Megan Ilnitzki at HarperTeen has won at auction Jason June's debut YA novel, Jay's Gay Agenda, and a second book. The story follows the titular character after he moves to Seattle from his rural high school, introducing him to other queer teens for the very first time, and allowing him to finally cross items off his gay romance to-do list. Publication is scheduled for summer 2021; Brent Taylor at Triada US brokered the deal for world English rights.
Mary Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has bought world rights to Arnée Flores's debut novel, The Firebird Song. The middle-grade fantasy follows a 12-year-old bargeboy and a lost princess on a dangerous quest to unravel clues left by the Firebird Queen, and call the Firebird back to their kingdom before all hope is extinguished. Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties negotiated the two-book contract; publication is slated for spring 2021.
Heidi Kilgras at Random House has acquired world rights to two titles in the new Stepping Stones line of Graphic Chapter Books, Bobo and Pup-Pup: We Love Bubbles and Bobo and Pup-Pup: Bake a Cake by Vikram Madan, illustrated by Nicola Slater. The books feature two friends who do things in very different ways, but still manage to have fun. Publication is planned for summer 2021 and fall 2021; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Doreen Thorogood at Good Illustration represented the illustrator.
Kate Farrell at Holt has bought, on exclusive submission, world rights to author of the forthcoming Why We Swim Bonnie Tsui's (l.) Sarah and the Big Wave, illustrated by Sophie Diao. The picture book is about one of the first female big-wave surfers. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Danielle Svetcov at LGR Literary represented the author, and Alexandra Penfold at Upstart Crow Literary represented the illustrator.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired world rights to The Queen's Pangolin by Melinda Beatty (l.), author of the Heartseeker series, and illustrated by Paola Escobar, illustrator of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. In this picture book, a pangolin breaks his queen's swing, and struggles with telling her the truth about what happened. Publication is set for fall 2022; Jennifer Linnan at Linnan Literary Management represented the author, and Amy Kitcherside at Pickled Ink represented the illustrator.
Wendy McClure at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Sometimes It's Hard to Be Nice by Maggie Rudd (l.), illustrated by Kelly O'Neill. The picture book is about the challenges of being nice to cousins who hoard toys, to grandmothers who bake strange foods, and to kids who nobody else likes. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Mary Cummings at Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises represented the author, and Christina Barratt at Beehive Illustration represented the illustrator.
Nina Gruener at Cameron Kids has acquired world rights to Herbert & Dorothy: The Story of a Postal Clerk and a Librarian and Their Extraordinary Collection of Art by Jackie Azúa Kramer (l.), illustrated by Julie Breckenreid, a picture book about the New York couple who loved art, collected it, and gave it all away to museums across the country. Publication is slated for fall 2021; Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
