Eileen Rothschild at St. Martin's Griffin has preempted two science fiction/fantasy books by Krista (l.) and Becca Ritchie. The Fast Track features a world where everyone knows the day they will die, but three teens, connected by their senses and emotions, must flee their planet as they begin to learn the truth about why they were the only ones to dodge their destiny. Publication is scheduled for winter 2018; Kimberly Brower at Rebecca Friedman Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Margo Lipschultz at Harlequin Teen has bought world English rights to bestselling adult author Samantha Young's debut contemporary YA,The Impossible Vastness of Us. The novel follows a 17-year-old girl from California whose life is uprooted when she moves in with her new stepfamily in an elite Massachusetts suburb; there, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to her new stepsister's longtime boyfriend, and discovers a secret that will either forge a bond between the three of them, or unravel the facades holding each of their lives together. Publication is planned for summer 2017; Lauren Abramo at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management brokered the two-book deal.
Kelly Delaney at Knopf has acquired at auction Americanized, Sara Saedi's autobiographical account for teens of growing up in America as an illegal immigrant from Iran. Publication is set for fall 2017; Jess Regel at Foundry Literary + Media negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alix Reid at Carolrhoda has bought NoNieqa Ramos's debut YA novelDisturbed Girl's Dictionary, about a girl trying to save her best friend from a downward spiral, rescue her brother after he's “kidnapped” by Child Protective Services, and survive her rough neighborhood. Her tools range from a machete to the “dictionary” in which she defines her world according to her own terms. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Emily Keyes at Fuse Literary did the deal for world rights.
Liza Kaplan at Philomel has acquired Jenny Torres Sanchez's fourth YA novel, Crows Cry Emilia, an un-coming-of-age story that charts the devolution of 16-year-old Emilia DeJesus when she learns that the police arrested the wrong man for attacking her seven years prior, that the real perpetrator is still out there, and that beauty can be found in all lost things. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Charlie Chu at Oni Press has bought world rights to the YA graphic novel My Riot by Rick Spears and Emily Helen. The story follows Val, a teenage ballerina from a conservative family in early '90s Virginia, as she falls in love with punk rock and forms a Riot Grrrl band. Publication is planned for 2018; the authors were unagented.
Jordan Brown at HarperCollins/Walden Pond Press has acquired three middle grade novels by John David Anderson, author of the forthcoming Ms. Bixby's Last Day. Publication will begin in 2018; Josh Adams at Adams Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
Fiona Simpson at Aladdin has bought world rights to Snowman: The Eighty Dollar Champion. The book has been adapted by Catherine Hapka from the original 1962 title, Snowman, by Rutherford Montgomery. Based on the true story of Harry deLeyer and Snowman, the plow-horse-turned-Triple Crown show champion, Hapka has adapted the original into a modern middle grade title. Publication is set for fall 2016; Hapka was represented by Jaida Temperly at New Leaf Literary & Media.
Martha Mihalick at Greenwillow has acquired Emily Whitman's The Turning, a contemporary middle grade novel based on Celtic folklore in which a selkie boy raised at sea must confront the human world to discover his true identity. The book is slated for 2018; Nancy Gallt and Marietta B. Zacker of the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has bought debut author-artist and graduating senior at the Rhode Island School of Design Oge Mora's Thank You, Omu!, about an elderly woman who gives selflessly until there is nothing left to share, and is then surprised by the reciprocal love and generosity of her community, plus an untitled picture book. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Mora was unagented in the deal for world rights.
Carol Hinz at Millbrook Press has acquired world rights to Dazzle Ships by Chris Barton, a nonfiction picture book about, art, desperation, and one man's incredible idea for saving ships from German torpedoes in World War I. Debut artist Victo Ngai will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Gail Gaynin of Morgan Gaynin represented the illustrator.
Ben Rosenthal at HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books has acquiredPhantom Heart and a second untitled contemporary YA novel by Mindy McGinnis. The psychological thriller follows a type-A good girl who starts to have inexplicable feelings for a local burnout, seeming to recall memories of having been in love with him. When she discovers she used to have a twin, she realizes that her dead twin is trying to take back the life she never had. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Adriann Ranta at Foundry Literary + Media negotiated the six-figure deal for North American rights.
Aimee Friedman at Scholastic has bought Kasie West's Lucky in Love, about an 18-year-old girl who unexpectedly wins the lottery and has to juggle both matters of the wallet and the heart. Publication is scheduled for 2017; Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Erik Anderson at the University of Minnesota Press has acquired Margi Preus's second YA Minnesota Woods mystery, The Silver Box, about high school senior Francie who sets out to help free her older brother Theo from implication in a murder. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Alex Ulyett at Viking has preempted Down and Across, Arvin Ahmadi's YA debut about a boy whose track record of quitting doesn't live up to his immigrant parents' high expectations. What begins as an impromptu trip to a famous professor for advice about success turns into a summer of freedom, one that brings him answers in unexpected places. Publication is set for spring 2018; Tina Wexler of ICM Partners negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Anne Heltzel for Abrams/Amulet has bought pediatric cardiologist Ismée Amiel Williams's YA debut, provisionally titled Broken Angel, in which Mari, a pregnant teenage girl, faces choices she never imagined when doctors discover a rare heart defect in the fetus. Publication is planned for fall 2017; Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management brokered the deal for world English rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has acquired Rachel Bateman's YA novel Someone Else's Summer, about a sister who is lost when her older sister dies, until she stumbles upon a bucket list and decides to honor her sister by having the best summer ever. Publication is scheduled for spring 2017; Liza Fleissig of the Liza Royce Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Catherine Onder at Bloomsbury has bought Is It Okay to Crack the Code? and Is It Okay to Pee in the Ocean?, the first two books in the Is It Okay? series by debut author Ella Schwartz. The illustrated middle grade series answers STEM-based questions using a mix of science, history, and humor. The first book is slated for publication in spring 2018; Clelia Gore of Martin Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Susan Rich for Little, Brown has acquired Hello, Lighthouse! by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall, a picture book that celebrates the extraordinary life of one lighthouse as it beams its message out to sea through shifting seasons, changeable weather, and generations of keepers. It will be published in spring 2018; Nancy Gallt at the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has bought two picture books by author Jonathan London (l.), Duck and Hippo: In the Rainstormand Duck and Hippo: Lost and Found, to be illustrated by Andrew Joyner. The stories introduce an unlikely but perfect-together pair of best friends; the first book is set to publish in spring 2017. Dan Mandel from Sanford J. Greenburger Associates represented the author and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has acquired world rights to Stacy McAnulty's (l.) Love, a picture book that looks beyond the material definitions to focus on what love truly is, to be illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management represented the author, and Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the illustrator.
