Krista Marino at Delacorte has acquired Kirsten Miller's (the Kiki Strike series) Don't Tell a Soul, a feminist reaction to the Gothic novel and the many ways society silences women. When Bram is sent away to her uncle's manor home to escape controversy, she finds herself in a small town haunted with a dark past surrounding her new residence and the girls who have lived there. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Suzanne Gluck at William Morris Endeavor did the deal for North American rights.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has bought, in a preempt, The One Who Loves You the Most by 2019 SCBWI Emerging Voices winner medina. The middle grade novel follows 12-year-old Gabriela who lives at the intersection of multiple identities as they long to find their place in the world, but a school project, new trans and queer friends, and a YouTube channel help Gabriela find purpose in their journey and find community. Publication is set for fall 2021; Marietta Zacker at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American English and world Dutch rights.
Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has acquired Cassie Gustafson's YA contemporary debut, After the Ink Dries. With illustrated graphic novel interstitials, the book features a girl who wakes after a party, half-clothed, with crude words and male names Sharpied in intimate places on her skin. She's convinced her new boyfriend wasn't involved, until she finds his name on her body and must borrow strength from the alter-ego supergirl she draws while searching for her own. Publication is slated for summer 2021; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Alexandra Cooper at HarperCollins/Quill Tree has bought Emery Lee's Meet-Cute Diary, about a trans teen who must decide if he's dedicated to romantic formulas or open to unpredictable love after an internet troll-attack on his trans romance blog compels him and a fan to start fake-dating to salvage the blog's reputation. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Beth Phelan at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency did the deal for world English rights.
Molly Cusick at Sourcebooks has acquired, in a two-book deal, Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs, a debut #OwnVoices middle grade novel inspired by the author's great-grandmother's own experience. Twelve-year-old Petra Luna is a Mexican migrant girl from a poor mestizo family. As she struggles to escape violence and lead her family to the safety of the U.S. border during the Mexican Revolution, Petra must also hang tight to her dreams. Publication is set for fall 2021; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary brokered the deal for North American and audio rights.
Alexandra Hightower at Little, Brown has preempted North American rights to Adam Borba's The Midnight Brigade in a two-book deal. Set in Pittsburgh, the "City of Bridges," this middle grade novel follows three unexpected friends and the surprisingly friendly troll who teaches them the power of raising their voices. Publication for the first book is scheduled for fall 2021; Janine Kamouh at WME negotiated the deal.
Suzy Capozzi at Sterling Children's Books has bought Dusti Bowling's Aven Green, Sleuthing Machine, first in a series of chapter books inspired by Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, featuring a spirited eight-year-old girl who was born without arms. Publication will start in 2021; Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency brokered the four-book deal.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has acquired world rights to Dashka Slater's (l.) Wild Blue, a picture book in which a girl works to tame her new bicycle so she can ride it, illustrated by Laura Hughes. Publication is slated for fall 2022; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Ottaviano has bought world rights to Giraffe Math by Steven Swinburne (l.), illustrated by Geraldo Valerio. Told through the voice of Twiga the giraffe, this picture book shares knowledge about giraffes through math, using measurements, graphs, fractions, time, elemental geometry, percentages, and ratios. Publication is planned for winter 2022; the author and the artist represented themselves in the deal.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz has acquired world rights to Shirley Chisholm Dared, written by Newbery Honor author Alicia D. Williams (l.) and illustrated by Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner April Harrison. The picture book biography tells the life story of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Publication is scheduled for summer 2021; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has bought world rights to wellness expert Mallika Chopra's (l.) My Body Is a Rainbow: The Color of My Feelings, illustrated by Izzy Burton. The picture book helps kids identify a rainbow of colors radiating from their bodies and combines this color with breathing exercises to help them release stress, tension, fears, and sadness. Publication is set for summer 2021; Linda Loewenthal at the Loewenthal Company represented the author, and Freddie Dawson at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Howard Reeves at Abrams has acquired world rights to Gloria Amescua's debut picture book biography, Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez. The story is about the Indigenous Nahua woman who grew up in Mexico during the early 1900s and eventually became a model for internationally celebrated 20th-century artists, worked with scholars to preserve Nahuatl language and stories, and was known as the "soul of Mexico." Award-winning illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh will illustrate. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Taylor Martindale Kean at Full Circle Literary represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Traci Todd and Gracie Elliott at Workman have bought, in an exclusive submission, two board books from artist and designer Michelle Romo, tentatively titled Good Night Spencer and I Love You Spencer. They both follow a lovable kitten named Spencer through various daily activities. Publication for both books is slated for spring 2021; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan negotiated the deal for world rights.
Tiffany Liao at Henry Holt has acquired, at auction, North American rights to The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky (Kill the Boy Band). Pitched as Scream meets Gossip Girl, the YA novel follows Rachel Chavez, a new girl at New York City's elite Manchester Prep, who joins a secret club to see who can come up with the best scary prank. But when someone begins terrorizing the club, Rachel must discover who's behind it before they all wind up dead. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Jenny Bent at the Bent Agency negotiated the two-book deal.
Stacey Barney at Putnam has bought Astrid Scholte's next genre-bending fantasy, League of Liars. Pitched as How to Get Away with Murder meets The Breakfast Club set in Azkaban, the story follows 17-year-old legal apprentice Cayder Broduck, who when tasked with helping convict three criminals for their illegal use of magic—including the princess who was arrested for erasing the king's entire existence—finds himself siding with the very people he should be convicting. Publication is slated for fall 2021; Hillary Jacobson at ICM Partners brokered the deal for world English rights.
Jenny Bak at Viking has acquired, at auction, world English rights to Practice Girl by Estelle Laure. Jo Beckett learns that she's a "practice girl"—the term for a girl who's good enough to hook up with but not to date—and sets off on a journey of self-discovery and love. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Viana Siniscalchi, Sara Shandler, and Josh Bank at Alloy Entertainment handled the deal, and Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management represented the author.
Erika Turner at HMH/Versify has bought world English rights to Samuel Teer and Mar Julia's Brownstone, a full-color YA graphic novel pitched as This One Summer meets In the Heights, about a teenager who is sent to spend the summer fixing up an old brownstone with her estranged father. As she learns to connect with her dad—who mainly speaks Spanish—she also navigates the experience of being half-Latinx, coping with sometimes feeling alternately "too brown" or "not brown enough" depending on the context of her community, and grappling with who she is when all she's made to feel like is an outsider. Publication is set for spring 2022; Ben Grange at L. Perkins represented Teer, and Charlie Olsen at InkWell Management represented Julia.
Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books has acquired Jen Bailey's Unexpecting. In this contemporary YA novel pitched as Juno meets The Birdcage, a 17-year-old boy has to make some difficult decisions that will impact multiple lives, finding love and family along the way. Publication is scheduled for winter 2022; Saritza Hernandez at Corvisiero Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Sarah McCabe at Simon Pulse has bought Adrienne Tooley's YA fantasy, Sofi and the Bone Song. After losing everything to an undeserving rival, a young musician sets out to expose that her rival's newfound musical abilities stem from an illegal use of magic—but what she discovers will rock everything she knows about her family, music, and the girl she thought was her enemy. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich and Bourret brokered the deal for world rights.
Claudia Gabel at HarperCollins has acquired Yamile Saied Méndez's Shaking Up the House, about the two Latinx daughters of the outgoing American president who start a friendly prank war with the incoming president's daughters in a behind-the-scenes middle grade novel that looks at life in the White House from a kid's point of view. Publication is planned for winter 2021; Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Andrea Colvin at Little, Brown has bought Andy Warner's nonfiction middle-grade graphic novel Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Commonplace Creatures, which explores fun facts and little-known histories of the pets and pests we live with, and two additional books in the Andy Warner's Oddball Histories series. Publication for the first book is scheduled for fall 2021; Farley Chase at Chase Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.
Erin Clarke at Knopf has acquired, at auction, North American English rights to Long Road to the Circus by Betsy Bird (Funny Girl and The Great Santa Stakeout), illustrated by three-time Caldecott Honoree David Small (So You Want to Be President and Imogene's Antlers). Set in 1920s Michigan, the middle grade novel follows Suzy Bowles, a girl with big dreams of leaving her small town, who finds herself drawn to the one-time circus queen Madame Marantette (based on the real historical figure who was a world-record holder for various feats) and her farm's ornery ostriches. Publication is set for fall 2021; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties represented the illustrator.
Joni Sussman at Kar-Ben has bought world rights to Josh Edelglass (l.) and Arnon Shorr's José and the Pirate Captain Toledano. The middle grade graphic novel is a pirate adventure and coming-of-age story set at the time of the Spanish Inquisition about a young Jewish refugee who forms a powerful bond with a mysterious pirate captain. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary represented both the artist and the author.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz has acquired world rights to Mine! by Golden Kite and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Candace Fleming, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Eric Rohmann, creators of the picture book Oh, No! This rhythmic read-aloud—an introduction to sharing—features a series of forest animals waiting for an apple to fall from a tree, each thinking it will be theirs to eat. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Ethan Ellenberg at the Ethan Ellenberg Agency represented the author and the illustrator.
Emma Ledbetter at Abrams has bought world rights to Forty Winks by Kelly DiPucchio (l.) and Lita Judge, a picture book that follows a large mouse family's chaotic, loving routine as they wind down for bed with snacks, baths, stories, and some minor crisis management. Publication is set for fall 2021; Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Arthur A. Levine at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to Rabbi Osnat and Her Dove, a picture book debut by author Sigal Samuel (l.) and illustrator Vali Mintzi. The book tells the true, little-known story of a girl in 17th-century Kurdistan who grew up to be the first female rabbi. Publication is scheduled for 2021; Samantha Haywood at Transatlantic Agency represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Emma Ledbetter at Abrams has bought, at auction, world rights to author Ammi-Joan Paquette (l.) and illustrator Felicita Sala's All from a Walnut, a picture book about inherited seeds, the stories of trees, and life after death. Publication is slated for spring 2022. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator in the deal.
Megan Ilnitzki at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to Jeanne Walker Harvey's (l.) Ablaze with Color, a nonfiction picture book about the life of American painter Alma Thomas, whose work was selected by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama to hang in the White House Old Dining Room, the first painting by an African American woman to be chosen for the White House collection. Loveis Wise will illustrate; publication is planned for winter 2022. Deborah Warren at East West Literary represented the author, and Steven Malk at Writers House represented the artist.
