Liz Szabla and Foyinsi Adegbonmire at Feiwel and Friends have acquired YA historical fantasy Under the Heron's Light by Randi Pink (Angel of Greenwood). In 1722, Babylou Mac and her siblings escape enslavement and seek freedom within the Great Dismal Swamp. 300 years later, college student Atlas and her cousins discover their family's history is linked to Babylou's legacy, and as the swamp's secret power steeped in Black resistance resurfaces, Atlas must reckon with her present as it collides with Babylou's past. Publication is set for fall 2024; Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency sold North American rights.
Alice Jerman at HarperTeen has bought, in a five-house auction, The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith (The Witch Haven). In this romantic YA fantasy, set in an alternative Victorian England where every person gets one magical bargain with the immortal queen, debutante Ivy Benton is determined to use hers to restore her family's fading fortunes. But when the Queen announces a competition for her son's hand in marriage, Ivy sets her sights on the crown instead. Publication is slated for winter 2025; Hillary Jacobson at CAA negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press has acquired Wicked Darlings by Jordyn Taylor (The Revenge Game). When an aspiring journalist gets a lead about the circumstances surrounding her sister's untimely death, she sets out to infiltrate the seedy underbelly of Manhattan high society to investigate her sister's final days and uncovers a shocking scandal. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025.; Danielle Burby at Mad Woman Literary Agency sold world English rights.
Elizabeth Law at Holiday House has bought, in an exclusive submission, The Donut Prince of New York, a contemporary YA rom-com by Allen Zadoff (the Boy Nobody series; Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have). The novel follows 16-year-old Eugene Guterman, a high school playwright who is navigating a major crush as well as food and body issues, when a brief stint with the school's varsity football team and the social status it gives him threaten to distract him from his true friends and true north—and challenge his idea of what it means to be right-sized in the world. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management sold world English rights.
Sarah Grill at Wednesday Books has acquired, at auction, CL Montblanc's Pride or Die, a dark comedy debut in which an anxious lesbian and her chaotic LGBTQ+ club friends become the prime suspects in an attempted murder and must clear their names before the real culprit strikes again. Publication is set for winter 2025; Natalie Lakosil at Looking Glass Literary & Media brokered the deal for North American rights.
Alex Aceves at Holiday House has bought This Is the Year by Gloria Muñoz (Danzirly), a hybrid prose and verse YA novel set in a near-future Florida ravaged by cataclysmic climate events, in which 17-year-old Julieta Villareal mourns the loss of her twin sister while training for a private space exploration program that recruits high-aptitude immigrant teens. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; Serene Hakim at Ayesha Pande Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Andrea Hall, while at Beaming Books, acquired Auntie Kristina’s Guide to Asian American Activism by (clockwise from top l.) Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristina Wong, artist and puppeteer Anna Michelle Wang, film director Jenessa Joffe, and mathematics education professor Theodore Chao. Inspired by the authors' web series Radical Cram School starring Kristina Wong, this interactive handbook on Asian American identity, activism, and allyship empowers middle grade readers to love their bodies, fight for social justice, and be proud of their history. Shehzil Malik will illustrate; Elizabeth Schleisman is editing. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Reiko Davis at DeFiore and Company handled the deal for world rights.
Rosie Ahmed at Dial has bought the graphic novel When The Revolution Came to Town by Isra Moussaoui (l.) and Beth Bacon (c.), illustrated by Noha Habaieb (r.), about an 11-year-old girl's experience of the first days of the Arab Spring, balancing the tumult of unrest on the streets, her family's desire to protect her from knowing what is going on, and her determination to win a poetry contest rooted in Arabic history. Publication is planned for 2025; Jennifer Carlson at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner represented the authors, and Wendi Gu at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the illustrator.
Erinn Pascal at Andrews McMeel has acquired Mexican illustrator Rodrigo Reyes's comedic, memoir-inflected middle grade graphic novel Fitting In, in which an introverted middle schooler, Rodrigo, takes on a mission to do the impossible—join the soccer team and become one of the popular kids in the hopes that he can get them to join the school's music club. But he loses sight of his mission when he realizes he might like being popular more than he thought. Publication is scheduled for 2026; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management sold world rights.
Sarah Howden at Orca Books has bought world rights to The Secret Office by Sara Cassidy (l.), illustrated by Alyssa Hutchings. Part of the Orca Echoes chapter book line, this story follows two siblings whose mother works from home in their one-bedroom apartment. When the siblings discover a secret room in the building, they convince the building super to let them turn it into an office for their mother as a surprise. Publication is set for fall 2025; the author was unagented, and Alice Fugate at Joy Harris Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Taylor Norman at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired world rights to Tumblebaby by Adam Rex (l.), illustrated by Audrey Helen Weber. In this picture book western, a sleeping baby tumbles across continents and oceans and up the tallest mountain in the world, thwarting scoundrels, fooling coyotes, and sparking a historic chain of events along the way. Publication is slated for fall 2024; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books has bought world rights to Beep Beep to Sleep, a picture book by Debbie Rigaud (l.) (A Girl's Guide to Love and Magic), illustrated by Olivia Duchess, an ode to the symphony of sounds in big cities at bedtime. Publication is planned for 2025; Laura Dail at Laura Dail Literary Agency represented the author, and Claire Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Kat Brzozowski at Feiwel and Friends has acquired world English rights to There's Something Odd About the Babysitter, a picture book debut by Elayne Crain (l.), illustrated by John Ledda. Freddie's new babysitter is a bit strange—their mere presence scares the family dog, they eat literal garbage for dinner, and they look suspiciously like a stack of raccoons in a trench coat. But Freddie realizes that there might also be something special about the babysitter, too. It's set for summer 2025; Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the author, and Ana Crespo at East West Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Abrams Appleseed has bought world rights to picture book Baby Steps by Kimberly Derting (l.), illustrated by Shiho Pate, a picture book about the complexity for a slightly older sibling of welcoming a new baby home, and the sweet burgeoning relationship between siblings. Publication is scheduled for fall 2024; Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has acquired world rights to Annabelle and the Spaghetti-Confetti Surprise by Jenna Beatrice (l.), illustrated by Annabel Tempest, a picture book about a girl who is planning her neighborhood block party but whose perfectly laid plans are dashed when her little brother misunderstands her directions. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Birch Path Literary represented the author, and Freddie Dawson at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Hannah Fries at Storey Publishing has bought world rights to mother-daughter team Belle Boggs (l.) and Beatrice Boggs Allen's Plant Pets, the first houseplants book written specially for kids. The book profiles the authors' favorite easy-to-care-for plants, including aloe, air plants, moss terrariums, and Venus flytraps. Publication is planned for summer 2024. Kate Johnson at Wolf Literary Services represented the authors.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Carolrhoda has acquired Slippery, Spicy, Tingly: A Kimchi Mystery by Yangsook Choi (The Name Jar), about a child and his quirky grandmother who comes for a surprise visit and does some odd things involving a giant jar, great quantities of cabbage, and a deep hole in the backyard. Publication is set for fall 2024; Miranda Paul at Erin Murphy Literary Agency sold world rights.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has bought world rights to MousterWorks by Angela C. Hawkins, a tour of the MousterWorks Art Museum with Grand-mere mouse and her two petits-mice as they let their senses guide them in an exploration of different styles and cultures in art history. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; the author-illustrator represented herself.
Bria Ragin, Nicola and David Yoon at Joy Revolution have acquired, in a preempt, Love in Translation, a series of interconnected standalone romances in which women of color spend a semester studying abroad, finding love and unexpected adventure. Love Requires Chocolate by Ravynn K. Stringfield (l.) follows a Type-A theater nerd to Paris where her charming French tutor convinces her to throw out her many to-do lists and enjoy the delights the City of Lights really has to offer. Love Craves Cardamom by Aashna Avachat (c.) spotlights an ambitious art historian and curator who falls for a secret prince while in India. Love Makes Mochi by Stefany Valentine (r.) is a queer love story set in Tokyo, between a goth fashion designer and an aspiring Japanese tattoo artist. Publication is set for summer 2024, spring 2025, and winter 2026 respectively. Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media represented Electric Postcard Entertainment and sold world rights.
Rachel Diebel at Feiwel and Friends has bought the YA horror novel If We Survive This by Racquel Marie (Ophelia After All), pitched as The Last of Us meets Yellowjackets, which follows a teenage girl leading a group of survivors to an isolated cabin months into the apocalypse, with flashbacks to her family's last trip to the same cabin. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency sold North American rights.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to Where Wolves Don't Die by debut YA author Anton Treuer. In his first novel, an Ojibwe boy comes of age running a trapline with his grandfather up north, while he and his family try to thwart a vengeful threat from their past. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; the author represented himself.
Kate Meltzer and Emilia Sowersby at Roaring Brook have bought, in a preempt, Kathleen S. Allen's gothic YA debut The Resurrectionist, pitched for fans of Anatomy: A Love Story and Gallant. The novel follows a young Victorian woman and aspiring surgeon who brings her twin sister back to life, only to discover she has created a monster. Publication is planned for fall 2025; Alicia Brooks at Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency sold North American rights.
Marisa DiNovis at Knopf has bought, at auction, world English rights to the middle-grade novel Family Week by Sarah Moon (Middletown). Every year, Mac, Lina, Milo and Avery have celebrated Family Week together in "the smallest, gayest town in the world": Provincetown, Mass. But this summer each of them is on the cusp of huge changes that threaten to change their friendship forever. Publication is set for spring 2025; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the two-book deal.
Brittany Groves and Kat Brzozowski at Feiwel and Friends have acquired Ollie in Between by Jess Callans, a debut coming-of-age middle grade novel following a nonbinary middle schooler as a biological predator (aka puberty) disrupts their ability to camouflage into the binary world, pushing them to choose between the safety of fleeing from their differences or confronting the risks of taking their own path forward. Publication is slated for winter 2025; Beth Phelan at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency sold world English rights.
Joy Bean at Arctis Books USA has bought middle grade novel The Ghosts of Pandora Pickwick by Christina Wolff, about a girl who visits her aunt's antique shop for the summer and discovers it's tinged with magic. Her aunt is actually running a ghost agency and the ghosts give the girl training on how to cross over into their world. Ruth Ahmedzai Kemp will translate from the German; publication is set for spring 2025. Anette Thumser at Agentur 008 sold world English rights.
Joni Sussman at Kar-Ben has acquired a middle grade novel Rules for Liars by Debra Green (l.) (Violet and the Pie of Life) and April Patten. Nikki and Rebecca, neighbors in a rundown apartment building, become friends despite their different religious faiths and interests, but their relationship has started with a big lie that could ruin everything. Publication is planned for 2026; Wendy Schmalz at Wendy Schmalz Agency sold world rights.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick Press has bought world rights to No More Señora Mimí by Newbery Medalist Meg Medina (l.), illustrated by Brittany Cicchese. The picture book tells the story of a girl who reconsiders her enthusiasm to move on from her neighbor and caregiver señora Mimí—and offers a salute to the caregivers who enter a child's tender world. The book will be published simultaneously in Spanish and English in fall 2024; Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and the illustrator.
Taylor Norman at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired world rights to The Couch in the Yard by Kate Hoefler (l.), illustrated by Dena Seiferling. In this love letter to Appalachia, an old car, a couch, and a lot of love transport one family up a mountain and into the stars. Publication is set for spring 2025; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists represented the illustrator.
Ann Kelley at Random House Studio has bought world rights to The (In) Activity Book by Kyo Maclear (l.) (The Big Bath House), illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Jenny Mei Is Sad), a celebration of the lost art of loafing and a joyful antidote to the pitfalls of overscheduling. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists represented the author, and Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Shannon Pennefeather at Minnesota Historical Society Press has acquired world rights to Oskar's Voyage by Laura Purdie Salas (l.), illustrated by Kayla Harren. The picture book follows a tiny chipmunk named Oskar who accidentally stows away on a freighter. Can he survive an epic trip and find his way back home? Publication is slated for winter 2024; the author represented herself, and Marietta B. Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane Books has bought I Rock by science educator Katie Slivensky (l.), illustrated by Steph Stilwell, a humorous look at the hard nonfiction elements of geology, from the viewpoint of a sassy, savvy stone who has—quite literally—seen it all. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Aliza Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Meet Maude Delap, Jellyfish Scientist by Michelle Cusolito (l.), illustrated by Ellen Rooney. This picture book biography introduces readers to the pioneering Irish scientist who was the first person to raise jellyfish through their complete life cycle to understand their metamorphosis from larva to adult. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025; James McGowan at BookEnds represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Carolyn Yoder at Astra/Calkins Creek has bought world rights to Sculpting President Lincoln: Vinnie Ream Carves Out Her Future by Beth Anderson (l.), illustrated by Jenn Ely, a nonfiction picture book about the 18-year-old prodigy who persisted past tradition, gender, age, class, education, and critics to create the Lincoln statue that stands in the Capitol. Publication is set for spring 2026; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Hannah Fries at Storey Publishing has acquired world rights to The Magical Science of Feelings by clinical social worker Jen Daily (l.), illustrated by Gwen Millward. With characters representing parts of the brain, kids learn to engage the power of brain science as they practice creative coping skills to calm, manage, and express their emotions. Publication is slated for summer 2024; the author was unagented, and Tracey Adams at Adams Literary represented the illustrator.
