Susan Bolotin and Mary Ellen O'Neill at Workman have acquired world rights to How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul (l.) and Maria Russo of the New York Times Book Review. The book grew out of a digital project Paul and Russo worked on at the Times and will expand on how parents can foster a love of books in their children. Drawing on the authors’ experiences raising children who love to read, the book will focus on the four stages of development: babies, toddlers, early readers, and independent readers, lending advice on various entry points. Publication is planned for 2019; Lydia Wills at Lydia Wills LLC represented Paul, and Sarah Burnes at the Gernert Company represented Russo.
Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen has bought world English rights to Mad Bad & Dangerous to Know, a YA thriller by Samira Ahmed. Pitched as recalling A.S. Byatt's Possession and David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, and told in dueling narratives that weave between past and present, the book follows a Muslim-American teenager who partners with a descendant of French author Alexander Dumas to unravel the mystery of a 19th-century Muslim woman who appears in letters between Dumas and Eugene Delacroix. The book is slated for fall 2019; Eric Smith at P.S. Literary brokered the deal.
Stacey Barney at Putnam took world rights, in a two-book deal, to James Brandon's YA novel, The Choice Between. Set in St. Louis circa 1973, the story follows a young man named Jonathan who spends his days hiding under his hoodie, imagining sci-fi scenarios to avoid all the awful things in his world. When he meets Web and the two boys fall in love, they struggle to retain their identities in a world that is trying to tear them apart. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019; Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Agency negotiated the deal.
Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton has acquired The Unicorn Rescue Society, a middle grade series from (from l.) Newbery Honor author Adam Gidwitz and Mixtape Club founders Jesse Casey and Christopher Smith, illustrated by Hatem Aly. It's a globe-trotting fantasy-adventure series about mythical creatures and their cultures of origin; each book in the series will feature a different mythical creature. Guest authors who will highlight their own cultural traditions and mythologies will team with Gidwitz for future titles in the series. The series will launch in spring 2018 with the publication of The Creature of the Pines and The Basque Dragon; Sarah Burnes at the Gennert Company brokered the deal for world rights.
Monica Perez at Charlesbridge has bought Karol Ruth Silverstein's debut YA novel, Cursed. Erica "Ricky" Bloom, recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that's nearly as embarrassing as it is painful, employs her best coping mechanisms—cursing and cutting class—to deal with pain, family upheaval, and the challenges of school. When she's caught, she must struggle to catch up to avoid a far worse horror: repeating ninth grade. Publication is set for spring 2019; Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Jenny Bak at Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson has acquired Kevin Wignall's The Crash, about a group of teens on a school trip whose plane crashes in remote Central America and who must battle both their deadly environment and clashing natures as they struggle to survive. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Penelope Burns did the deal for world English rights on behalf of Deborah Schneider at Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners.
Liz Bicknell at Candlewick has bought How I Live Nowauthor Meg Rosoff's (l.) Good Dog McTavish and a sequel, McTavish Goes Wild, both illustrated by Grace Easton. The middle grade books tell of the crisis-ridden Peachey family, who are saved from their own chaos by McTavish, a dog they adopt from the local shelter. U.S. publication for the first book is slated for fall 2018; North American rights were acquired from Barrington Stoke Books in the U.K.
Robyn Chapman at First Second has acquired world rights to the first two books in the middle grade DIY Maker Comics series. Baking by Falynn Koch teaches baking techniques and has baking activities; Car Maintenance by Chris Schweizer focuses on car repairs. Publication for both books is set for 2019; Falynn Koch was unagented, and Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management represented
Janine O'Malley at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought world English rights to Emily Roberson's debut, Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters, a modern retelling of the story of the Minotaur. Pitched as Keeping Up with the Kardashians meets The Hunger Games, the book is told from 17-year-old, famous-since-birth Ariadne's point of view, following her fight to save her brother and make her own destiny in a world where celebrity, surveillance, and manufactured “reality" play out in a landscape of gods and monsters. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan negotiated the two-book deal.
Jenna Lettice at Random House has acquired Justin Dean's middle grade debut, Awesome Dog 5000, an illustrated action-comedy about three video-game-loving friends who discover a robotic dog with real-life power-ups. When their new pet catches the attention of a vengeful mad scientist, it sets off a next-level adventure. The first book is tentatively slated for summer 2019; Melissa Nasson at Rubin Pfeffer Content brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Alvina Ling and Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown have bought author-illustrator Jin Xiaojing's I Miss My Grandpa, a picture book in which a child asks different family members about her late grandfather and learns his characteristics through the various features he passed down to his kin. Xiaojing was the winner of the 2017 Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award. Publication is planned for 2019; Hannah Mann at Writers House did the deal for world rights.
Christy Cox at Sasquatch/Little Bigfoot has acquired Flora Forager ABC, the debut picture book by Bridget Collins, an adult author and flora artist with 200,000+ followers on Instagram. Each letter in the alphabet will be illustrated with an animal made from materials foraged from nature. Publication is set for March 2019; Cindy Uh at the Thompson Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Christianne Jones at Capstone has bought The Kiddie Table by Colleen Madden, the tale of a girl who is placed at the “kiddie table” for Thanksgiving dinner. Appalled, the girl demands to be moved up to the adult table, and learns that where you sit isn't the most important part of Thanksgiving. Publication is scheduled for late summer 2018; Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the author-illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Leila Sales at Viking has acquired North American rights to Alan Silberberg's Meet the Latkes. The picture book stars a family of potato pancakes who get everything about the Hanukkah story wrong, and it's up to the pet dog (also a potato pancake) to set them straight. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management negotiated the deal.
Jeffrey Salane at Little Simon has bought world rights to Ame Dyckman's Wee Beasties board book series, illustrated by Alex G. Griffiths, in which toddlers can correct their animal pals' humorous-but-improper social behavior. The series will launch in summer 2018 with Huggy the Python Hugs Too Hard and Roary the Lion Roars Too Loud; Scott Treimel at Scott Treimel NY represented Dyckman, and James Burns at the Bright Agency represented Griffiths.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has acquired world rights to Yoga Frog by Nora Carpenter, which follows a meditative frog who teaches readers the basics of a yoga flow. The book will include a tear-out poster featuring the frog in various yoga poses. Mark Chambers will illustrate; publication is scheduled for May 2018. Victoria Arms at Wells Arms Literary represented the author, and Arabella Stein at Bright USA represented the illustrator.
Rosemary Brosnan at HarperTeen has acquired world rights to the debut YA novel by author and Caldecott Honor illustrator Christopher Myers. Set in the world of hip-hop, the story follows teenage Stick, who skyrockets to fame when his mixtape is picked up by a major label, but is forced to examine the impact of his lyrics after a friend ends up in the hospital. A publication date has not yet been set; the author was unagented.
Tiffany Liao at Henry Holt has bought world rights at auction to debut author Margaret Owen's The Merciful Crow, first in a YA fantasy series that follows a girl from a caste of mercy-killers who can steal magic from the teeth of the dead. When her persecuted clan is targeted by a ruthless usurper queen, she must smuggle the crown prince and his bodyguard to safety. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency negotiated the mid six-figure deal for a duology and an untitled standalone.
Julie Rosenberg at Razorbill has acquired North American rights to Isabel Sterling's These Witches Don't Burn, and a sequel. The contemporary fantasy features a teen witch living in modern-day Salem who discovers that the tension with her ex-girlfriend doesn't much matter when there's a Blood Witch on the loose. To stop the attacks and score a second date with the new girl in town, she must uncover who's causing the deadly fires before her coven is destroyed. The first book is scheduled for summer 2019; Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street has bought world rights to Meredith Tate's dystopian thriller, The Freedom Trials. In a prison where inmates' memories are altered to erase their crimes, 17-year-old Evelyn must pass seven challenges where winning means freedom—and losing means execution. But when a new prisoner arrives with knowledge of Evelyn's forgotten crime, she must decide whether learning the truth is worth risking her freedom and her life. Publication is set for fall 2018; the author represented herself.
Calista Brill at First Second has acquired world rights to Roadkill Witch by Kat Leyh, a YA graphic novel about a skeptical girl named Snap who befriends her town's local "witch." Publication is slated for 2019; the author was unagented.
Kat Enright at Sky Pony has bought The Wreck of Stephen Oliver, a YA novel by Kirstin Cronn-Mills. Tobin's father can no longer hide his ALS diagnosis from her, and when he decides to end his life early, Tobin must recognize that every person has the right to say how they'll live—and die. Publication is planned for early 2019; Amy Tipton at Signature Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Nick Thomas at Scholastic/Levine has acquired world rights to Twins, a graphic novel by Varian Johnson and illustrated by debut artist Shannon Wright, about twin sisters who struggle to find their new, true selves when forced to attend separate classes and join different clubs for the first time in middle school. The story is largely inspired by Johnson's childhood as a twin. Publication is set for fall 2019; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Jean Feiwel and Anna Roberto at Feiwel and Friends have bought Daphne Kalmar's A Stitch in Time, about 11-year-old Donut, newly orphaned and stuck with her Aunt Agnes who plans to drag her off to Boston. As Donut dodges her grief, she and her best friend Tiny plot to keep her in their Vermont village. Publication is scheduled for summer 2018; Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to two titles by Barney Saltzberg featuring Dog and Rabbit, animal characters who navigate the pitfalls and rewards of friendship in stories told in short chapters. The first, as yet untitled book in the series is slated for 2020; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio brokered the deal.
Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House has bought world rights to Winter Tales, a picture book by author-illustrator Liza Woodruff. Winter Talestells the story of Milo, a boy who follows signs in the winter landscape: a set of footprints, a single feather, a fallen branch, and more, which suggest nature has grander stories to tell once he knows how to look for them. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency did the deal.
Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow has preempted world rights to debut author-illustrator Lindsay Moore's Sea Bear. The narrative nonfiction book highlights the consequences of the shrinking ice caps, following a polar bear as she embarks on her annual swim from ice to shore only to find the trip longer and more treacherous than anticipated. The book is scheduled for winter 2019, with a second untitled book to follow; Jill Corcoran at Jill Corcoran Literary Agency negotiated the deal.
Celia Lee at Scholastic has acquired My Wish for You, the debut picture book by actress Kathryn Hahn (l.), illustrated by Brigette Barrager. Inspired by Hahn's six-year-old daughter, the book is a reminder to girls at every age and every stage about the beauty and strength that reside inside each of them. Publication is set for October 2018; Allison Cohen at the Gersh Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has signed world rights to Deborah Underwood's (l.) Outside, a picture book in which nature gently reminds humans that they are connected to the natural world, despite their frequent separation from the great outdoors. Cindy Derby will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2020. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has bought The Moonlight Jungle Train by Kristyn Crow (l.), illustrated by Annie Won. This rhyming picture book follows a child on a dream-like jungle adventure aboard a train filled with mysterious animals and creatures. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Minju Chang at Bookstop Literary represented the author, and Rubin Pfeffer at RP Content represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Carolyn Yoder at Calkins Creek has acquired Kirsten Larson's (l.) debut nonfiction picture book, Wood, Wire, Wings, a biography of Emma Lilian Todd, the first woman to successfully design and engineer a working airplane. Tracy Subisak will illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2020. Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt represented the illustrator.
Amy Novesky and Tom Peterson at the Creative Company have bought world rights to Sarah Tuttle's (l.) Scale, Feather, Fur, a board book that teaches about textures using animals. Miriam Nerlove will illustrate; publication is set for spring 2019. Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary represented the author and the illustrator.
