Krista Vitola at Delacorte Press has bought The Bubble Wrap Boy by U.K. author Phil Earle, a coming-of-age story about a Chinese-American boy named Charlie Haan, who is convinced that everyone is good at something, and he just needs to find out what his something is. When a newly revealed passion leads Charlie to the biggest confrontation of his life, he learns that he's not the only one hiding a massive secret. Publication is scheduled for spring 2016; Jane Willis at United Agents did the deal.

Erin Clarke at Knopf has acquired a YA novel by Tanita S. Davis, the Coretta Scott King Honor author of Mare’s War. In Peas & Carrots, a white teen named Dess is placed into foster care with a black family while her mother is incarcerated. The book will be published in 2016; Steven Chudney of the Chudney Agency brokered the deal for U.S. and Canadian rights.

Georgia McBride of Month9Books has acquired North American rights to Serpentine, first in a fantasy duology by Diversity in YA cofounder Cindy Pon (Silver Phoenix and Fury of Phoenix). The first book, set for a September 2015 publication, chronicles the tension and struggle among mortals, demons, and gods in the kingdom of Xia as it tells the story of Skybright, who worries about her growing otherness as she falls in love with a mortal boy for the first time. Bill Contardi of Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents represented the author.

Carol Hinz and Andrew Karre at Lerner Publishing Group bought world English rights, for the house's Graphic Universe imprint, to two graphic novels by Simon Schwartz. The author is a German artist and the first book in the deal, The Other Side of the Wall, is his memoir about growing up in East Germany; it's set for spring 2015, and will be translated by Laura Watkinson. The second, currently untitled, book, will be a biography of African-American polar explorer Matthew Henson. Nicolas Grivel of the Nicolas Grivel Agency brokered the deal on behalf of the German publisher, Avant Verlag.

Hinz and Karre at Lerner also acquired Their Gifts, a photographic picture book about the experience of being an immigrant in America by John Coy, with photographs by Wing Young Huie. Their Gifts is set for publication in 2016; Coy and Huie represented themselves in the deal for world rights.

Catherine Onder at Bloomsbury has bought world rights for Little Shaq, a new early reader series from basketball star Shaquille O'Neal; Mary Kate Castellani will edit. The books feature the adventures of a seven-year-old version of Shaq and his cousin Barry, who love basketball. Each book will be illustrated by Theodore Taylor III, who received the John Steptoe New Talent Award for illustrating When the Beat Was Born. The first book will be published in fall 2015, with two more books to follow; Full Fathom Five brokered the deal.

Emily Seife at Scholastic Press has acquired Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord's next middle-grade novel, A Handful of Stars. Set during a harvesting season among the blueberry barrens of coastal Maine, small-town veteran Lily, and Salma, a Hispanic migrant worker, forge an unexpected friendship. Publication is scheduled for 2015; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights.

T.S. Ferguson at Harlequin Teen has acquired two books by Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves. The first novel, Unbreakable, follows a teen couple – Gretchen, who identifies as a lesbian, and Toni, who identifies as genderqueer – as they struggle to stay together during their first year in college, despite the growing rift caused by distance and Toni's shifting gender identity. Publication is scheduled for fall 2015 with the second title following in fall 2016; Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management did the deal for world English rights.

Jordan Hamessley at Egmont USA has acquired YA Highway blogger Kaitlin Ward's debut YA novel, Bleeding Earth. In the story, 17-year-old, Lea, and her girlfriend, Aracely, fight for their survival and sanity in a world turned chaotic after the mysterious appearance of blood covers their streets. Publication is set for fall 2015; Sarah LaPolla at Bradford Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.

Annette Pollert at Sourcebooks Fire has bought Leah Scheier's Your Voice Is All I Hear, a contemporary YA novel about a teenager who struggles to maintain her sanity when her boyfriend is diagnosed with schizophrenia. The book is scheduled for April 2015; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.

Kristin Daly Rens at HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray has acquired cartoonist Chris Britt's debut picture book, Drift. In the story, a quickly built, and as quickly forgotten, snowman longs for the finery of his peers, until something unexpected makes him reconsider his priorities. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Paul Rodeen of Rodeen Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.

Anne Schwartz at Random House imprint Schwartz & Wade has bought world rights to Wee Sister Strange by Holly Grant, illustrated by K.G. Campbell. It tells the tale of an unusual girl who lives in the woods and ventures out each night in search of a bedtime story. It's slated for fall 2017; Brianne Johnson at Writers House represented the author and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.

Lisa Cheng at Running Press has bought world rights to debut author-illustrator team Joe Moshier and Chris Sonnenburg's first book, Go, Pea, Go! The picture book stars a little pea urgently racing to the end of the book where he'll be able to finally "go." It's scheduled for spring 2015; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions did the deal.