Dainese Santos at Simon & Schuster has acquired Meet Me on Love Street by Farah Heron (How to Win a Breakup). In this grumpy/sunshine YA romance, a teen trying to save her mother's flower shop from gentrification teams up with a city planning student to organize a love-themed festival to save their Toronto neighborhood before anyone else in their community is hurt, but may only end up hurting each other's hearts. Publication is set for summer 2025; Rachel Brooks at BookEnds Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street YA has bought These Stolen Words by Tori Bovalino, in which a ghost agrees to help the new girl in town get through high school and talk to her crush if she finds a way to escape the eldritch being who has been hunting him. Publication is scheduled for fall 2025; Amelia Appel and Uwe Stender at Triada US did the deal for world English rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired Caryl Lewis's YA novel, The Danger of Small Things. Set in a dystopian future where bees have died out and famines are rife, where traditional gender roles have re-emerged with force, and any mention of art, books, or plays is scarce, a 14-year-old girl discovers that brushes weren't just meant for pollinating, and that maybe with a paintbrush in hand she can stroke a revolution. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio sold North American rights on behalf of Anwen Hooson at Bird Literary Agency in the U.K.
Jessica Anderson at Little, Brown/Ottaviano has bought world rights to the young readers edition of Boarding School Seasons by Brenda Child, with contributions by Benay Bizhiw. This work of middle grade nonfiction, adapted by Child, follows Native American children and families as they lived through the U.S. residential schooling system in the first half of the 20th century. Publication is planned for winter 2026; the author and contributor represented themselves.
Rosemary Brosnan and Cynthia Leitich Smith at HarperCollins/Heartdrum have acquired I Am a Warrior by Bridget George, illustrator of Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior. Inspired by the author's son and the need within their own family to center love and healing, this picture book embraces Indigenous culture while providing a model for all children to celebrate their authentic selves as part of their communities. Publication is set for winter 2027; Nicole Geiger at Full Circle Literary sold world rights.
Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has bought, in a five-house auction, A Quick Trip to the Store by author-illustrator Sam Wedelich, about an independent-minded kid who takes the dreaded but necessary task of grocery shopping into her own hands when her mother stops to chat with neighbors—everything goes well until it all goes bananas, and a second, untitled picture book. Publication for the first book is slated for fall 2025; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary did the deal for world rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has acquired author-illustrator Lita Judge's Beatrix and the Unicorn, a picture book inspired by the Unicorn Tapestries and set in a medieval kingdom where a girl searches for magic and finds it within herself. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Della Farrell at Holiday House has bought Tea Leaf Eggs by debut author-illustrator Karen E. Hong, a picture book about an elderly Chinese gentleman who makes a daring escape from his senior facility in search of a taste of home, finding unexpected assistance from a little friend along the way. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Wendi Gu at GreenburgerKids brokered the deal for world rights.
Namrata Tripathi at Kokila has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to National Book Award finalist Randy Ribay's (l.) debut picture book, Hold, illustrated by Zeke Peña, about a toddler's increasing understanding of language and the world—and a father's increasing understanding of his child. Publication is slated for spring 2026; Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and Steven Malk at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought USCOM English and Spanish rights to three picture books by Latin Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sonia De Los Santos (l.). The first, La Golondrina, follows a girl speaking to the migratory swallow in her yard about its journey to the north, which mirrors the one her father has made and the one she will someday make to reunite with him; Teresa Martinez will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for winter 2026, with the author's other two projects, Este Año and Tan Feliz, set for fall 2026 and summer 2027 respectively. Elizabeth Rudnick at Gillian MacKenzie Agency represented the author, and Alice Jin Zhang and Kate Powell at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Rotem Moscovich at Knopf has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Miles Ahead by Minh Lê (l.), illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao. In the picture book, a child and their dog, Miles, pack for a road trip to deliver a present for a new baby in the family. When the shiny new present goes missing, they make a surprising discovery about what makes a gift truly special. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Kate Farrell at Henry Holt has bought world rights to Corny by Samantha Berger (l.) (G Is for Gratitude), illustrated by Kelly Light (Louise Loves Art), the picture book story of an irrepressible ear of corn who celebrates the childlike, joyous side of her nature as she seeks others who want to stay as sweet as she is. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown represented the artist.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has acquired world rights to Pizzasaurus by Tammi Sauer (l.), illustrated by Kyle Beckett. Pizzasaurus is so rare he gobbles up all the attention from his dino pals—until a pizza party makes everything prehistorically perfect again. Publication is set for spring 2026; Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has bought world rights to Plucking Through History: The Banjo's Untold Story by Anita Crawford Clark, which follows a boy on a journey through time with his grandfather's old gourd banjo to discover the distorted history of this beloved instrument and to reclaim the contributions his African ancestors made in bringing the banjo and its unique sound to the world. Publication is slated for fall 2026; the author represented herself.
Kate Prosswimmer at McElderry Books has acquired, in an exclusive submission, North American rights to The River Infinite by Scott Reintgen. This dark fantasy is set in a society that discovers that the "divines" who've always provided small magical boons can create far larger miracles with their deaths. The most famous of these "death miracles" is the birth of a magical river that runs in an impossible circle, altering trade on the continent. Young river traders like Truce Williams scratch out new lives for themselves and their families—as long as they can avoid being pulled into their world's most dangerous hunt. Publication is set for 2026; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency negotiated the two-book, six-figure deal.
Jennifer Thompson at Scholastic has preempted world rights to Ama Ofosua Lieb's debut YA novel, Goldenborn, in which 17-year-old Akoma Addo, who investigates supernatural crimes in near-future San Francisco, gets swooped into a magical world of West African gods and goddesses with shocking ties to both her family and her agency's latest serial killer case. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the two-book deal.
Jody Corbett at Scholastic has bought, in an exclusive submission, world English rights to Influenced by Sarah Darer Littman (l.) (Some Kind of Hate) and Cindy L. Otis (At the Speed of Lies). In this ripped-from-the-headlines YA novel pitched as We Were Liars meets Baby Reindeer, a lonely high school student finds unexpected connection with a popular girl, until their friendship goes too far. Publication is slated for summer 2025; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented Littman, and Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented Otis.
Tamara Grasty at Page Street has acquired debut author Qurratulayn Muhammad's Blood and Breath, a YA 1920s fantasy with elements of horror, in which a Black girl makes a deal with a Devil to infiltrate and destroy the ruling magical class that oppressed and nearly killed her. All she wants is revenge, but she soon discovers that she's gotten far worse than what she's bargained for. Publication is planned for spring 2025; Kelly Van Sant at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought Snowbound, the next historical YA novel by Amanda McCrina (Traitor; The Silent Unseen), set during World War I in what would later become Poland. Polish doctor-in-training Renata, caught between the occupying Germans and the retreating Russians, must wrestle with her loyalties and figure out how to survive when two Polish deserters from the Russian army take shelter in her home right before a blizzard. Publication is set for spring 2026; Jennie Kendrick at Red Fox Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Grace Scheipeter at Oni Press has acquired Last Paradise on Earth by debut author Kas River Rosenthal. In the YA graphic novel and supernatural mystery, a young woman, Frances, moves back to her childhood home 10 years after her older sister went missing. But moving back presents more secrets about her former home—and herself—than she could have ever imagined. Publication is scheduled for 2027; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management sold world rights.
Wesley Adams at FSG has signed Jonathan Eig (l.) for a young readers edition of his Pulitzer Prize–winning King: A Life, adapted by National Book Award nominees Yohuru Williams (c.) and Michael G. Long (r.), co-authors of More Than a Dream and Call Him Jack, both edited by Adams. The work will feature an epilogue by Eig and archival images. Publication is slated for January 2025; David Black at David Black Agency represented Eig, Joan Brookbank at Joan Brookbank Projects represented Williams, and John Rudolph at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented Long in the deal for North American rights.
Hannah Hill at Delacorte has bought, in an exclusive submission, Grimlore Manor by Kalyn Josephson (Ravenfall), a darkly whimsical middle grade contemporary fantasy pitched as The Inheritance Games meets The Addams Family, about a girl who enters a competition with other members of her extended family to inherit her late grandfather's magical legacy, only to discover the riddles and mysteries he left behind are tied to an ancient family curse. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Carrie Pestritto at Laura Dail Literary Agency did the two-book deal for world English rights.
Aviva Gutnick at Apples & Honey Press has acquired The Children's Opera by Lisa Gerlits (A Many Feathered Thing). In this middle grade novel based on true events, a Jewish girl sees a chance to reunite her family and tell the world about what is happening behind the walls of the Terezin concentration camp when the Red Cross comes to see a performance of the children's opera Brundibár. Publication is set for 2026; Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Esther Cajahuaringa at Knopf has bought Pip and Pals, an early graphic novel series by author-illustrator Jen de Oliveira. The two books follow an otter named Pip and the adventures with her friends. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026 and summer 2027; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Sarah Alpert at Algonquin Young Readers has acquired Where Do We Go When We Die?, written and illustrated by Alona Millgram. After her grandfather's death, Emilia's mother, father, and grandmother all give her different answers to her question about an afterlife; it's only in the solitude of remembering her grandfather that Emilia finds her own understanding of how lost loved ones may live on through our memories of them. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Elise Howard at DeFiore and Co. sold world rights.
Jonah Heller at Peachtree has bought world rights to Out and About in Our Neighborhood by JaNay Brown-Wood (l.), illustrated by Samara Hardy, a picture book series of first experiences that explores the many places and people in a toddler's local community. Publication of the first book is slated for fall 2026; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author in a two-book deal, and Maddy Jeffery at the Plum Agency represented the illustrator.
Sarah Shumway at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights to Arroz Con Leche, a bilingual picture book by Jennifer Concepcion (l.), illustrated by Juanita Londoño-Gaviria, about Elena who is determined to help Abuela's tired mind by making arroz con leche, using ingredients borrowed from her apartment neighbors. Publication is set for summer 2026; Dan Cramer at Page Turner Literary Agency represented the author, and Adria Goetz at KT Literary represented the illustrator.
Rick Rinehart at Globe Pequot/Muddy Boots has bought Anyone Else Awake? A Dawn's Chorus by Carmela LaVigna Coyle (l.) illustrated by Bonnie Kelso, in which each line follows the rhythm and beat of real birdsong and suggests a translation based on the many reasons birds sing at dawn. Publication is scheduled for winter 2026; Liz Nealon at Great Dog Literary sold world rights.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has acquired world rights to Stories by Sea: A Lighthouse Library's Journey, a picture book by debut author Jessica Iwanski (l.), illustrated by Angela C. Hawkins, recreating the journey of a brass-bound case full of books from lighthouse to lighthouse on boats carrying supplies to American lighthouse keepers and their families in the late 1800s. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Anjanette Barr at Dunham Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Tamar Brazis at Viking has bought Copland by author-illustrator Veronica Mang, a picture book biography of composer Aaron Copland and a story of American music. Publication is planned for spring 2026; Andrea Morrison at Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Sonali Fry at Random House has acquired world rights to Rock 'n' Roll Baby by David McMullin (l.) (Free to Be Fabulous), illustrated by Allison Black (Future Baby series; Little World series), a board book exploring the day in the life of a baby through the lens of different types of rock 'n' roll music. Publication is set for spring 2026; Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
