The Game of the Century, in which four middle schoolers start an after-school chess club, discovering their individual strengths, the meaning of teamwork, and a few life lessons through the power of one of the world's oldest games. Publication is slated for winter 2025; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Ben Rosenthal at HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books has bought Almost Sunset, a debut middle grade graphic novel by Wahab Algarmi. Exploring Ramadan through the eyes of Hassan, a Muslim American boy, the novel unfolds during a hectic month of middle school deadlines and an upcoming soccer championship, while Hassan learns more of his own family's history and their faith as he fasts every day for the holy month. Daniel Lazar at Writers House sold North American rights.
Jonathan Eaton while at Tilbury House acquired world rights to Chasing Guano: The Discovery of a Penguin Supercolony by Helen Taylor, a middle grade nonfiction book about how a group of scientists discovered an enormous penguin colony in Antarctica after spotting a lot of pink poop on satellite images; Sarah Rockett will edit. Publication is scheduled for 2024; Amy Tompkins at Transatlantic Agency represented the author.
David Behrman at Behrman House/Apples & Honey has bought world rights to The Treasure of Tel Maresha by Sydney Taylor Silver Medalist Tammar Stein (l.), illustrated by Barbara Bongini, a chapter book about two girls living in Israel 2,000 years apart, the changes happening in their lives, and the treasure they share. Publication is planned for spring 2024; the author was unagented, and Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the illustrator.
Clarissa Wong at Scholastic has acquired world rights to The Good Night Shift, a picture book homage to multigenerational households and overlooked night-shift workers by debut author Romy Natalia Goldberg (l.), illustrated by Isabel Roxas. Over the course of one bedtime, a girl celebrates the people in her community who protect and nurture her, including her caretaker grandmother, Tita, and ER night-shift working mother. Publication is set for 2025; Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented the illustrator.
Sue Tarsky at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to After the Shelter, a picture book by Brenda Reeves Sturgis (l.), illustrated by Amy Everson, about a mother and her daughter who work together to rebuild their lives after living in and leaving a homeless shelter. Publication is slated for October 2024; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Sarah Shumway at Bloomsbury has acquired two picture books by Korean Australian author-illustrator Sally Soweol Han. In Tiny Wonders, a girl finds everyone is too busy to stop and look around, but comes up with a plan to share color and wonder. In Nightsong, after a big day in the noisy city, a mother and child's bus home breaks down, leaving them stuck on the side of a silent country road, but when the boy ventures into a nearby field, he discovers that nature is full of wonder and music. Tiny Wonders will be published in winter 2024, with Nightsong to follow in 2025; Clair Hume at University at Queensland Press sold North American rights.
Tom Peterson at the Creative Company has bought world rights to A Place in the World, a picture book by Rina Singh (l.), illustrated by Christopher Pouler. In a world torn by war, a courageous refugee boy and his mother embark on a perilous journey to find a safe place in the world to rebuild their lives. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Essie White at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Michael Green at Marble Press has acquired world rights to Our Unbreakable Thread by Jon Collins-Black (l.), illustrated by Nicole Gsell, a picture book ode to the touchstone moments of joy, sorrow, heartache, and love that bind together kids and their parents, from one generation to the next. Publication is planned for spring 2024; the author represented himself, and Susan Cohen at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Sourcebooks eXplore has bought world rights to I Can Do It Even if I'm Scared by Lisa Katzenberger (l.), illustrated by Hannah George. Based on the cognitive behavioral therapy technique Act As If, this picture book will guide children on how to be the strongest and boldest versions of themselves in order to face their biggest fears. Publication is set for July 2024; Wendi Gu at Sandford J. Greenburger Associates did the two-book deal for the author, and Claire Meiklejohn at Meiklejohn Illustration represented the illustrator.
Kimberly Von Fange at WaterBrook has acquired world rights to Miss Prim Goes Wild by Katy Rose (l.), illustrated by Phuong Thai, a picture book that follows the transformation of a cantankerous, strict older woman as she learns how nature's wild ways can heal both her yard and her heart. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; Don Pape at Pape Commons represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Kathleen Merz at Eerdmans has bought North American and U.K. English rights to What Makes Us Human by Victor D.O. Santos (l.), illustrated by Anna Forlati. This picture book riddle highlights the importance of language in culture and history, and the importance of valuing and preserving all languages and cultures, and will be published in partnership with UNESCO in honor of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032). Publication is slated for spring 2024; Galina Grekhova at Syllabes Agency did the deal.
