Lauren Knowles at Page Street YA has acquired, in an exclusive submission, The Devourer by Alison Ames, in which a young pirate captain hell-bent on revenge crosses the sea, in the company of her crew and a girl she hates but can't keep her eyes off of, to find and kill her own brother, only to be waylaid by an eldritch creature looking for vengeance of her own, for publication in fall 2024 and fall 2025. Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency handled the two-book deal for world English rights.
Carmen Johnson at Amazon/Skyscape has bought Farah Heron's Remember Me Tomorrow, about a lonely college freshman who discovers she can text the former resident of her dorm room in the past, even though he's been missing for months, and together they investigate what happened to him in the present. Publication is scheduled for October 2024; Rachel Brooks at BookEnds Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has acquired world rights to For the Rest of Us, a YA anthology of contemporary short stories about the joy and wonder that the holidays bring, with each story immersing readers in a different national or cultural holiday, edited by Dahlia Adler. Contributors include Candace Buford, AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy, Preeti Chhibber, Natasha Diaz, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Kosoko Jackson, Aditi Khorana, Katherine Locke, Abdi Nazemian, Laura Pohl, Sonora Reyes, and Karuna Riazi. Publication is planned for winter 2025; Patricia Nelson at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency did the deal.
Krestyna Lypen at Algonquin has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Nicole Melleby's next middle grade novel, Dressing Up a Jersey Girl, pitched as The Devil Wears Prada by way of The Princess Diaries with a queer girl twist—the story of a New Jersey orphan who is whisked away to London when it is discovered that her birth mother is one of the most important fashion editors in the world and wants to have a relationship with the child she put up for adoption. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the deal.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press has acquired The Memory Spinner by C.M. Cornwell. A curse by an angry enchantress has given Lavender, a girl who dreams of becoming an apothecary apprentice, a disastrous memory problem. Now, her entire town is forced to relive their worst memories unless Lavender is willing to destroy magic itself—the only way she's able to relive her own past and her connections with those who have passed on, including her beloved mother. Publication is set for summer 2025; Mary Cummings at Great River Literary sold world and audio rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has bought Rabbit, Rabbit by Sunshine Bacon (l.) and Dori Hillestad Butler. To rebuild their broken family, a pair of audacious tween cousins must confront the long-buried secrets that destroyed it in this middle grade novel set in 2020 and told from dual perspectives. Publication is scheduled for spring 2025; Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency sold world rights.
Carolina Ortiz at HarperCollins has acquired Lola Reyes Is So Not Worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez. Lola thinks she's hit the jackpot when she finds a stash of her grandmother's old quitapenas, dolls meant to listen to your worries and woes. But when the dolls come to life, escape, and start growing, it's up to Lola to stop them—and shrink them back down to size—before they release generations of anxiety onto the world. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media represents Cake Creative and did the deal for world English rights.
Alex Arnold at Quirk Books has bought, in an exclusive submission, Growing into You!: An Inclusive, Shame-Busting, Get-Real Guide to Your Changing Body and Mind by Melissa Pintor Carnagey. Grounded in shame-free, sex-positive principles for tweens of all gender identities, this puberty guide covers changing bodies, emotions, consent and more. Publication is slated for 2025; the author was unagented.
Jenne Abramowitz while at Scholastic acquired world rights to Ash Jiang Wu's debut series, Game Quest, in which a group of friends join a video game tournament. When their competitive strategies threaten to pull them apart, they are sucked into the video game and must use their differences to band together to save the virtual world and each other. Tiffany Colón will edit. Publication of the first book is set for summer 2025; Paige Terlip at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the three-book deal.
Kate O'Sullivan at Clarion has bought Best in Show by David Elliott. This collection of poems in verse celebrates the extraordinary and ordinary power of dogs of all kinds; 17 contributing illustrators include Oge Mora, Charles Santoso, Rebecca Green, and Flavia Z. Drago. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Jenna Lettice at Random House has acquired Leigh Anne Carter's Yeti Is Not Ready, a back-to-school picture book about first-day jitters at a school for magical creatures, and a second picture starring the same Yeti. Publication is scheduled for summer 2025 and 2026 respectively; Lane Clarke at ArtHouse Literary sold world rights.
Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón's (l.) picture book debut, In Praise of Mystery, illustrated by Peter Sís. The book is an adaptation of Limón's poem of the same name, which was written as a collaboration with NASA and will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft exploring Jupiter's moons. Publication is set for October 1, 2024, to coincide with the Europa mission launch; Rob McQuilkin at Massie and McQuilkin represented the author, and Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the illustrator.
Ellen Cormier at Dial has acquired world rights to Tea Is Love by Adib Khorram (l.), illustrated by Hanna Cha. A meditation on the global history and tradition of tea, the picture book also celebrates the ways that tea's warmth can connect us to our culture, our neighbors, our loved ones, and ourselves. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary represented the author, and Wendi Gu at GreenburgerKids represented the illustrator.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has bought world rights to The Notorious Brer Rabbit by K.E. Lewis (l.), illustrated by Frank Morrison, a modern folktale picture book framed as an exposé of the classic Brer Rabbit character and how his schemes landed him as the one and only Easter Bunny. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers (l.), illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz, a picture book about a Cherokee girl and her disruptive little brother who's always "helping" out people in their family. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Emily Sylvan Kim at the Prospect Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Aneeka Kalia at Viking has bought world rights to Mustafa's Mithai by Sana Rafi (l.), illustrated by Nabi H. Ali, a picture book about a boy who loves the delicious treats he has on happy occasions, so he finds a reason to celebrate every day and have more mithai. Publication is slated for summer 2025; James McGowan at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and James Burns at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has acquired world rights to Duck Duck Taco Truck by Laura Lavoie (l.), illustrated by Teresa Martínez. It's a summer showdown at the beach as two taco-slinging ducks see their turf taken over by an enterprising goose with a big menu and huge crowds. Publication is set for summer 2025; James McGowan at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the author, and Kate Powell at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Tamar Mays at HarperCollins has bought world rights to picture book All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat by Sydney Taylor honoree Leslie Kimmelman (l.), illustrated by Alyssa Russell. This Passover story follows a big-hearted boy whose small family seder grows and grows as one after another unexpected—and surprising—guest drops in. Publication is scheduled for winter 2026; Amy Stern at Sheldon Fogelberg Agency represented the author, and Christie Megill at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Josh Gregory at Albert Whitman has acquired world rights to Fat Bear: The Big Bears of Alaska's Katmai National Park by Catherine Stier (l.) (If I Were a Park Ranger), illustrated by Ola Szpunar. Told through the fictional adventures of a brown bear named Chomp, this picture book introduces the annual Fat Bear Contest in Katmai National Park, in which bears readying for hibernation vie to be named the fattest by online voters. Publication is set for fall 2024; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Claire Nist, while at Crown, has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Pride Is Love by Dano Moreno (l.), illustrated by Nakul P., a board book that weaves together multiple meanings of pride as a girl and her two dads prepare to walk in a Pride parade. Sonali Fry will edit; publication is planned for spring 2025. Charlotte Wenger at Prospect Agency represented the author, and Freddie Dawson at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Jen Klonsky and Simone Roberts-Payne at Putnam have acquired, in an exclusive submission, Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow, a YA romantic thriller about a high school senior who falls for her dead best friend's boyfriend, only to discover that her friend was keeping a huge secret from her. Publication is planned for summer 2024; Lanie Davis and Sara Shandler at Alloy Entertainment brokered the deal for world English rights.
Miriam Newman at Candlewick Press has bought The Assassin's Guide to Babysitting by Natalie C. Parker (the Seafire series), a queer YA adventure in which a teenager and her superpowered friends match wits against an underground league of assassins to find out why they're targeting the child she's babysitting, what it has to do with her parents' murder, and which side her crush is actually on. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency sold world rights.
Meg Gaertner at Flux has acquired Cope Field by T.L. Simpson (Strong Like You). In this YA contemporary, a teen baseball star who "has it all"—looks, wealth, and a former pro-MLB father—grapples with an impossible choice: reveal the abuse he's endured at the hands of his father and risk being separated from his younger brother in the Arkansas foster care system, or keep it buried deep and watch the cycle of abuse begin again against his brother. Publication is set for spring 2025; Shari Maurer at the Stringer Literary Agency sold world rights.
Traci Todd while at Little Bee Books bought Ella McLeod's Rapunzella, or Don't Touch My Hair, a genre-bending YA novel that weaves together a girl's ordinary life and a wildly dangerous fairy tale universe, celebrating Black hair and the power of coming into your identity. Jaime Gelman will edit; publication is scheduled for summer 2024. Antonia Pelari at Scholastic UK sold U.S. and Canadian English rights.
Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte Press has acquired, at auction, Tell It Once More for Me by Teresa E. Harris. This middle grade novel follows an 11-year-old girl with a learning disability who wonders if she'll ever be able to develop "the Gift," which for generations has enabled the women in her family bring stories to life and uplift the people around them. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary Agency negotiated the deal for U.S./Canadian/non-exclusive open market rights.
Kara Sargent at Aladdin has bought, in a two-book deal, an untitled middle grade novel by R.L. Toalson, which follows Leta Laurel, the star of her junior high track team, as she navigates shifting friendships, food insecurity, and sexism in her school and wrestles with what it means to belong to a feminist sisterhood, for publication in summer 2025; and My Brother Oliver, a middle grade novel in verse about Brooks Rutley, a sixth grade boy dealing with family struggles and guilt after his brother suffers a breakdown, for publication in summer 2026. Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency sold world English rights.
Erinn Pascal at Andrews McMeel has acquired world English rights to Guy Kopsombut's early reader graphic novel series called Badge Quest. Pillow, a young bear knight-in-training, teams up with Fae, a fun-loving, shape-shifting fairy to complete good deeds to earn badges for Pillow and petals on Fae's flower wand. Publication will start in fall 2025; Kathleen Ortiz at KO Media Management did the two-book deal.
Christy Ottaviano at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, Piccolo by Dan Yaccarino. This picture book series follows Piccolo, a problem-solving, Vespa-riding Apennine shrew whose optimism and boundless enthusiasm inspires his animal friend community. Publication is slated for fall 2025 and fall 2026; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House sold world rights.
Sonali Fry at Crown has acquired Poppy's Family Patterns by Lauren Semmer (The ABCs of Black History), in which Poppy and her stuffed bunny overcome a problem using family ties, patterns, and a little creative crafting, as well as a second untitled book, in an exclusive submission. Publication is scheduled for summer 2024; Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins has bought author-illustrator Lian Cho's Pig Town Party, the second picture book in a previously announced deal, in which a girl receives a mysterious invite to Pig Town and follows the trail into a secret world of pigs—where epic parties, chase scenes, and a cake heist will soon unfold. Publication is set for fall 2025; Rebecca Sherman at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Nancy Inteli at HarperCollins has acquired world rights, at auction in a three-book deal, to Turtle with a Toolbox by Beth Ferry (l.), illustrated by Dudolf. Turtle has a toolbox for a shell, and it's filled with tools that he knows well. There's nothing he can't fix and there's nothing he can't build—including friendships. Publication for book one is planned for summer 2025; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Kathy Landwehr at Peachtree has bought More Than Enough by Richard Michelson (l.), illustrated by Joe Cepeda, based on Rabbi Moses Maimonides's Golden Ladder, which tells the story of a boy named Moses who learns that having even little enough is more than enough to give back to others in the community. Publication is slated for spring 2025; the author was unagented, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Kate Farrell at Henry Holt has acquired world rights to Sinclair, the Velociraptor Who Thought He Was a Chicken by Douglas Rees (l.), illustrated by Galia Bernstein, a picture book in which Edna, intrepid fowl of the Cretaceous era, is hatching her very first eggs, but one chick isn't quite what she expected when he cracks through his shell. Publication is scheduled for summer 2024; Emily Keyes represented the author while at Fuse Literary, and Anne Moore-Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has bought world rights to A Hanbok for Hana by Korena Di Roma Howley (l.), illustrated by Jaime Kim, a story about a girl who must find new ways to celebrate Chuseok after her family moves from a bustling city neighborhood to a small town. Publication is set for fall 2026; Lisa Amstutz at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Claire Easton Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Kelly Delaney at Crown has acquired world rights to Pass the Tamales by Silvia López (l.), illustrated by Mirelle Ortega, in collaboration with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino, a picture book about the way tamales are made in different U.S. Latin American communities. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, James Burns at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator, and Jill Corcoran represented Smithsonian.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has bought world rights to My First Nosh: Shapes by the Macaroons, illustrated by Shahar Kober (bottom r.). Authors and bandmates Shawn Fogel (top l.), Dan Saks (top r.), and Dave Schneider (bottom l.) build on their success creating music for Jewish families as the Macaroons with their first children's book. In this rhyming board book, the Macaroons teach toddlers and preschoolers about Jewish foods as yummy shapes, such as a triangular hamantaschen and square matzah. Publication is set for spring 2025; Kevin O'Connor at O'Connor Literary Agency represented the authors, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.
