Laura Schreiber while at Union Square & Co. acquired in a preempt, Come Home to My Heart by Riley Redgate (Seven Ways We Lie; Alone Out Here), a sapphic YA novel about queer self-acceptance and homelessness, in which two girls in the rural Southeast find each other—one a Christian who has been kicked out of her home, and one a cynic who can't wait to leave their small town; Stefanie Chin will edit. Publication is expected in spring 2025; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Tamara Grasty at Page Street has bought Why on Earth, a YA anthology taking place over a single day when teenage aliens crash on earth to rescue one of their own, a Hollywood star, edited by Vania Stoyanova (l.) and Rosiee Thor (Tarnished Are the Stars) with interconnected stories written by Alex Brown, M.K. England, Maya Gittelman, Emily Lloyd Jones, Laura Pohl, Beth Revis, Eric Smith, Rebecca Kim Wells, S.J. Whitby, and Julian Winters. Publication is set for spring 2025; Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary did the deal for world rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired Bitty and Bub and a second book by Janee Trasler, for the I Like to Read Comics line. The series features a bunny and squirrel duo as they share cookies, playtime, and adventures in these early reader comics. Publication is planned for fall 2025 and summer 2026; Jamie Weiss Chilton at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought, in an exclusive submission, in a two-book deal, world rights to Snickerdoodle Meow Meow by Victoria Kann (Pinkalicious). This picture book series follows Snickerdoodle, an over-zealous puppy who wants to win over his new family, but first he'll have to prove he's just as loveable as their pet cat, Princess Kitty. Publication is slated for summer 2026 and summer 2027; the author represented herself.
Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired Cecilia Ruiz's The Wonder Wheel, a playful yet thought-provoking picture book set in Coney Island in which a diverse cast of characters wonder what it would be like to be someone else. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio brokered the deal for world rights.
Kristie Choi at Atheneum has bought author-illustrator Lynn Curlee's Notre-Dame: The World's Cathedral, the story of the catastrophic 2019 fire and the heroic fight to save it, encompassing both the history and the rebuilding of the historic building. Publication is set for summer 2026; Liz Nealon at Great Dog Literary handled the deal for world rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired North American rights to The Christmas Light in the Night, a picture book by Marie Voigt, in which a girl and bear explore the winter forest to find a magical Christmas tree, and discover friendship and joyful winter activities instead. Publication is planned for fall 2025; the author was unagented.
Luana Kay Horry at HarperCollins has bought world rights to Golden Hoops by Jen Hayes Lee (l.), head of marketing and content at The Bump, illustrated by Mokshini, a picture book in which a girl receives her first set of gold hoop earrings and discovers the magic and legacy behind the tradition of wearing them. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books has acquired world rights to singer-songwriter, educator and storyteller Randy Preston's (l.) What's That Noise?, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, a celebration of the sounds that create the music of life all around us. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Deborah Warren at East/West Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Esther Cajahuaringa at Knopf has bought world rights to Today at School, about two siblings, Yesterday and Tomorrow, who make a new friend on their first day of school and learn to appreciate the wonder of the present, by Jessica Young (l.), illustrated by Renée Kurilla. Publication is set for summer 2025; Kelly Sonnack and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and illustrator, respectively.
Jill Davis at Astra has acquired world rights to One Day at the Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea by Daniel Bernstrom (l.), illustrated by Brandon James Scott, a picture book about a girl diving for pearls who must outwit a hungry shark. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has bought world rights to Humpty's Great Fall by Amy Moore (l.), illustrated by Josh Cleland, about a forgetful Humpty Dumpty who spends an entire autumn day with a full schedule of foliage peeping, leaf raking, and apple picking before he remembers he was supposed to have a great fall. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Atlanta Japp at Advocate Art represented the illustrator.
Lisa Rosinsky at Barefoot Books has acquired world rights to Music of the Mountains by Sabrina Shah (l.), illustrated by Manal Mirza (Zahra's Blessing; Hana's Hundreds of Hijabs). In a small village in Pakistan, Roohi's beloved grandfather has fallen ill and she must teach herself to play the rabab in time for her school's Eid concert. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Regina Bernard Carreno at Ladderbird Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Tracy Gates while at Viking bought world rights to Ablaze, a biography of Deanne Shulman, the nation's first female smokejumper, by Jessica Lawson (l.), illustrated by Sarah Gonzales; Meriam Metoui will edit. Publication is set for summer 2025; Tina Dubois at CAA represented the author, and Alexandra Levick at Writers House represented the artist.
Kyra Ostendorf at Free Spirit has acquired, in a 10-book deal, world rights to Outside Our Window, a board book series by Mélina Mangal (l.), illustrated by Stella Lim, that encourages children in urban environments to explore, protect, and delight in the nature that is all around them. The first two books in the series, Trees Stand Tall and Birds Sing Their Words, are planned for spring 2025; Miranda Paul at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Aliza Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Alexandra Hightower at Little, Brown has preempted R.M. Gray's Nightweaver plus two additional books in the series, a YA fantasy set in a world where monsters called Nightweavers have driven humankind to life at sea, in which a teenage girl is kidnapped to land and forced to work for her captor—the handsome son of a wealthy Nightweaver, who, despite his enemy status, just might be the key to avenging the murder of her brother and reclaiming her freedom. Publication for the first book is planned for winter 2025; Gwen Beal and Peter Steinberg at United Talent Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Polo Orozco at Putnam has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Most Likely to Murder by Lish McBride (Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), a YA thriller about a senior class whose yearbook's most-likely-tos are replaced with twisted forecasts of the students' deaths. What begins as a prank quickly turns deadly as the predictions start coming true, leaving seniors Rick Hicks and Martina Lopez in a desperate race to uncover the faceless killer before they're next. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Cheyenne Faircloth at Handspun Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Irene Vázquez at Levine Querido has bought, in a 24-hour preempt, One of the Boys by debut author Victoria Zeller. The YA novel follows Grace Woodhouse, who used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship—before she came out. As senior year begins, Grace is struggling to find her place in early transition; when her skills as the best kicker in the state prove to be vital, her old friends beg her to come out of retirement, dragging her back into a sport she thought had turned its back on her forever. Publication is set for summer 2025; Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency sold world English and world Spanish rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired The Steps by Edgar-winning author Wendelin Van Draanen (the Sammy Keyes mysteries), a YA mystery/thriller featuring Ruby Vossen, a 14-year-old chess whiz who must apply her strategies in real-life to outmaneuver her new stepsiblings' schemes to inherit her family's estate. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd. negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Lisa Yoskowitz at Little, Brown has bought Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer by poet Quartez Harris (l.), an ode to the American icon and to the power of story, illustrated by Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honoree Gordon C. James (Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut). Publication is planned for spring 2025; Tanya McKinnon at McKinnon Literary sold the text in an 11-editor auction, and Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency represented the artist.
Jordan Brown at HarperCollins has acquired The Book of Candles, a picture book by Sydney Taylor Gold Medalist and Geisel Award winner Laurel Snyder (l.), illustrated by Leanne Hatch. This collection of poems illuminates a child's first understanding of Hanukkah, and puts a non-traditional spin on the traditions of the holiday. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Tina Dubois while at CAA represented the author, who is now represented by Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties, and Janine Le at Janine Le Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has bought world rights for Even Steven by Carrie Finison (l.), illustrated by Daniel Wiseman, the duo behind Don't Hug Doug. In the picture book a boy loves to share and always wants everything to be perfectly even—until he discovers true fairness will require just a bit more nuance than that. Publication is set for spring 2026; Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency represented the author, and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.
William Kiester at Page Street Kids has acquired world rights, in an exclusive submission, to Help Me Find My Hamster by Brooke Hartman (l.) (Watch Out for the Lion), which begs readers to cuddle this picture book at their own risk, illustrated by Anna Suessbauer. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Sera Rivers at Speilburg Literary Agency represented the author, and Maddy Jeffery at the Plum Agency represented the illustrator.
Michael Green at Marble Press has bought world rights to Wind Child by Lizzy Rizzi (l.), illustrated by Rogério Coelho, a picture book allegory about a girl forever on the move at her mother's whim, spontaneous and free. Yet when Wind Child makes her first real friend, a human girl, she no longer wants to live such a rootless existence. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Lisa Amstutz at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Lemonade Illustration represented the illustrator.
Naomi Shulman at PJ Publishing has acquired world rights to Friends Count by Vivian Kirkfield (l.), illustrated by Savannah Allen. Toddlers make music, fill donuts, and spin dreidels at their home daycare in this rhyming counting board book that celebrates diversity, friendship, and the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. Publication is slated for November 2026; Essie White at Storm Literary represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Mara Conlon at Peter Pauper Press has bought world rights to Kerry McQuaide's debut picture book, The Biggest, Highest Wave. A graceful, gritty, and courageous female surfer faces the mighty force of nature's waves, inspired by the record-breaking swells that occur in Nazaré, Portugal, in a testament to the human spirit and a girl's ability to get back up after being turned upside down. Publication is set for summer 2025; the author represented herself.
