Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster has acquired North American and audio rights to a debut YA novel by writer/producer Thomas Wheeler (l.), illustrated by artist, director, writer, and producer Frank Miller. Tentatively titled Cursed, the book reimagines the King Arthur legend from the point of view of 16-year-old Nimue, the young woman who first wielded Excalibur and became the all-powerful Lady of the Lake. The book will be published in hardcover, audio, and ebook. Publication is set for fall 2019; Dorian Karchmar and Jamie Carr at William Morris Endeavor brokered the deal.
Katherine Harrison at Knopf has acquired Full Disclosure, a YA novel by 18-year-old debut author Camryn Garrett. Garrett was selected as a Time for Kids reporter at the age of 13, and was featured by MTV as one of “8 Inspiring Teens Using Social Media to Change the World.” She has also written for Rookie and HuffPost, and has a blog at For All the Girls Who Are Half Monster. The book stars Simone Garcia Hampton, a black teen born HIV-positive. Raised by loving queer parents who assure her that her diagnosis doesn’t define her, Simone navigates a whole new world of emotion when she falls in love, and lust, for the first time. Publication is set for fall 2019; Brianne Johnson at Writers House brokered the deal for U.S., Canadian, and open market rights.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has acquired, in a two-book deal, By Grace and Blood by Linsey Miller, author of Mask of Shadows. In this standalone French-inspired fantasy, two young women must work together in secret to stay alive and end a war caused by magic and greed before it kills thousands for the sake of the wealthy few. Publication is set for spring 2020, with a second, untitled standalone to follow in 2021; Rachel Brooks at BookEnds brokered the deal for world rights.
Alyson Heller at Aladdin has acquired world English rights to Revenge of the Red Club by Kim Harrington, author of the Sleuth or Dare series, the Gamer Squad series, and Forget Me (as K.A. Harrington). When her middle school shuts down Red Club, a period support group through Aunt Flo's ups-and-downs, Riley Dunne and her friends fight back. But will tampon crafts, maxi-pad art installations, and dress code rebellions lead to all-out war or social change? The book will be published in fall 2019; Kate Testerman at KT Literary negotiated the deal.
Jenny Bak at Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson has acquired Derek Milman’s Night Flight, a comedic thriller about a gay teen who gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity and is forced to go on the run from murderous cyber-terrorists and government agents, not knowing who he can trust even if they’re disarmingly attractive. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Agency handled the deal for world English rights.
Jeffrey West at Scholastic has acquired Mason Deaver’s debut YA novel, I Wish You All the Best, about a non-binary teen who is kicked out by their parents after coming out, but learns that sometimes from disaster one can build a happier new life. Publication is set for 2019; Lauren Abramo at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Nick Thomas at Scholastic/Levine has acquired, at auction, the first three books in Daniel José Older’s Dactyl Hill Squad, a middle grade historical fantasy series that reimagines the Civil War in a world where dinosaurs roamed alongside humans. In the center of this extraordinary moment is a squad of young people from the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York City, and at their head, a brave and brilliant girl named Magdalys Roca, who wants nothing more than to flee south and rescue her injured brother. Publication of the first book is set for fall 2018, with book two to follow in summer 2019; Eddie Schneider at JABberwocky brokered the deal for North American English rights.
In the first joint Walker U.S./Walker U.K. acquisition, Susan Van Metre at Walker Books U.S. and Annalie Grainger at Walker Books U.K. have acquired, in a preempt, the three-book Shadow Skye trilogy by British actor and former special-needs educator Joseph Elliott. Set in a pseudo-Britain during an age of warring clans, the first novel in the middle-grade trilogy, titled The Good Hawk, follows Agatha, who has Down’s syndrome in a world where her condition is not named. Agatha patrols the sea wall until disaster strikes her clan and she must team up with other young survivors. Publication of Elliott’s debut is scheduled for fall 2019 in both the U.S. and the U.K.; Claire Wilson at RCW brokered the deal for world English-language rights.
Michele Wells at DC Entertainment has acquired world rights to Super Sons, a middle-grade graphic novel series by bestselling author Ridley Pearson, in which Jonathan and Damian (respectively, the sons of missing-in-action Superman and Batman) join forces with Candace, a fierce African dynast with far-reaching power, to battle a radical technological threat in a world ravaged by rising sea levels and climatic disaster. The first book is set to be released in 2019; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media represented Pearson.
Jen Besser at Macmillan/Roaring Brook has acquired, in a five-publisher auction, North American English-language rights to author Lindsay Lackey's debut, All the Impossible Things, a middle grade novel about a girl navigating her way through the foster care system while also trying to learn to control a powerful gift passed down to her from her mother: the ability to harness the wind. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties handled the deal.
Susan Van Metre at Walker Books U.S. and Denise Johnstone-Burt at Walker Books U.K. have jointly acquired, at auction, world rights to Malamander, a middle grade gothic mystery from British author-illustrator Thomas Taylor. The first book in a trilogy, Malamander, takes place in a charmingly creepy beach town called Eerie-on-Sea, haunted by a sea monster, the Malamander. The story is told from the perspective of Herbert Lemon, the Lost-and-Founder of the Grand Nautilus Hotel, who looks after objects that have been left behind at the hotel and tries to return them to their rightful owners. The U.S. publication date has not yet been set; Kirsty McLachlan at David Godwin Associates negotiated the deal for world rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Carolrhoda has acquired Rosanne Parry’s middle grade novel, Last of the Name. Twelve-year-old Danny O’Carolan, a poor Irish immigrant, arrives in New York City at the height of the Civil War, just before racial and class tensions trigger the infamous New York draft riots. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Fiona Kenshole at Transatlantic Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought, in a preempt, Erin A. Craig's debut, Of Salt and Sorrows. Pitched as The Twelve Dancing Princesses meets Crimson Peak, the book is about 12 sisters who live on a remote island estate. When one by one they tragically die, whispers abound that they're cursed by the gods, and the sixth-born sister, with the help of a stranger who knows more about her than he should, must unravel the family curse before it claims her next. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic handled the deal for world English rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press has acquired Naomi Milliner’s Super Jake & the King of Chaos, a middle grade novel in the spirit of Rules and Wonder, in which an 11-year-old brother performs magic even as he struggles to believe in it, while navigating unconditional love for his younger brothers, one of whom has a neurological disorder that renders him unable to speak, walk, or even reach out. The story is loosely based on real life, as documented in Milliner’s blog. Publication is set for spring 2019; Liza Fleissig at the Liza Royce Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Rob Valois at Penguin Workshop has acquired Secret Book Club, a middle grade graphic novel series by Brandon Montclare, co-creator of Marvel character Moon Girl, and Erica Henderson, the Eisner Award-winning artist of The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. The book stars seventh grader Paige, who finds herself at the center of a mystery: her grandfather, a librarian who created all the superheroes that dominate pop culture, has disappeared. As Paige searches for him with her new friends from her book club, they begin to realize that many of her grandfather’s characters live in their neighborhood. The first book will pub in summer 2020, and the second will follow a year later; Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has acquired paperback rights and translation rights to Patrice Karst’s (l.) The Invisible String, first published in 2000, which aims to help readers cope with separation anxiety and loss by revealing how “invisible strings” connect all those who love one another. Three follow-up titles, The Invisible String Workbook, The Invisible Leash, and The Invisible Webwere also acquired, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. Publication for The Invisible Stringpaperback is scheduled for fall 2018, with the next two titles to follow in fall 2019, and the fourth due out in spring 2020; Michelle Zeitlin and Jane Cowen Hamilton at More Zap Literary represented the author, and Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the artist.
Nicole Otto at Macmillan/Imprint has acquired Penny and Penelope, a picture book by Can One Balloon Make an Elephant Fly? author Dan Richards, featuring two girls who create very different personalities for their dolls, but find common ground during their imaginary, action-packed adventures. Claire Almon will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2019. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Emily Coggins at Astound US represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Donna Bray at Balzer + Bray has acquired Anne Wynter’s (l.) Everybody in the Red Brick Building, a picture book about an apartment building and the dynamic city sounds that wake its dwellers up—until soothing city sounds lull them back to sleep. The book will be illustrated by Oge Mora. Publication is slated for winter 2021; Steven Malk represented both the author and the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Daria Harper at Chronicle has acquired world rights to Hello Honeybees, a novelty book by Hannah Rogge (l.), illustrated by Emily Dove, in which two busy bees take readers on a tour of a flower garden and their beehive. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Robie Rogge at ROBIE represented the author, and Molly O’Neill at Root Literary represented the illustrator.
Jessica Smith at Aladdin has acquired The Kitten Lady's Big Book of Lil Rescue Kittens, a nonfiction photographic picture book by professional animal rescuer and humane educator Hannah Shaw, better known as Kitten Lady. The picture book will show how rescue kittens are fostered and taken care of before they are adopted, featuring kittens from Shaw's fostering success stories. The book is set for spring 2020; Myrsini Stephanides at Carol Mann Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Katie Cunningham at Candlewick Press has acquired world rights to two new picture books by Gaia Cornwall, author-illustrator of Jabari Jumps. In The Best Bed for Me, a child and a parent journey across land and sea as they celebrate the different ways and places animals sleep and snuggle. The book is scheduled for fall 2021. Also included in the deal is Jabari Flies, a sequel to Jabari Jumps, in which Jabari explores his identity as an engineer. Publication is planned for fall 2020; the deal was negotiated by Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management.
