Elizabeth Agyemang at HarperTeen has acquired YA author Sunya Mara's Embrace the Serpent, a romantic fantasy inspired by Indian folklore of Nāga in which a young jeweler's apprentice enters into a marriage of convenience with a feared Serpent Lord whose heart has been replaced with stone. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Stacey Barney at Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books has bought Sixteen Minutes by K.J. Reilly, a speculative YA novel about epic love and loss, the transformative power of the unknown, and three friends whose lives are turned upside-down when a new girl arrives in their small town—seemingly from the future. Publication is scheduled for fall 2024; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary did the deal for world rights.
Brenda Knight at Mango Press has acquired world rights to Queer Cheer: Activities, Advice, and Affirmations for LGBTQ+Teens, cowritten by Stonewall Honor-winning author Eric Rosswood (l.) and Jodie Anders, a motivational resource filled with inspiration, wisdom, and firsthand accounts from other teens who have been there. Publication is planned for summer 2024; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented both authors.
Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown has bought Every Story Ever Told by Ami Polonsky (Gracefully Grayson; World Made of Glass), about a 13-year-old girl coping with PTSD after surviving a shooting in her hometown, and the stories of resilience from friends and strangers that sets her on a path toward healing. Yoskowitz and Alexandra Houdeshell will edit. Publication is set for fall 2024; Wendy Schmalz at Wendy Schmalz Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Tiffany Colón at Scholastic has acquired Yamile Saied Mendez's untitled middle grade novel, a Heidi retelling about a 13-year-old girl who bonds with a rescue horse after her mother's untimely death. The book is scheduled for 2025; Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency sold world rights.
Nancy Siscoe at Knopf has bought world rights for Bear in the Air by Allison Wortche (l.), illustrated by Cat Min. Bear is so proud to be having an adventure all by himself in a hot-air balloon—until he realizes he doesn't know how to get down, and must work up the courage to ask his friends for help. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to My Papi's Hands by Melissa Seron Richardson (l.), illustrated by Edel Rodriguez (Worm), a picture book about a child who learns how her Papi's love and labor make their community, home, and future stronger—and her vow to do the same. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Amy Jameson at A+B Works represented the author, and Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties represented the illustrator.
Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has bought world rights to NBA finalist Elizabeth Partridge's (l.) Golden Gate, illustrated by Ellen Heck (A Is for Bee). The picture book follows the unprecedented construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, built during the Great Depression across a treacherous strait, in a testament to the power of hope, perseverance, and human ingenuity to defy the odds. Publication is set for fall 2024; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Millbrook has acquired world rights to Rats to the Rescue: The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe by Scott Riley (l.) (The Floating Field) with Sambat Meas (c.), illustrated by Huy Voun Lee (r.) (Like a Dandelion). This nonfiction picture book highlights the ways in which humans and giant African pouched rats are working together to remove landmines across Cambodia. Publication is slated for fall 2024; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the authors, and Claire Morance at Painted Words represented the illustrator.
Wendy McClure at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has bought world rights to The Giving Flower: The Story of the Poinsettia by Pura Belpré Honoree Alda P. Dobbs (l.), illustrated by Emily Mendoza, which explores the story of the Poinsettia flower, following it through hundreds of years of history and lore that includes the Aztecs, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, and the advent of color TV, to become the holiday tradition that it is today. Publication is set for September 2025; Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Joni Sussman at Lerner/Kar-Ben has acquired The Mouse Who Loves Latkes, a picture book by Joy Nelkin Weider (The Passover Mouse), in which resident house mouse C.J. learns that he loves eating latkes. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Stephen Fraser at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency sold world rights.
Lydia Gregovic at Delacorte Press has acquired, in an exclusive submission, For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow (The Girl with No Reflection), a dark YA fantasy pitched as Wuthering Heights + Inception, in which a girl, gifted with the ability to resurrect herself, must traverse the afterlife to rescue her grandmother—but in the death realm, even ghosts have ghosts, including the spirit of the boy who once betrayed her. Publication is set for summer 2025; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Lauri Hornik at Penguin/Rocky Pond Books has bought Cleave, a YA novel by Ashley Wilda that explores the complex relationship between an Arab-American girl and her absentee father, who she tries to please by pushing herself to become a champion rock climber, but her plans are disrupted when she develops a potentially toxic relationship with a teammate. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Liz Nealon at Great Dog Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to Tilted Sky by Yao Emei (l.), translated by Kelly Zhang, an upper middle grade novel about one irrepressible boy's quest to find a safe home and family in the context of a contemporary Chinese city. Publication is scheduled for summer 2024; the author and translator represented themselves.
Kara Sargent at Aladdin Books has bought Shana Targosz's middle grade debut The Underwild: River of Spirits, a mythology-filled adventure about the power of friendship, grief, and moving forward, in a tale about Senka, ward to Charon the Ferryer of the Underworld, and her quest through the realm of the Dead to not only help a living girl named Poppy find her brother but also discover more about her own shadowy past. Publication is planned for spring 2025, with a second book to follow in spring 2026. Andrea Morrison at Writers House brokered the deal for North American rights.
Siobhan Ciminera at Simon Spotlight has acquired Michael Rex's Ready-to-Read The Tunneler Tunnels in the Tunnel, an early reader that plays with parts of speech while following a determined tunneler on an underground quest, and an untitled Ready-to-Read title to follow. Publication for the first book is slated for summer 2025; Timothy Travaglini at Transatlantic Agency sold world rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to The Eclipse of 1919 and Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, written and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Emily Arnold McCully, which tells the story of how Albert Einstein proved his theory of relativity during the 1919 solar eclipse. Publication is set for summer 2025; Susan Cohen at Writers House negotiated the deal.
Taylor Norman at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired How to Write and Draw Anything by Jon Scieszka (l.), illustrated by Steven Weinberg, a nonfiction middle grade graphic novel showing the step-by-step process of turning ideas into art, scheduled for fall 2025. Steve Malk at Writers House represented the author, and Marcia Wernick at Wernick & Pratt Agency represented the illustrator.
Michelle Frey at Knopf has bought, in a preempt, world rights to I Am My Name by Na'kuset (l.) and Judith Henderson (c.), illustrated by Chenoa Gao (r.), the story of Na'kuset, who was taken from her Indigenous family at the age of three and put up for adoption. It tells of her struggles growing up and her deep bond with her grandmother, who helped her reclaim her identity and find her sister. Publication is planned for fall 2024; Joyce Sweeney at the Seymour Agency represented the authors, and the artist represented herself.
Alex Robertson at Candlewick Press has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Mi Escuela Is My School by Laurenne Sala (l.), illustrated by Zara González Hoang. The bilingual picture book follows a girl throughout her school day, from el gran árbol where she starts the day to la puerta azul, where she and her classmates line up for pickup. Publication is set for summer 2026; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Andrea Morrison at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Gianna Lakenauth at Knopf has bought world rights to With You in Spirit by Jenny Liao (l.), illustrated by Lenny Wen. The story follows a girl and her family celebrating and honoring her grandfather during the Chinese Festival of Qing Ming. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; James McGowan at BookEnds represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Sarah Rockett at Tilbury House has acquired world rights to Courage Every Day by Wai Mei Wong (l.), illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman, a picture book about a girl who wonders what exactly courage is; her Papa lets her know that courage is the big, heroic feats as well as the smaller everyday choices we make. Publication is slated for fall 2024; the author was unagented, and Freddie Dawson at the Bright Agency represented the artist.
Lynne Missen at Tundra Books has bought world rights to Twelve Days of Jamaican Christmas by Zalika Reid-Benta (l.) (Frying Plantain; River Mumma), illustrated by Mariyah Rahman, a new take on the classic "Twelve Days of Christmas" song, but to the tune of Jamaican Christmas dishes. Publication is set for fall 2025; Amy Tompkins at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
