Hyde Re-ups at Lake Union
Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay It Forward) inked a new deal with Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing imprint, selling world rights to four books to Jodi Warshaw. The first book in the deal, Allie & Bea, is slated for summer 2017; it follows a 70-year-old widow who takes a road trip after her husband dies and winds up finding an unexpected traveling companion in a 15-year-old girl. Agent Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary represented Hyde and said the novel is about two people who, “as they travel together, come to a new understanding not just of each other, but also of the world.”

Penguin Press Lights Ng’s Fires
In a North American rights deal, Celeste Ng sold her sophomore novel, Little Fires Everywhere, to Ginny Smith at Penguin Press. Ng’s debut, Everything I Never Told You (Penguin Press, 2014), received wide critical acclaim and, among other things, earned a starred PW review, was named a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, and won the 2015 Massachusetts Book Award. Little Fires is set in the author’s hometown of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and follows a family called the Richardsons. The book, Penguin elaborated, explores “the weight of long-held secrets, the nature of belonging, the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.” Julie Barer at the Book Group represented Ng, and Little Fires is slated for a 2017 release.

Origami Yoga Creator Sells New Picture Book
Tom Angleberger, the author of the bestselling Origami Yoda series, sold a new picture book called Goldberg!! & the Rich Dude Who Couldn’t Sleep to Abrams. Susan van Metre took world rights to the title, which will be illustrated by Elio. The author was represented by Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and the illustrator was represented by Jennifer Rofe at Andrea Brown. The book is scheduled for a fall 2018 release and, per Wiseman, “tells the slightly wacky story of a rich, sleepless dude whose harpsichord player, Goldberg, wasn’t successful in lulling said dude to sleep.”

Neal Porter Re-ups Award-Winning Picture Book Pair
In another picture book deal, the Caldecott-winning author-illustrator duo of Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead sold Music for Mister Moon to Roaring Book Press’s Neal Porter Books. Neal Porter, the publisher of the imprint, took world rights to the title from Emily van Beek at Folio Literary Management. Van Beek said the book is about “a wistful young cellist named Harriet who longs to play in solitude” until she “meets the Moon, buys him a hat, and plays music just for him.” Music for Mr. Moon is scheduled for fall 2018.

Constantine Sisters Sell Debut to Harper
Writing under the pseudonym Liv Constantine, sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine sold their first psychological suspense novel, Middlegame, to Emily Griffin at Harper. Griffin took world rights from Bernadette Baker-Baughman at Victoria Sanders & Associates. Baker-Baughman said the book follows a woman who “desires the life of another woman and will go to any length to get it.” Middlegame is set for winter 2018 and will be released simultaneously in multiple countries—including France, Spain, and the U.S.—as part of the publisher’s new global publishing program.

HC Handles England’s ‘Disasters’
Abby Ranger at HarperCollins took world English rights, in a two-book preempt, to M.K. England’s debut YA novel, The Disasters. Barbara Poelle at Irene Goodman Literary, who represented England, said she pitched the novel as “The Breakfast Club meets Firefly” and that it follows five teenagers “who consider themselves to be galactic failures and have to use the qualities that flunked them out of Ellis Space Academy to prevent a series of intergalactic attacks.“

Nugent Does Double at Gallery
Making her first acquisition as a senior editor at Gallery Books, Jackie Cantor acquired U.S. rights to two psychological suspense novels by Irish author Liz Nugent. Cantor took the author’s debut, Unraveling Oliver, and her sophomore effort, Lying in Wait, both of which have been published in Ireland, where they became bestsellers. In Unraveling Oliver, named 2014 Crime Novel of the Year by the Irish Book Awards, the life of a seemingly perfect couple shatters when the husband attacks the wife, leaving her in a coma. The book then unravels the mystery of the shocking act from his point of view. Gallery has Unraveling Oliver slated for August 2017, and Lying in Wait for summer 2018.