Kate Sullivan at Delacorte has acquired Jennifer E. Smith's latest YA novel, Field Notes on Love. After Hugo's girlfriend breaks up with him, he has to find someone with her same name to take the cross-country train trip they'd planned. The search leads him to Mae, who is in desperate need of an adventure. But what starts as a convenient arrangement soon turns into something more than either of them expected. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Jennifer Joel at ICM brokered the deal for world rights.
Hannah Allaman at Disney-Hyperion has bought E. Latimer's queer feminist contemporary YA fantasy, Witches of Ash and Ruin. When a trio of ancient Irish gods begins hunting down witches, 17-year-old Dayna and her friends must band together with an enemy coven to find out why—and quickly, because one of them is next. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Silvia Molteni at Peters Fraser and Dunlop negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Jennifer Greene at Clarion has bought Natalia Sylvester's Running, a YA debut featuring 15-year-old Cuban-American Marianna Ruiz, whose father is running for president, in a novel about waking up, standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your Dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Laura Dail at Laura Dail Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Brian Geffen at Henry Holt has acquired, in a preempt, A Breath Too Late, a debut contemporary YA novel by Rocky Callen. After Ellie dies by suicide, she looks back on the events of her life that led up to the moment, directly addressing the characters in her world—including her mother and the boy she loved—both animate and inanimate, interweaving past and present. Publication is set for spring 2020; Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties did the deal for North American rights.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to Little & Lion author Brandy Colbert's debut middle grade novel, The Only Black Girls in Town, about the complex friendship between the only two black girls in their California central coast beach town, as they discover hidden journals that uncover family secrets and speak to race relations in the South. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Tina Dubois at ICM Partners negotiated the deal.
Nancy Mercado at Dial has bought North American rights for Doomed, a middle grade novel by Nan Marino (Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle and Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me). The story is about 10-year-old Tielonia Hubble, who discovers that she has inherited the family curse of tasting trouble in the wind, much like her mother who left their isolated fishing town when Tielonia was a baby. To undo the curse, Tielonia must make the same dangerous journey as her mother, but unlike her mother, she does not travel alone. Publication is set for summer 2020; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio did the deal.
Gina Gagliano at Random House Graphic has acquired world rights to Andi Watson's middle grade graphic novel, Forest of Shadows, a story about a boy who gets lost on the way home and finds himself in a magical forest filled with untrustworthy creatures and spirits—and he can only get back to his family if he trusts the right ones. Publication is scheduled for 2020; Watson was unagented.
Amanda Ramirez at Simon & Schuster has bought world English rights to Anika Fajardo's debut middle grade novel, What If a Fish, featuring 11-year-old, half-Colombian Eddie Aguado. When his older half-brother's trip to visit Eddie in Minnesota is canceled, Eddie—who has never left his hometown—is sent to spend the summer in Colombia instead. What follows is a generational story of family, identity, and all the things you can find at the end of a fishing line. Publication is planned for summer 2020; Thao Le at Sandra Dijsktra Literary Agency represented the author.
Arthur Levine at Scholastic/Levine has acquired world rights to Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominee Tim Tingle’s middle grade mystery, Doc and the Detective in: Graveyard Treasure, in which a young Choctaw detective solves a crime involving his elderly friend who has Alzheimer's. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency brokered the deal.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has bought debut novelist Alex Aster's #OwnVoices middle grade novel, Emblem Island: Curse of the Night Witch, and a sequel. The story follows three friends, who in order to break a curse must journey across their island home to find the Night Witch, with ancient myths as a guide and wicked creatures they only know through legends in their path. Publication is set for spring 2020; Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Mari Kesselring at North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press has acquired a middle grade debut, The Missing Barbegazi, by H.S. Norup, exploring why magic sometimes needs to remain a secret. The book is about a girl's bond with her grandfather, whose fables of creatures living in the Alps might be more than just stories. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Allison Hellegers at Rights People sold North American rights on behalf of Sarah Odedina and Adam Freudenheim at Pushkin Press.
Neal Porter at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has bought Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell's Hello, Neighbor!, the first and only authorized picture book biography of Fred Rogers, aka Mister Rogers. Created in partnership with Fred Rogers Productions, the book covers the life and legacy of the beloved creator of the long-running children's TV program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Publication is planned for August 2020; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio and Matthew Shiels at Fred Rogers Productions negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alessandra Balzer at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired, in a preempt, world rights to Jonathan Stutzman's (l.) Bear Is a Bear, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, a picture book that follows the bond between a girl and her teddy bear over the course of the girl's life. Publication is slated for winter 2021; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties represented the author, and Jodi Reamer at Writers House represented the artist.
Eliza Berkowitz at Sterling has bought world rights to Jill Esbaum's Frog Boots, a picture book about a boy who falls in love with a pair of frog-covered boots and then learns that they were meant for girls. Joshua Heinsz will illustrate; Christina Pulles will edit. Publication is set for fall 2019; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Jes Negrón at Kane Press has acquired world rights to the Boys of Fire and Ash and the Movers series author Meaghan McIsaac's debut picture book, The Book of Laughs, illustrated by James Rey Sanchez (Irving Berlin, the Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing), an interactive rhyming read-aloud. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Ali McDonald at the Rights Factory represented the author, and Alexandra Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Sterling has bought world rights to Patricia's Vision by Michelle Lord (l.), illustrated by Alleanna Harris. The nonfiction picture book looks at the life of Patricia Bath, the first African-American female doctor to receive a medical patent for a laser that helps restore sight. Rachael Stein will edit. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Ronnie Herman at the Herman Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Alexis Orgera and Chad Reynolds at Penny Candy have acquired world rights to Luli Gray's (l.) final book, The Pear Tree, a retelling of a folktale about an old woman named Esperanza who tricks Señor Death. Madelyn Goodnight will illustrate; the book will be published in late 2019. Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary represented the author, who died in 2017, and Studio Goodwin Sturges represented the artist.
Naomi Krueger at Beaming Books has bought world rights to a board book by Deborah LeFalle (l.). Bitty Brown Babe celebrates the wonder and beauty of a beloved baby and the joy that comes with new life. Keisha Morris will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. The author represented herself, and Morris was represented by Claire Easton at Painted Words.
Nicole Sclama at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has acquired Emily Bain Murphy's YA historical fantasy Splinters of Scarlet, pitched as Downton Abbey with magic. The novel is set in 19th-century Copenhagen and follows an orphaned seamstress who goes to work for a retired ballerina and uses her magic to investigate her father's mysterious death while working for the same family years ago. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Pete Knapp at Park Literary & Media negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought Jerkbait author Mia Siegert's YA novel Somebody Told Me. After an assault, bigender teen Aleks/Alexis goes to live with their uncle, a Catholic priest, and must make difficult choices after discovering that they can overhear parishioners' confessions through their bedroom wall. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Travis Pennington at the Knight Agency did the deal for world rights.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street has acquired world rights to Naomi Hughes's Refraction, a YA science fiction novel about a teen wrestling with obsessive compulsive disorder while working as a black market mirror dealer in a world where reflections spawn deadly cracks in the fabric of reality. Publication is set for fall 2019; Naomi Davis at BookEnds brokered the deal.
Cassandra Pelham Fulton at Scholastic/Graphix has bought, in a four-house auction, two Clementine Fox graphic novels by Leigh Luna. The humorous debut middle-grade series features a cast of animal friends who set off for a day of exploration at a mysterious local island; what follows is an unexpected day of adventure, friendship, and lessons learned. Book one is scheduled for 2020; Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has acquired world rights to Julie Abe's debut middle grade novel, Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch, and a sequel. The book is set in a Japanese-inspired world where a 12-year-old witch must travel to a seaside town in order to complete her Adept Witch training, or risk losing her magic forever. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Sarah Landis at Sterling Lord Literistic did the deal.
Heather Alexander at Audible Originals has bought world English audio rights to Night Magick, a middle grade novel by Suri Rosen. A boy goes on a dangerous puzzle-solving quest across Las Vegas, using his repertoire of tricks and illusions to evade capture and to find a mysterious book of dark magic, which may hold the key to his father's death. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary brokered the deal.
Georgia McBride at Month9Books has acquired Hank's Big Day author Evan Kuhlman (l.) and Heaven Is for Realand Mulan II screenwriter Chris Parker's Bertie's Book of Spooky Wonders, written as Ocelot Emerson. In the book, a precocious 11-year-old girl who doesn't always make great choices brings trouble with her when she and her mother move to a new town. The book will publish in fall 2019; Joe Veltre at Gersh negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Gina Gagliano at Random House Graphic has bought world rights to Kaeti Vandorn's early chapter book graphic novel Crabapple Trouble, set in a magical world where everyone has a fruit or vegetable for a head. In the story, Calla Crabapple's siblings convince her to make an entry in the state fair; then must tackle her fears about not being good enough, with the help of a friend and some fairies. Publication is set for 2020; Vandorn is unagented.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired What Is a Refugee? written and illustrated by Elise Gravel, which explores what it means to be a refugee in kid-friendly terms and illustrations. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words did the deal for world rights, excluding French Canadian.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has acquired Jia Liu's debut author-illustrated picture book, I Don't Need Friends!, featuring a self-absorbed little bird who makes all the wrong moves in his eagerness to make friends, but figures out a way to turn things around. The book is planned for spring 2021; Claire Easton represented Liu in the deal for world rights.
Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins/Tegen has bought author-illustrator Anya Glazer's The Story of Thesaurus, about a synonym-using, book-loving dinosaur who must hide his passion for stories from the rest of the dinosaurs. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020, with a second, untitled picture book due in summer 2021; Alice Sutherland-Hawes at Madeleine Milburn Limited brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Rotem Moscovich at Disney-Hyperion has bought Marcy Campbell's (l.) Something Good, a picture book in which a young narrator describes the aftermath of “something” (readers are never told what) being written on the girls' bathroom wall, first feeling her community may never recover, but ultimately seeing it come together to heal and embrace a new kind of school pride. Corinna Luyken will illustrate; publication is slated for summer 2021. Steven Malk at Writers House represented both the author and the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Amy Novesky and Nina Gruener at Cameron Kids have acquired world rights to The President Sang Amazing Grace by Zoe Mulford, a picture book featuring the song of the same name, illustrated by Jeff Scher. Adapted from the music video for the song performed by Joan Baez, the book is about the day former president Obama sang “Amazing Grace” to a grieving congregation and nation, following the mass shooting in an historic black church in Charleston, S.C. Publication is set for fall 2019; the author and illustrator represented themselves.
Christy Cox at Little Bigfoot has bought world English rights to Just Like Beverly, a picture book biography of Beverly Cleary by Vicki Conrad (l.), illustrated by David Hohn. Publication is slated for fall 2019; both the author and the illustrator were unagented.
