Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown has acquired, in a preempt, the YA novel All the Yellow Suns by essayist and feminist advocate Malavika Kannan. For fans of Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the immersive novel tells the story of a queer Indian-American protagonist living in a conservative Florida suburb who falls for her white female classmate, wealthy, complicated Juneau Zale, when she is asked to join a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school. Publication is set for summer 2023; Stephanie Rostan at Levine Greenberg Rostan did the deal for world rights.
Jennifer Ung at Quill Tree has bought Love & Resistance by debut author Kara H.L. Chen in a preempt. The YA contemporary novel follows a Taiwanese American teen who joins forces with a secret society of students intent on ending the school's culture around bullying—all while making friends and falling in love along the way. Publication is scheduled for summer 2023; Alex Slater at Trident Media Group negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Alexa Wejko at Soho Teen has acquired Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu's debut novel Ride or Die. Adrenaline-obsessed Loli Crawford can't help herself when it comes to chasing thrills, danger, and fun—but when she strikes up an anonymous correspondence with X, a mysterious student at her school, he challenges Loli to a game that begins to test even her no-holds-barred quest for adventure. Publication is planned for spring 2023; Lauren Bieker at FinePrint Literary handled the deal for world English rights.
Gina Gagliano while at Random House Graphic bought Stonewall Honor-winning author Melanie Gillman's graphic novel format collection of feminist, queer original fairy tales, Other Ever Afters. The book asks the question: what if the monsters, mermaids, and witchy old women in fairy tales all found the happily ever afters they deserve? It's slated for fall 2022; Jen Linnan at Linnan Literary sold world rights.
Alicia Sparrow at Chicago Review Press has acquired world rights to speculative fiction writer Circe Moskowitz's No Harm Done, pitched as a cross between Slasher Girls and Monster Boys and Jordan Peele's Twilight Zone. The YA anthology is a collection of Black horror stories from both debut and established Black writers, including Kalynn Bayron, Ryan Douglass, Sami Ellis, Brent Lambert, Ashia Monet, Linda Raquel Nieves Pérez, Joel Rochester, Liselle Sambury, and Joelle Wellington, for publication in fall 2023. Natascha Morris at Tobias Literary Agency did the deal.
Cassandra Pelham Fulton and Emily Nguyen at Scholastic/Graphix, in collaboration with Yasmin Morrissey at Scholastic UK, have bought a debut middle-grade graphic novel from Irish comedian Aoife Dooley. Frankie's World draws from the author's own experience with autism and follows a girl's mission to find her biological father in order to understand why she feels so different from everyone in her class. Publication is set for summer 2022; Faith O'Grady at the Lisa Richards Agency sold world rights.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired world rights to Ruptured by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz (Everywhere Blue). The novel in verse follows a 13-year-old girl on vacation with her parents. Her mother tells her a painful secret just before suffering a brain aneurysm rupture, and the family must learn to navigate a difficult new existence. Publication is scheduled for fall 2023; the author represented herself.
Katie Scott at Kids Can Press has bought world rights to Queer History A–Z by Robin Stevenson (l.), illustrated by Vivian Rosas. The middle grade nonfiction book covers the key people, places, and events that have shaped queer history in North America over the past century, with a focus on the theme of activism. Publication is slated for spring 2024; Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Alyson Heller and Anna Parsons at Aladdin have acquired Steph B. Jones (l.) and Rachele Alpine's chapter book Quilting a Legacy, which follows Myka as she learns to quilt and traces her family's history, inspiring her to continue her family's quilting legacy that's been handed down for generations. Publication is planned for summer 2022; Natalie Lakosil at Irene Goodman Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Tara Walker at Tundra Books has acquired North American rights to Jashar Awan's Strum & Drum, a picture book in which a pair of Christmas tree ornaments sets out on a quest to reach "the Great Star." Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author and illustrator.
Bunmi Ishola at WaterBrook has bought, at auction, world rights to My Forever Home by Ha Dinh (l.) (Happy Days in First Grade), illustrated by Bao Luu, based on the author's childhood experience living in a refugee camp in the Philippines after the fall of Saigon and sheds light on the Vietnamese American diaspora through the eyes of a child. Publication is slated for summer 2023; Hannah VanVels Ausbury at Belcastro Agency represented the author, and Kate Kendrick at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Dianne Hess at Scholastic has acquired world rights to The Tower Life, a picture book by Chana Stiefel (l.), illustrated by Susan Gal. It tells the true story of how Holocaust survivor and Jewish historian Yaffa Eliach traveled the world to rebuild her town with stories and photographs, creating the Tower of Faces exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Publication is planned for fall 2022; John Cusick of Folio Literary Management/Folio Jr. represented the author, and Gail Gaynin at Morgan Gaynin represented the illustrator.
Ariel Richardson at Chronicle has bought world rights to There's Always Room for More by Christina Shawn (l.), illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani. This picture book is about a child happy with one parent, who has to adjust to the fun and the not-so-fun parts when a second parent, a new pet, and a sibling are added to the family. Publication is set for spring 2024; Mary Cummings of Great River Literary, in association with Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises, represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Lara Caplan at Kids Can Press has acquired world rights to The Girl Who Named the World, a picture book by Dave Cameron (l.), illustrated by Yong Ling Kang, about a girl who helps her aging grandfather create new words when he can't quite remember what to say. Publication is scheduled for fall 2023; the author represented himself, and Emily van Beek at Folio Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Courtney Fahy at Little Bee Books has bought world rights to Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews by Julie Hedlund (l.) (Over Bear! Under Where!), illustrated by Ilaria Urbinati (Books by Horseback), a picture book biography about Julie Andrews. Publication is planned for fall 2023; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary Studio represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Carolyn Yoder at Astra/Calkins Creek has acquired North American rights to Bird Girl: Gene Stratton-Porter: How a Childhood Passion Gave Wings to a Remarkable Life by Jill Esbaum (l.) (Jack Knight’s Brave Flight), illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. This nonfiction picture book tells the story of Gene Stratton-Porter, a writer of books on birds and books for children. Publication is slated for spring 2024; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Joseph Fitzgerald at Wisdom Tales has bought world rights to Amanda Hall's Song of the Raven, a picture book about Little Darkness, the son of Raven, who brings light and his father's song back into the world after his father took the sun away to punish people for greedily capturing and killing the living things around them. Publication is tentatively scheduled for spring 2025; Anna Olswanger of Olswanger Literary did the deal.
Kate Prosswimmer at McElderry Books has acquired North American rights to A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen (the Nyxia Trilogy). When a fight breaks out in the university portal room, six wizards are transported to the middle of nowhere—and one is dead on arrival. The survivors begin a treacherous journey home with a limited magical supply, a malevolent force stalking them, and a few dark secrets that will make it hard to tell if the biggest danger is what's lurking in the woods or each other. Publication is set for spring 2023; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency did the deal.
David Levithan at Scholastic has bought The Revelry by Katherine Webber (Only Love Can Break Your Heart). It tells the story of best friends, bad luck and the consequences of breaking the rules in a town built on secrets and superstitions. Publication is projected for spring 2023; Claire Wilson at RCW negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Andrea Colvin at Little, Brown has acquired Deya Muniz (l.) and Emily Erdos's YA graphic novel Blades of Furry, based on their webcomic of the same name, in which Emile, a promising rookie in the high-stakes world of battle ice skating, learns the deepest secret of reigning champion Radu's and must decide whether to use it to take his rival down, while getting closer and closer to him. Publication is scheduled for fall 2023; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management brokered the deal for world rights.
Hannah Smith at Owl Hollow has bought Laura Resau's (The Queen of Water) new YA science fiction novel, Virch, the story of a teen who infiltrates a virtual reality empire to save her sister, but when she discovers a plot to destroy humanity, she must team up with the founder's enigmatic son even as she questions the very nature of reality. Publication is slated for spring 2023; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary handled the deal for world English rights.
Rosemary Brosnan at Quill Tree has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Children of the Stone City by Carnegie Medalist Beverley Naidoo, to be co-published by HarperCollins Children's Books UK, and co-edited by Brosnan and Courtney Stevenson. Inspired by the author's upbringing during the apartheid years in South Africa, the middle grade novel tells the story of music-loving Adam, classified as a "Non" living under a "Permitted" ruling class, who must confront the inequality and injustice of his world. Publication is planned for fall 2022; Hilary Delamere of the Agency negotiated the deal.
Kieran Viola at Disney has bought The Dungeon Society by Nick Eliopulos, an interactive middle-grade adventure fantasy series that invites young readers to take on the mantle of the story's heroes; Regan Winter will edit. These are not your typical fantasy heroes—these are the monstrous outsiders, the weird kids: young orcs, goblins, and snake-boys. The first book, Pick Your Poison, will publish in fall 2023, with a sequel the following year. Josh Adams at Adams Literary brokered the three-book deal for world English rights.
Renee Kelly at Penguin Workshop has acquired, in a two-book deal, world rights to children's author Silvia López (l.) and Broadway producer Susan Rose's (c.) easy reader series José and El Perro, illustrated by visual development artist Gloria Felix (r.). The first book of the bilingual series chronicles one boy's confusion when his newly adopted dog, Feliz, doesn't understand his Spanish commands. Publication is set for March 2023; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented López, Rachel Altemose at Salky Literary Management in association with Charlotte Sheedy Literary represented Rose, and Christine Hong at Astound US represented Gloria Felix.
Meghan Maria McCullough at Levine Querido has bought world English rights to Mr. Coats, written and illustrated by Sieb Posthuma, a picture book about a man who can never seem to get warm, until he makes an unexpected friend. David Colmer will translate; publication is scheduled for fall 2022. Luciënne van der Leije at Querido negotiated the deal.
Maggie Rosenthal at Viking has acquired, at auction, author-illustrator Lizzy O'Donnell's debut picture book, The Day Bell Found Her Sound. Bell the mouse wants to make her mark on the world, but she isn't sure how to do that until she finds a sound—and voice—all her own. Publication is slated for summer 2024; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary brokered the two-book deal for world rights.
Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House/Margaret Ferguson Books has bought The Brand-New-Never-Used Perfect Crayons by Leanne Hatch (Unraveled). An imaginative girl earns a super-big box of crayons, but she loves the perfect crayons so much she refuses to share them or even to use them. Publication is planned for summer 2023; Janine Le at Sheldon Fogelman Agency handled the deal for North American rights.
Luana Kay Horry at HarperCollins has acquired world rights for Rock Stars Don't Nap by Jason Perkins (l.), illustrated by Cale Atkinson (Sir Simon series). Jimmy was born to rock, but when his mom insists that showtime become naptime, he'll need to give the performance of his life or else his rocking days are over. Publication is set for summer 2023; Natascha Morris at Tobias Literary Agency represented the author, and Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.
Tamar Brazis at Viking has bought world rights to Pie-Rats! by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough (l.), illustrated by David Mottram. In this picture book in verse, a swashbuckling band of rats set sail on the open seas in search of dessert. Publication is scheduled for spring 2024; Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Yasemin Uçar at Kids Can Press has acquired world rights to Donkey, the Cat by Kari-Lynn Winters (l.), a picture book about a donkey who is uncertain about his identity and role on the farm, illustrated by Kelly Collier. Kathleen Keenan will edit; publication is slated for spring 2023. Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins/Tegen has bought world rights to A Creature Was Stirring by debut author Heather S. Pierczynski (l.), illustrated by Skylar Hogan. This picture book puts a spin on a classic holiday tale, in which readers learn why a mischievous mouse, of all creatures, is singled out in The Night Before Christmas and how it keeps a whole house awake. Publication is planned for fall 2023; Lindsay Auld at Writers House represented the author, and Christa Heschke at McIntosh & Otis represented the illustrator.
Jennifer Newens at West Margin has acquired world rights, in an exclusive submission, to Little Narwhal Lost by Brooke Hartman (l.), illustrated by Evon Zerbetz. This picture book tells the true story of a narwhal who wanders more than 600 miles outside his habitat and is adopted by a pod of belugas. Publication is scheduled for October 2023; Sera Rivers at Martin Literary & Media Management represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Kayla Tostevin at Page Street Kids has bought world rights to Swimming Towards a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer by Reem Faruqi (l.), illustrated by Asma Enayeh, a picture book biography that follows Yusra's dangerous passage from Syria to Germany to eventually represent her country on the Refugee Olympic Team. Publication is set for fall 2023; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency represented the author, and Christine Hong at Astound represented the illustrator.
Rosemary Brosnan and Cynthia Leitich Smith at Heartdrum have acquired world rights to I Am Osage by Kim Rogers (Wichita) (l.), illustrated by Bobby Von Martin (Choctaw). This nonfiction picture book biography focuses on Osage military hero Clarence Tinker. Publication is planned for winter 2024; Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Wiley Blevins at Reycraft Books has bought world rights to Tapping Feet: How Two Cultures Came Together to Make an American Dance by Moira Donohue (l.), a nonfiction picture book about the history of tap dancing in America, and how different dance styles of the African and Irish immigrants melded to form the tap dancing we know today, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award winner Colin Bootman. Publication is slated for spring 2023; Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself.
Hannah Lambert at Little Simon has acquired world rights to The Thank You Book by Danna Smith (l.), illustrated by Juliana Perdomo, a board book that encourages readers to say thank you to those who help us every day. Publication is scheduled for fall 2022; Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the illustrator.
