Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has bought debut author Kosoko Jackson's YA #ownvoices historical thriller, A Place for Wolves. Pitched as Code Name Verity meets Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the story follows two boys who can only rely on each other as they travel through war-torn Kosovo in the midst of extreme violence that threatens to swallow the country whole. Publication is set for summer 2019; Louise Fury at the Bent Agency did the deal for world rights.
Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook Press has bought Jason Gurley's YA debut, Awake in the World. Bad luck has always followed 17-year-old Zach, from his father's death to his family's poverty, until he meets Vanessa, a Carl-Sagan-obsessed classmate whose sights are literally set on the stars. Publication is slated for winter 2019; Seth Fishman at the Gernert Company handled the deal for world rights.
Annette Pollert-Morgan at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired, in a two-book deal, Kimberly Jones (l.) and Gilly Segal's YA debut, Mass Disturbance. The book chronicles a fight that breaks out at a racially divided Atlanta high school and escalates into citywide riots, told in alternating point of views between two girls—one black and one white. Publication is planned for fall 2019 and fall 2020; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Stephanie Beard at Turner Publishing has acquired world rights to Jill Baguchinsky's Mammoth. Pitched as Jurassic Park meets Dumplin', the book features a plus-sized teenage fashion blogger/aspiring paleontologist who lands a summer scholarship to study at an Ice Age dig site, and discovers that the dig site is in serious trouble. The novel is scheduled for a fall 2018 release; Eric Smith at P.S. Literary brokered the deal.
Anna Poon at Feiwel and Friends has bought, in a six-house auction, North American rights to The Train to Impossible Places, a middle-grade fantasy series by debut author P.G. Bell. In the first book, A Cursed Delivery, 11-year-old Suzy Smith stows away aboard a train for a high-speed adventure through fantastical worlds. Book one is slated for fall 2018, with two books to follow; Gemma Cooper at the Bent Agency represented the author.
Allison Moore at Bloomsbury has acquired debut author Sandy Stark-McGinnis's contemporary middle grade novel, Extraordinary Birds. Eleven-year-old December, who has grown up in the foster system, believes that one day she will transform into a bird and fly away. When she's placed with a foster mom who runs a wildlife rescue, she gains a new perspective on family and home. Publication is set for spring 2019; Patricia Nelson at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Ann Kelley at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired Ross Welford's The 1,000-Year-Old Boy, a middle-grade novel about Alfie Monk, who is like any other boy -- except he's so old he can remember the last Viking invasion of England. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Carla Alonzi at HarperCollins UK negotiated the two-book deal for U.S. rights.
Sarah Ketchersid at Candlewick has bought two early readers in comic book form, Chick and Brain, first in a new series by Cece Bell, author of the Newbery Honor-winning El Deafo. Publication of the first book is scheduled for fall 2019; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Erin Stein at Imprint has bought, in a preempt, Let's Get Sleepy!, the first picture book from author-illustrator Tony Cliff, in which a group of cat friends seek and find a mouse named Sleepy. Publication is tentatively scheduled for spring 2020; Bernadette Baker-Baughman at Victoria Sanders & Associates did the deal for world rights.
Jennifer Greene at Clarion Books has acquired, at auction, Home Alone: The Storybook and The Great Puppy Invasion illustrator Kim Smith's first book as author and illustrator, Boxitects. The picture book stars Meg, a girl builder who constructs extraordinary things out of ordinary cardboard boxes. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency sold U.S. rights to HMH, and Canadian rights to Suzanne Sutherland at HarperCollins.
Emily Easton at Crown has acquired Jessica Peill-Meininghaus's I'm a Gnome!, illustrated by Poly Bernatene. The picture book depicts one gnome's journey to prove he is nothing like the other mythical creatures in the world, but in the end he realizes he isn't that different after all. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Laurie Abkemeier at DeFiore and Company represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself in the deal for world rights.
Emma Ledbetter at Atheneum has bought This Way, Charlie, a picture book by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso, the team behind Ida, Always. Based on a true story, the book follows the unlikely friendship that develops between an introverted goat and a blind horse at an animal rehabilitation center. Publication is slated for spring 2020. Emily Mitchell at Wernick & Pratt represented the author and sold North American English rights, and Justin Rucker of Shannon Associates represented the illustrator and sold world rights.
Erica Finkel at Abrams has acquired world rights to Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen's (l.) Chicks Rule, illustrated by Renée Kurilla; Courtney Code will edit. The picture book celebrates chicks from every background, with dreams as diverse as they are. The book is set for spring 2019; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Rofe at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Sourcebooks has bought world rights to Karla Valenti's (l.) picture book Marie Curie and the Power of Persistence, first in the My Super Science Heroes adventure series, a collaborative project with the Marie Curie Alumni Association. Annalisa Beghelli will illustrate. Publication is set for spring 2019; Essie White at Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Kristine Enderle at Magination Press has acquired world rights to Sewing the Rainbow by Stonewall Award winner Gayle E. Pitman (l.) (This Day in June; Feminism from A to Z), a picture book about Gilbert Baker and the creation of the rainbow flag. Holly Clifton-Brown will illustrate. Publication is slated for June 2018; Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency represented the author, and Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the artist.
Celia Lee at Scholastic/Cartwheel has bought world rights to Lorie Ann Grover's self-empowerment board book series, Wonderful Me, illustrated by Cocoretto. The series begins with two books, I Love All of Me and I Know I Can. Publication is scheduled for 2019; the author represented herself, and Emily Coggins at Astound represented the illustrators.
Alex Arnold at HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired a fantasy duology, Muse, by Brittany Cavallaro. Muse is set in an alternate history World's Fair Chicago, where America is a monarchy, science is king, and magic shouldn't exist—and one girl's touch has the power to grant wishes. The first book is slated for fall 2020, following the publication of a fourth book in Cavallaro's Charlotte Holmes series, in winter 2019; Lana Popovic at Chalberg & Sussman brokered the deal for North American rights.
Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has bought two as yet untitled contemporary YA novels by Akemi Dawn Bowman, author of the Morris Award finalist Starfish. The first novel follows a multiracial teenage girl who dreams of quitting school to become a trapeze artist in her parents' Las Vegas circus, against their wishes, prompting her to join a rival circus. There, she grows close to a handsome musician and performer—while untangling her family's complicated past and present. Publication is set for fall 2019 and 2020; Penny Moore at Empire Literary negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Nicole Otto at Imprint has acquired, in a preempt, debut author Adalyn Grace's feminist YA fantasy duology, All the Stars and Teeth, in which a fierce princess strikes a deal with a pirate and embarks on a high-seas adventure to master a vicious magic before it destroys her kingdom. Publication of the first book is planned for winter 2020; Hillary Jacobson at ICM Partners did the two-book deal for world English rights.
Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster has bought Lauren Spieller's YA novel, She's the Worst, pitched as 10 Things I Hate About You meets Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Two sisters fulfill their pact to spend an epic day together before one leaves for college, but when a secret is revealed it will either bring them closer or pull them apart for good. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret handled the deal for world rights.
Wendy Lamb at Random House/Lamb has acquired Beach Season by Mae Respicio, author of The House That Lou Built. Longing to get her family back to normal after a tragedy, a girl uses her love of the ocean, special-effects make-up, and Filipino folklore—plus a special visit from her great-grandfather—to find a way to help them move on. Publication is slated for 2020; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary brokered the deal for world English rights.
Calista Brill at First Second Books has bought Kiku Hughes's middle grade graphic novel, Displacement, a memoir-based, magical realist story about a teenager who is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in WWII-era Japanese internment camps. Publication is planned for 2020; Kiku Hughes represented herself in the deal for world rights.
Taylor Norman at Chronicle has acquired K.A. Holt's new book, Kate and Tam. The middle-grade novel in verse tells the story of two girls who are polar opposites yet become fast friends, and then begin moving toward something more. Publication is set for fall 2019; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Kristin Rens at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has bought world rights to author-illustrator Lina Maslo's picture book, The Door to Narnia, a biography of C.S. Lewis and the journey that led him to create the world of Narnia. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Rubin Pfeffer at Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the author-illustrator.
Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired, in a preempt, Hannah Salyer's debut picture book. Packs is a selection of collective nouns that celebrates togetherness and gives children new ways to envision their own community—and the role they play in it. Publication is set for fall 2019; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions did the deal for world rights.
Michael Joosten at Doubleday has bought world rights to Cale Atkinson's Unicorn Science. The comedic picture book features Professors Glitter Pants, Star Hoof, and Sugar Beard (plus trusty lab assistant Pete)—the world's leading unicorn experts—as they deliver the facts, settle the mysteries, and show readers that unicorns are more than just horns and rainbows. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the author-illustrator.
Adrienne Szpyrka and Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids have acquired world rights to Zoe Persico's debut picture book as author and illustrator, Georgia. The book tells the story of a creative girl from a family of artists who wants to be a scientist, eventually realizing that science can also be a work of art. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Anne Moore Armstrong at Bright Agency represented the author.
Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has bought world rights to Charlotte Zolotow's In My Garden, about the many forms a garden can take. Philip C. Stead, who has been a fan of Zolotow's work since he was nine, will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Edite Kroll represented the author's estate, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Sterling has acquired world rights to a picture book by Laurie Wallmark (l.) (Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code), titled Hedy Lamarr's Double Life. The book is about the glamorous movie star who, unbeknownst to her fans, was the co-inventor of the technology that led to the development of WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Grace Hopper artist Katy Wu will illustrate. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick Press has bought world rights to Hayley Barrett's (l.) picture book Babymoon, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. The book is a celebration of the special bonding time when a newborn first comes home. Publication is set for spring 2019; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator.
Brett Duquette at Sterling has acquired world rights to Lindsay Bonilla's (l.) picture book, Polar Bear Island, featuring an immigrant penguin and an unhappy polar bear. Cinta Villalobos will illustrate; publication is planned for fall 2018. Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis represented the author, and Hannah Whitty at Plum Pudding Illustration represented the illustrator.
Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to Waiting for Snow author Marsha Diane Arnold's (l.) Badger's Seeds, a picture book about gardens, friendship, and serendipity, in which Badger's plans for a perfect garden are derailed by a heavy rainstorm. Ramona Kaulitzki will illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2019. Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Group represented the illustrator.
