Laura Godwin at Henry Holt has acquired a young adult adaptation of Bernie Sanders's Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In, describing his Presidential campaign and the road ahead for young readers interested in his policies, The book, which is currently untitled, was bought in a pre-empt from Ronald Goldfarb at Goldfarb & Associates for world English rights. Publication is scheduled for April 2017.

Emily Meehan and Julie Rosenberg at Disney-Hyperion have bought Elizabeth Wein's The Pearl Thief, a prequel to Code Name Verity, set in 1938 and featuring Julie solving a mystery on her grandmother's estate in Scotland. It's slated for May 2017; Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal for U.S. rights.

Georgia McBride of Month9Books has acquired a debut YA from Bill Doyle writing as W.H. Doyle, called Tudor Rose, pitched as The Selection meets Reign. In the story, two teenage best friends in 16th-century England journey to the Queen's court in the hope of being named Ladies-in-Waiting. There the girls are up against more “worldly” girls, including mean-girl Avis. Soon, the grand hall is more like the hallways of high school, with girls competing for the attention of a dashing young earl, amid parties fueled by drinking and sex. Publication is planned for October 2017; Allison Cohen at Gersh sold North American rights.

Kate Prosswimmer at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has bought Christina Collins's Zero, a middle grade contemporary novel with a dash of magical realism, about a girl who believes the answer to her problems lies in speaking zero words a day. Publication is set for 2018; Allison Hellegers at Rights People brokered the two-book deal for world English rights on behalf of Becky Bagnell at Lindsay Literary Agency.

Victoria Rock at Chronicle has acquired a new picture book by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall, If You Come to Earth, about a boy who writes a helpful letter to extraterrestrials who may be considering a visit. Publication is scheduled for fall 2018; Nancy Gallt of Gallt & Zacker negotiated the deal for world rights.

Louise May at Lee & Low Books has bought world rights to photojournalist Richard Sobol's Bringing Back the Rhinos, which tells of the conservation efforts in Kenya's protected wildlife sanctuary Ol Pejeta to ensure the continued existence of black rhinos, even while neighboring white rhinos face extinction. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Susan Cohen of PearlCo Literary Agency did the deal.

Vicky Holifield at Peachtree has acquired Melissa Stewart's (l.) Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs, a picture book tribute to animals who may seem like nature's losers—because they are slow or small or smelly—but in fact, their perceived weaknesses are often strengths. Stephanie Laberis will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2019. The author represented herself and Anne Moore Armstrong of Bright USA represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.

Namtra Tripathi at Dial has bought world rights toTomorrow Will Be New, a celebration of the dreams we have for our children and the wondrous, unknowable future in front of them. Former editor and debut author Kiley Frank has written the text, and Aaron Meshon (Take Me Out to the Yakyu) will illustrate. Miriam Altshuler at DeFiore and Company represented the author and Rubin Pfeffer of Rubin Pfeffer Content represented the illustrator.

Ann Rider at HMH has acquired world rights toGoodbye Brings Hello by Dianne White, a picture book written in verse about the ways a child must say goodbye to one moment or milestone in order to welcome the next. Daniel Wiseman will illustrate. It's scheduled for June 2018; Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.

Jill Santopolo at Philomel has acquired world English rights to a book by Mayim Bialik, actress, writer, neuroscientist, and founder of GrokNation.com. In Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, a girl's guide to growing up, the author discusses navigating everything from first kisses and first periods to rocky friendships, family responsibilities, gender questions, body image issues, and figuring out one's passion and place in the world. It's scheduled for publication in May 2017; Tiffany Kuzon at Primary Wave did the deal.

Elizabeth Bewley at HMH won at auction Chemistry Lessons, a debut YA novel by Boston Globe entertainment reporter and advice columnist Meredith Goldstein. The book follows a teen science whiz in Cambridge, Mass., who tries to crack the chemical equation for lasting love and instead wreaks havoc on herself and the boys in her life. It's slated for 2018; Katherine Flynn at Kneerim & Williams brokered the two-book deal for North American rights.

Alessandra Balzer at Balzer + Bray has acquired at auction Abdi Nazemian's The Authentics, a debut YA novel about Daria, a 15 year-old Iranian-American girl who is fiercely proud of her heritage and her membership in her high school anti-clique, The Authentics, and who is launched on a journey of self-discovery when she finds out she was adopted. Publication is slated for summer 2017; Mitchell Waters at Curtis Brown negotiated the deal for North American rights.

Emilia Rhodes at HarperTeen has bought Sarah Nicole Smetana's The Midnights, a debut novel set in Southern California, in which an aspiring young musician struggles to reclaim her creative voice after her father's unexpected death uproots more than just long-buried family secrets. Publication is planned for winter 2018; Jess Regel at Foundry Literary + Media brokered the deal for U.S. rights.

Michelle H. Nagler at Random House has bought a new middle-grade novel by Leslie Margolis, called The Fortunes Five. In it, a group of five middle schoolers, unhappily thrown together for a social studies project, discover a paper fortune-teller that is mystifyingly accurate. The book is scheduled for spring 2018; Laura Langlie did the deal for world English rights.

Kelsey Murphy at Balzer + Bray has acquired Ashley Poston's Heart of Iron, for publication in winter 2018. Pitched as Anastasia meets Firefly, it's the story of an orphan girl raised by a band of space pirates who discovers the truth about her origins when she and her android best friend get wrapped up in a political conspiracy. Holly Root at Waxman Leavell Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights.

Alison Deering at Capstone has acquired Danielle Davis's Zinnia and the Bees, a middle-grade novel told from the alternating perspectives of Zinnia — a humorous young loner, knitter, and yarn bomber — and an unintentionally comical hive of honeybees. Publication is set for fall 2017; Rick Margolis at Rising Bear Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.

Alyson Heller at Aladdin Books has bought North American rights toHalfway Normal by Barbara Dee. Seventh-grader Norah is back at school after a two-year treatment for leukemia. Not wanting to be treated as Cancer Girl and fearing her classmates won't understand, she refuses to share her experience, until an assignment from her English teacher gives her the perfect opportunity. It will publish in December 2017; Jill Grinberg of Jill Grinberg Literary Management did the deal.

Jennifer Greene at Clarion Books has bought world rights to Catherine Reef's biography of Mary Shelley, the teenage author of Frankenstein, whose life reads like a gothic novel. It's scheduled for fall 2018, the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein; the author represented herself.


Ann Kelley at Schwartz & Wade has preempted author-illustrator Amy Hevron's debut picture book, Dust Bunny Wants a Friend, about a lonely dust bunny who attempts to befriend all kinds of creatures before finding his perfect match. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the author in the deal for world rights.

Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has acquired Jacob Grant's Bear's Scare, a picture book about a bear who finds a spider in his house, and also discovers his fear of them. Publication is planned for 2018; Steven Chudney from the Chudney Agency brokered the two-book deal for world rights.


Allyn Johnston and Andrea Welch at Beach Lane Books have bought world rights to It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! by Jody Jensen Shaffer (l.), a picture book about a school bus who has first-day-of-school jitters, until he discovers he's not alone. Claire Messer will illustrate; publication is set for summer 2018. Kathleen Rushall of Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author and Rebecca Sherman of Writers House represented the illustrator.

Beth Terrill at NorthSouth Books has acquired world rights to Shana Corey’s picture book A Time to Act: John F. Kennedy's Big Speech, a look at the complicated relationship between John F. Kennedy and the civil rights movement on the occasion of what would have been his 100th birthday. R. Gregory Christie will illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2017. Tracey Adams at Adams Literary negotiated the deal for the author; the illustrator is unagented.