Anne Heltzel at Amulet has acquired Iron Cast author Destiny Soria's YA fantasy, Beneath the Citadel. In a city ruled by seers whose 50 infallible prophecies brought first acclaim and then ruin to their people, four teens are the remnants of a failed rebellion. Caught between a scheming chancellor and an enigmatic executioner, they must uncover a secret, final prophecy in order to save their home and themselves. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Maggie Lehrman at Abrams has bought world rights to The Inconceivable Life of Quinn author Marianna Baer's Wolfwood, in which a desperate teenage girl begins secretly forging paintings by her once-famous mother to avoid becoming homeless, plunging her into both the glamour of the NYC art scene and the danger of a dark imaginary world. The book is scheduled for spring 2019; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties brokered the deal.
Eliza Swift at Albert Whitman has acquired Joan He's Descendant of the Crane, a debut YA fantasy novel pitched as a Chinese-inspired Game of Thrones. In a world where magic is forbidden, a young princess searches for her father's assassin, but must fight against the intrigue and suspicion that besets her own court. Publication is set for spring 2019; John Cusick at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management did the deal for world English rights.
Elise Howard at Algonquin has bought, in a preempt avoiding a six-house auction, a middle-grade graphic memoir by Cynthia Copeland. While grappling with evergreen mysteries—including friendships, bullies, and cute boys—Cynthia explores how she learned the value of journalism, as Watergate unfolded that summer. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Daniel Lazar at Writers House sold world rights.
Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins has acquired Paul Mosier’s third middle-grade novel, Summer and July, a contemporary coming-of-age story that follows the friendship between a goth girl filled with fake phobias and a free spirit who isn't as strong as she appears to be. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019; Wendy Schmalz at the Wendy Schmalz Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Karen Nagel at S&S/Aladdin has bought world English rights to author-illustrator Sarah Dillard's I Wish It Would Snow and an untitled sequel. In the first book, a bunny longs for snow, but soon finds he should be careful what he wishes for. Publication is set for spring 2019; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words brokered the deal.
Before leaving Putnam, Jen Besser acquired debut author-illustrator Primo Gallanosa's Hey, Who Made This Mess?, with Stephanie Pitts editing. The picture book tells the story of some terrified zoo animals who fear that a strange monster is wreaking messy havoc, only to discover it's far from what they expected and danger is all a matter of perception. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Andrea Tompa at Candlewick has bought world rights to David LaRochelle's Isle of You, illustrated by Jaime Kim. In the picture book, readers are invited to visit the comforting shores of the Isle of You, where difficult feelings can be overcome with imagination and delight in life’s simple joys. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Claire Easton at Painted Words represented the illustrator, and the author was unagented.
Katie Cotton at Quarto/Lincoln Children's has acquired world rights to Grandad Mandela, the first children's book about Nelson Mandela (l.) created in collaboration with his family. The book is co-written by Zazi Mandela, Ziwelene Mandela, and Ambassador Zindzi Mandela. In the story, two great-grandchildren ask their grandmother 15 questions about the man they remember as Grandad and the world remembers as Nelson Mandela. They learn that he was a freedom fighter, a president, and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner, and that they can continue his legacy in the world today. Sean Qualls, the Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator of Before John Was a Jazz Giant, will illustrate. Publication is set for July 2018, on what would have been Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday; Mandela Legacy Media Proprietory Limited represented the Mandelas, and Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties represented Qualls.
Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has bought three YA titles from bestselling author Suzanne Young. The first book, Girls with Sharp Sticks, is about a teen who attends an all-girl private high school that is part of a corporation that trains perfect “girls” for sponsors, until the girls learn their true nature and decide to fight back. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the deal for world English rights.
Ben Rosenthal at HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis's Heroine, a contemporary YA novel about a small-town softball star's easy slide into drug addiction, set amidst the opioid epidemic in America's heartland. Publication is slated for winter 2019; Adriann Ranta Zurhellen at Foundry Literary + Media negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Fire has bought Amelinda Berube's Bone Kingdom. Pitched as The Blair Witch Project meets Imaginary Girls, the story follows 16-year-old Skye, who must confront her most savage secrets to save her missing sister, Deirdre, from the terrifying stick-and-bone monsters that have come to life in the woods behind their new home. Publication is planned for August 2019; Lana Popovic at Chalberg & Sussman negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Sara Sargent at HarperCollins has acquired, at auction, North American rights to The Girl Guide: 50 Ways to Learn to Love Your Changing Body, by Marawa Ibrahim, illustrated by Sinem Erkas. With practical advice about everything from periods to bras to body hair, the book tells tween girls what they need to know about the mental, physical, and social changes related to growing up. Publication is set for summer 2018; Rachel Williams at Frances Lincoln Children's Books did the deal.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has bought world rights to Vanessa Brantley Newton's picture book, Shake It Off. When a feisty goat falls into a rut, he learns that the best way to solve his problem is to shake it off and pack it under. Publication is slated for summer 2021; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words negotiated the deal.
Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House has acquired Girl vs. Squirrel, a picture book by Hayley Barrett (l.), illustrated by Renée Andriani, the story of a spirited squirrel and an intrepid girl who find themselves in a peanut-driven battle of wills—with ever-increasing consequences. The book is scheduled for publication in spring 2020; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Studio Goodwin Sturges represented the illustrator.
Howard Reeves at Abrams has bought world rights to a picture book by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. A Ride to Remember tells the civil rights history of the Carousel on the National Mall, a story Nathan detailed in her 2011 YA book, Round and Round Together. As a child in 1963, Langley along with her parents helped de-segregate the amusement park where this carousel used to be. Publication is planned for 2019; Susan Schulman at the Susan Schulman Literary Agency represented the authors, and the illustrator represented himself.
