Kristie Choi at Atheneum has acquired, at auction, Joanne Yi's debut YA, All the Tomorrows After, about a Korean American teen dreaming of escape who reluctantly agrees to spend time with her estranged father in exchange for payment. As she navigates grief and first love, she discovers that her father is terminally ill and begins to forge connections, new and old, that make her question her conviction to disappear. Publication is tentatively planned for fall 2025; Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the six-figure deal for North American rights.
Maya Marlette at Scholastic has bought Cherokee author Morgan Thompson's YA romantic comedy How to Be a Heartbreaker, where a heartbroken Native American teenager enlists the help of a powerful Deer Lady spirit to teach her how to be confident in the hope of winning back her ex. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Linda Camacho at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Kate Prosswimmer at McElderry Books has acquired Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson, a contemporary YA romance full of autumnal wish fulfillment that applies the Hallmark Christmas movie convention to fall. When 17-year-old Ellis is forced to move from Manhattan to Bramble Falls, Conn., at the beginning of senior year, she'll have to confront the truth of what she wants for her future while negotiating an old flame and the town's annual Falling Leaves Festival. Publication is set for summer 2025; Daniel Lazar and Victoria Doherty Munro at Writers House negotiated the deal for world rights.
Della Farrell at Holiday House has bought Calling Me Home by poet Laurin Becker Macios, a YA novel in verse that follows a teenage girl's quest for self-discovery on a solo summer backpacking trip through Europe, and her difficult decision to have an abortion as she returns to the U.S. to attend college. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio sold world English rights.
Calista Brill at First Second has acquired world rights to Finish Lines, Sarah Broyles (l.) and Hanna Schroy's YA graphic novel about a high school junior who joins her grandfather for a locally famous canoe race in their home state of Texas. Nachie Marsham will also edit; publication is planned for 2026. Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management represented Schroy, and Broyles was unagented.
Erin Stein, while at Imprint, bought and Calista Brill at First Second will publish the first middle grade graphic novel by Kami Garcia (Teen Titans: Raven). Mixed-Up follows Stella, a fifth grader who loves her friends, her favorite animated series, and school—until she struggles to keep up with the reading and discovers she has dyslexia. The story was inspired by Garcia's experiences as an educator and her daughter's dyslexia; the book is illustrated by Brittney Williams (Lois Lane and the Friendship Challenge) and lettered by Tyler Smith. It's set for winter 2025; Jodi Reamer at Writers House represented the author, and Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management represented the illustrator.
Kate Meltzer at Roaring Brook Press has acquired world English rights to The Lost Kids of Camp Hero, a contemporary middle-grade adventure inspired by Stephen King's Stand by Me by National Book Award finalist Katherine Marsh (The Lost Year). The story follows a working-class girl from the Hamptons, three friends she makes one summer, and their life-changing quest to find a kid who disappeared 20 years earlier at Camp Hero, the real decommissioned Montauk radar station (and inspiration for Stranger Things). Publication is slated for winter 2027; Alex Glass at Glass Literary Management did the two-book deal.
Michael Yuen-Killick at Red Comet Press has bought world rights to Emmie Builds Something New by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, a picture book about an inventive mouse whose creative process parallels the stages of STEM project design as she creates fantastical machines from discarded junk and defends her attic home from an invading cat—only to discover that maybe she needs to rethink her first impressions. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary handled the two-book deal.
Jordan Ryder at Second Story Press has acquired world rights to The Memory Stones, a picture book by Kathy Kacer (l.), illustrated by Hayley Lowe. After Sophie's grandmother passes, Sophie paints her memories into the stones she collects and places them at the gravesite ensuring that, just like stones, the memories of her grandma will last forever. Publication is planned for fall 2025; the author represented herself, and Essie White at Storm Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Hannah Lambert at Little Simon has bought world rights to Easter Bunny's Basket, a board book by Danna Smith (l.), illustrated by Kathryn Selbert. The Easter Bunny hides eggs high and low, big and small, in this hoppy book of opposites. Publication is slated for spring 2025; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and Atlanta Japp at Advocate Art represented the illustrator.
Alyssa Mito Pusey at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to the nonfiction picture book Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe, written by Amy S. Hansen (l.) with Wanda Díaz Merced (c.), and Jon Simeon has acquired world rights for illustration by Rocío Arreola Mendoza (r.). After losing her sight, Wanda Díaz Merced learns to study the stars using sound and becomes a champion for accessibility in science. Publication is set for summer 2025; Bradford Literary Agency represented the authors, and Chad W. Beckerman at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Holly West at Feiwel and Friends has acquired, at auction, I'll Find You Where the Timeline Ends by Kylie Lee Baker (The Scarlet Alchemist), a YA speculative adventure pitched as The Umbrella Academy meets K-drama, in which an undercover time traveler searches for her missing sister in contemporary South Korea while fighting a potential time-related dystopian future. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Mary C. Moore at Aevitas Creative Management sold North American rights.
Samia Garcia-Fakih at First Second has bought Prison Kids, Eisner finalists Julio Anta (l.) and Jacoby Salcedo's YA graphic novel about a grieving teenager who moves to a trailer park just outside a state prison. He and an inmate will attempt to solve the mystery of his late father's death while contending with his new stepfather, a vicious prison guard. Publication is planned for 2027; Jessica Mileo at InkWell Management sold world rights.
Emily Shapiro at Labyrinth Road has acquired Clementine H. Hopeful Is Not a Hero, a middle grade anti-hero fantasy by Noah Corey. Queer seventh grader Clementine and his newly found friend group of outcasts uncover a magic web of lies and darkness during elaborate games of make believe, where their imaginings seemingly come to life. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Emily Forney at BookEnds Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Kristin Gilson at Aladdin has bought, in an exclusive submission, Away, a middle grade novel by Megan E. Freeman (Alone). When a mysterious threat spurs a midnight evacuation, four kids relocated to the same shelter become unlikely friends. As weeks turn into months, curiosity about the cause of the evacuation leads them to uncover a massive conspiracy with far-reaching implications. But will anyone believe them? Publication is set for winter 2025; Deborah Warren at East West Literary handled the deal for world rights.
Julia Sooy while at Odd Dot acquired world rights to Disgustology: The Science of Gross by APALA Award-winner Teresa Robeson (l.), illustrated by Anna-Maria Jung; Sarah Fabiny and Justin Krasner will co-edit. This illustrated middle grade nonfiction compendium of gross covers everything from foul fauna, freaky flora, and the ick under our own skin. Publication is scheduled for July 2025; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Emma Ledbetter at Abrams has bought North American rights to two books in a new chapter book series by Newbery and Pura Belpré Medalist Donna Barba Higuera (l.), illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats Honoree Juliana Perdomo. The series, called The Unlikely Aventuras of Ramón and El Cucuy, expands the world of the Mexican boogeyman El Cucuy, first introduced in the team's picture book El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! In the first book, Día Uno, El Cucuy unexpectedly befriends the first human child he's assigned to terrify and must decide if he'll carry out his Boogeyman duty, or risk his worst nightmare—banishment—to fulfill his greatest longing by becoming part of an unlikely family. Publication is slated for fall 2025; Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the illustrator.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired Duck and Cat Ride the Riverboat by New Yorker cartoonist Drew Panckeri, for the I Like to Read Comics line. The early reader graphic novel features an optimistic duck, an anxious cat, and some very hungry crocodiles, all aboard the same boat. Publication is planned for summer 2025; Debbie Bibo at the Debbie Bibo Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Siobhan Ciminera at Simon Spotlight has bought, in an exclusive submission, Beep Bop Boop!, an early reader for the Ready-to-Read line by Ethan Long (l.), illustrated by Victor Davila. When friendly aliens land on earth, a group of animals misinterpret their intentions. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Long brokered the deal for world rights.
Arthur Levine at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to I Am the River, a historical picture book co-written by Leah Henderson (l.) and Patricia Lee Gauch (c.), illustrated by Kristle Marshall (r.). The book follows African American Sarah Elizabeth Ray as she's removed from the famous Bob-Lo Boat, bound for the Bob-Lo Island amusement park, which was believed to be a stop on the Underground Railroad just a century before. Publication is set for fall 2025; Elena Giovanazzo at Pippin Properties and Christa Heschke at McIntosh and Otis represented the authors, and Ryan Appleton at Co-Loop represented the illustrator.
Anna Sargeant at Sourcebooks has bought world rights to A Thank You Letter to My Teacher, a picture book by Deb Adamson (l.), illustrated by Natalie Briscoe, written in the voice of a child thanking teachers for everything they do. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; the author represented herself, and Haley Wood at Jennifer Nelson Artists represented the illustrator.
