Leila Sales at Viking has acquired world rights to Look! What Do You See?, the first children's book by MacArthur Award winner Xu Bing, former v-p of China's Central Academy of Fine Arts. Written in his signature Square Word Calligraphy style, this is an art puzzle book of American and Chinese songs to be decoded, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. Publication is scheduled for fall 2017; the author represented himself and Alli Brydon of Bright USA represented the illustrator.

Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster has bought North American English-language rights to Learning to Breathe and a second YA novel by debut author Janice Lynn Mather in a five-way auction. This contemporary story set in the Caribbean tells of a girl who, after suffering repeated sexual abuse, discovers community and her own self-worth at a yoga retreat. Publication is slated for summer 2018; Rachel Letofsky at the Cooke Agency negotiated the deal.

Alison Weiss at Sky Pony Press has acquired North American rights to debut YA novel The Harper Effect by Taryn Bashford. It's a coming-of-age story set across three continents in the world of international tennis – with high stakes both on and off the court. Publication is planned for 2018; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management brokered the deal on behalf of Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown Australia.

Margaret Raymo at HMH has bought Miles Away from You, a debut YA novel by A.B. Rutledge. It tells the story of a teenage boy who loses the love of his life and looks for the courage to move on, in an exploration of gender nonconformity and identity, and the transformative power of love, travel, art, and human connection. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Moe Ferrara at BookEnds Literary sold world rights.

Kate Sullivan at Delacorte has acquired The Arc of a Bullet by Karen Fortunati, author of The Weight of Zero. In the story, a young woman is at the intersection of her brother's violent mental health breakdown and a police shooting. Book #1 is set for 2018; book #2 is projected for 2019. Sara Megibow of KT Literary sold world English in a two-book deal.

Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has bought debut author Amelinda Bérubé's Under the Icy Lake, pitched as Black Swan meets Paranormal Activity, a literary ghost story about a former dancer whose grip on sanity starts to slip when she begins to think a dark entity is stalking her and craves her life. Publication is slated for August 2018; Lana Popovic at Chalberg & Sussman negotiated the deal for world English rights.

Emily Thomas Meehan and Laura Schreiber at Disney Publishing Worldwide have acquired four books from Robert Beatty (Serafina and the Black Cloak), including a new middle-grade mystery duology about a 12-year-old “nightspirit” named Willa. The first book in the Willa of the Wood duology will publish in fall 2018 and will feature cameos of characters from Beatty's Serafina series. The second book in the series is scheduled for late 2019; the deal also covers an unspecified third and fourth book to follow. Bill Contardi of Brandt & Hochman brokered the deal for North American rights.

Eileen Rothschild at St. Martin's/Wednesday Books has acquired The Gilded Wolves, a new trilogy by Roshani Chokshi. Set in a darkly glamorous Paris, the series follows a charismatic but cursed heir of a massive fortune as he plots to steal one of three ancient and powerful artifacts of fate. He and his crew will navigate the elite gatherings of secret occult societies, traveling through Paris's catacombs where they must confront their worst secrets as well as a destiny they never imagined. Publication is set for fall 2018; Thao Le at Sandra Dijkstra negotiated the deal for world English rights.

Alyssa Raymond and William Kiester at Page Street have bought Lynn Slaughter's It Should Have Been You, in which a cyberstalked high-school advice columnist takes matters into her own hands to figure out the secrets behind her twin sister's murder, putting herself in grave danger. Publication is slated for winter 2018; Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.

Sara Goodman at St. Martin's/Wednesday Books has acquired Kim Liggett's YA speculative thriller The Grace Year, in a six-figure preempt. Pitched as The Handmaid's Tale meets Lord of the Flies, the story follows a 16-year-old girl whose village banishes all girls her age to the northern forests, where they must survive the wilderness – and themselves – before being allowed to return to society as purified women. Publication is planned for winter 2019; Jaida Temperly of New Leaf Literary & Media sold world English rights.

Cassandra Pelham at Scholastic/Graphix has bought Coral by Jade Feng Lee, a debut middle-grade graphic novel. It follows a second-generation Chinese-American girl as she navigates middle school while trying to reconcile her Chinese heritage with the “American” expectations of her peers. The story will include elements of fantasy and Chinese folklore, and feature themes of family, friendship, identity, and food as cultural connection. Publication is tentatively scheduled for 2019; the author represented herself in this deal for world rights.

Bethany Buck and Sammy Yuen at Sky Pony Press have acquired world rights to illustrations by Smiljana Coh for Julian Lennon's picture book trilogy, Touch the Earth, written with Bart Davis, the story of a magical plane that takes children all over the world, teaching them how to save the planet. The first book will pub in March 2017; Anne Moore Armstrong at Bright USA represented the illustrator in a three-book deal.

Ken Wright and Joanna Cardenas at Viking have bought an early reader series called Hi, Jack!, written by Mac Barnett (l.) and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli. The books will follow a mischievous monkey named Jack who takes pleasure in bending the rules and blurring the line between right and wrong. The series will launch in spring 2018 with two books, followed by two more in summer 2018. Steven Malk at Writers House did the eight-book deal for world rights.

Nancy Paulsen at Penguin's Nancy Paulsen Books has bought world rights to Katie Hesterman's debut picture book, A Round of Robins, a look at a winged family's joyous and spunky life, to be illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Publication is slated for spring 2018; Rick Margolis at Rising Bear Literary Agency represented the author and Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.

Annie Berger at Sourcebooks has won at auction author-illustrator Monique Bonneau's Seven Bad Cats, a picture book that follows a girl and a band of bad cats who stow away on her boat and wreak havoc on their voyage. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Brent Taylor at the TriadaUS Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.


Kristin Zelazko at Albert Whitman has acquired Once Upon a ZZZZ, written and illustrated by Maddie Frost. This picture book follows an author who falls asleep and an illustrator who takes over telling the story – exactly the way she wants to. Publication is set for fall 2017; Alli Brydon of Bright USA brokered the deal for world rights.