Ashley Hearn at Page Street has acquired debut author Addie Thorley's YA historical fantasy, An Affair of Poisons—a reimagining of the infamous 17th-century murder scandal in France. After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, 17-year-old alchemist Mirabelle Monvoisin begins brewing curatives to undermine her mother's Shadow Society and help her former enemy, Josse de Bourbon, reclaim control of Paris. Publication is set for winter 2019; Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Christian Trimmer at Holt has bought world English rights to Cure for the Common Universe author Christian McKay Heidicker's first two middle-grade novels. Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a collection of six connected stories that follows a group of fox kits as they fight to survive in an unforgiving wilderness. It will feature art by Junyi Wu; publication is scheduled for spring 2019, with the second novel to follow a year later. John M. Cusick of Folio Jr./Folio Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstong of the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Sonali Fry at Bonnier's Yellow Jacket imprint has acquired North American rights to The Year I Didn't Eat, a debut middle grade novel by U.K. author Samuel Pollen. The book charts a year of Max's life as he struggles with anorexia, and is based on the author's personal experiences with the eating disorder. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Alice Sutherland-Hawes of Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Orli Zuravicky at Scholastic has bought world rights to Artist in Space: How Astronaut Alan Bean Painted the Moon by Dean Robbins (l.), illustrated by Sean Rubin. After artist and astronaut Alan Bean became the fourth person to set foot on the lunar surface, he used his art to share his journey with the world and help explain what walking on the moon truly felt like and looked like through his eyes. Publication is slated for 2019; Marietta B. Zacker of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Kristen Pettit at HarperCollins has acquired world rights, at auction, to Patty Toht's (l.) picture book, Dress Like a Girl. The book celebrates girls who think outside of the (dress-up) box. Lorian Tu-Dean will illustrate; publication is set for spring 2019. Alexandra Devlin at Rights People negotiated the deal for the author on behalf of Julia Churchill at AM Heath, and James Burns at the Bright Group International represented the illustrator.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has bought Lisa Robinson's (l.) Madame Saqui, illustrated by Rebecca Green. Set during the French Revolution, the nonfiction picture book is about an extraordinary tightrope dancer who performed for Napoleon. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident represented the author, and Nicole Tugeau of Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Carol Hinz at Millbrook Press has acquired world rights to All of a Sudden and Forever, Chris Barton's picture book about the response to and recovery from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Debut illustrator Nicole Xu will provide the art; publication is slated for fall 2019. Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author in the deal for world rights, and Nancy Moore of Gerald & Cullen Rapp represented the illustrator.
Liz Szabla at Feiwel and Friends has bought Snakes on a Train, a debut picture book by author-illustrator and bookseller Kathryn Dennis, in which boldly colored snakes board a train for a day of adventure until it's time to sleep. The book is planned for winter 2019; Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio handled the deal for North American rights.
Samantha Swenson at Tundra Books has acquired a new picture book from Ezra Jack Keats Award-winning author-illustrator Phoebe Wahl. Little Witch Hazel is about a tiny witch midwife who lives in the forest and is friend to all the creatures there, and her adventures throughout the year. The book is set for publication in spring 2020; Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Karen Boersma and Karen Li at Owlkids Books have bought author-illustrator Sophie Gilmore's debut picture book, Little Doctor, Big Mean, about a girl who tends to crocodiles. But when the biggest one in the land arrives with a mysterious ailment, Little Doctor must hatch a clever plan to help it. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Jennifer Rofé of Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Clarissa Wong at HarperCollins has acquired Lindsay Ward's I Go! and I Build!, kicking off a new series for preschoolers. Aimed at young vehicle enthusiasts, the books feature close-ups of unique wheels and treads for hints as to their matching vehicles. Publication is slated for summer 2019 and summer 2020, respectively; Emily van Beek of Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Sylvie Frank at S&S/Wiseman has bought The Secret Rhino Society by debut author Jonathan E. Jacobs, illustrated by Samantha Cotterill (Jinx and the Doom Fight Crime). In the book, a hippo, a worm, and a lightbulb form a secret society to appreciate their favorite animal. But when a real rhinoceros knocks on their clubhouse door, she's not what they expected. Publication is planned for spring 2020; Susan Graham of Einstein Literary Management represented the author, and Kirsten Hall of Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Yasemin Uçar and Semareh Al-Hillal at Kids Can Press have acquired, in a two-book deal, Muon Van's One Is a Lot, about the relative values of numbers. Pierre Pratt will illustrate; publication is scheduled for 2019. Liza Fleissig of Liza Royce Agency represented the author in the deal for world rights.
Eliza Swift at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Jennifer Thorne's (l.) picture-book debut, Construction Zoo, illustrated by Susie Hammer. When a zoo is under construction, the animals form surprising friendships with the trucks that are working on their home. Publication is set for fall 2018; Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management represented the author, and Teresa Kietlinski of Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.
Carolrhoda Books has acquired world rights to Katey Howe's (l.) Be a Maker; Shaina Olmanson will edit. The rhyming picture book is an exploration of the many ways a child can create in a single day—a reflection on how even little makers can make a big difference. Elizabet Vuković will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2019. Essie White of Storm Literary Agency represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.
Rob Valois at Penguin Workshop has bought world rights to a debut interactive series from authors and improv comedians Drew Callander (l.) and Alana Harrison, illustrated by Ryan Andrews. In the first book in the series, Mightier Than the Sword, the reader wakes up in the fantasy land of Astorya, where stories come to life and an evil queen has launched a plot to erase all stories but her own. Readers must write, draw, and puzzle their way through the adventure. Publication is slated for July 10, 2018; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the authors, and Jennifer Linnan of Linnan Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Andrea Pinkney at Scholastic has acquired the first two books for young readers by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a scholar of African-American literature and history. The first book, Dark Sky Rising: Reconstruction and the Dawn of Jim Crow, a narrative nonfiction book for ages 9–12, will be written with Coretta Scott King Honor author Tonya Bolden. The book presents a journey through America's turbulent past and our nation's attempts at renewal. Publication is planned for spring 2019; David Kuhn and Lauren Sharp of Aevitas Creative Management represented Gates in the two-book deal for world rights, and Jennifer Lyons of Jennifer Lyons Literary represented Bolden.
Hannah Smith at Owl Hollow Press has bought, in a two-book deal, Blank Slate series author Jennifer Bardsley's Narcosis Room. Pitched as Total Recall meets Scott Westerfeld's Uglies, the book is about a Seattle teenager who is put to sleep for three months and wakes up gorgeous but unable to remember her past. The book is inspired in part by Royal Waterloo Hospital in London, which in the 1960s had rooms devoted to deep-sleep therapy. Publication is set for 2019; Liza Fleissig of Liza Royce Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Krista Vitola at Simon & Schuster has acquired, in a two-book deal, Meena Meets Her Match and an untitled sequel, featuring the same characters by debut author Karla Manternach. The middle-grade novels focus on an artistic, irrepressible nine-year-old trying to navigate friendships at school while dealing with a previously undiagnosed medical issue. The first book will publish in spring 2019, with the sequel following in spring 2020. Emily Mitchell of Wernick & Pratt brokered the deal for world English rights.
Melissa Kim at Islandport Press has bought Gail Donovan's new middle grade novel, Finchosaurus. Ten-year-old Finch Martin loves digging up everything from worms to trouble, and dreams about becoming a paleontologist with a dinosaur named after him. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Edite Kroll of Edite Kroll Literary Agency did the deal for North American English rights.
Katie Cunningham at Candlewick Studio has acquired Crystal Kite-winning author-illustrator Carme Lemniscates's Birds. The picture book celebrates the many ways that these winged creatures inspire us. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Sarah Shumway at Bloomsbury has bought world rights for the debut picture book of former BuzzFeed books editor Isaac Fitzgerald, illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Uni the Unicorn). The book tells the story of a girl whose salty grandfather inspires voyages of imagination. Publication is planned for early 2020; Charlotte Sheedy of the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall of Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Phoebe Yeh at Crown and Nicole de las Heras at Penguin Random House have acquired Jan Carr's (l.) Star of the Party, illustrated by Pura Belpré Award-winner Juana Medina. The picture book celebrates the Sun's 4.6 billionth birthday with planetary quirks and nonfiction content. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Andrea Cascardi of Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and Gillian MacKenzie of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Charlotte Wenger at Page Street Kids has bought Nova the Star Eater, a picture book by Lindsay Leslie, illustrated by John Taesoo Kim. Nova, who is hungry for stars, slurps down the Earth's sun—causing the folks on the bluish-green planet to think creatively about how to get it back. Publication is set for spring 2019; Stephanie Fretwell-Hill of Red Fox Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself in the deal for world rights.
