Holly West at Feiwel and Friends has bought The Valiant Ladies of Potosi by Melissa Grey (Girl at Midnight and Rated), in which two proper young 17th-century Peruvian ladies trade their skirts for swords and end up as vigilante crime-fighters, while falling for each other along the way. Publication is scheduled for winter 2022; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management did the deal for world English rights.
Dana Leydig at Viking has acquired, in a preempt, Lillie Vale's latest YA romcom, Beauty and the Besharam, pitched as a contemporary genderswapped Beauty and the Beast in which Kavya, an outspoken Indian American teen, learns to break down her walls and allow love in for the first time with the last guy she ever expected: her constant rival, Ian. Publication is planned for summer 2022; Jessica Watterson at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster has bought Of Blood and Briars, a queer YA fantasy by Rebecca Kim Wells (Shatter the Sky). Cursed to kill all those she touches, Lena endures an isolated life on the run from her fellow humans. But when an enigmatic stranger offers to help her break the curse in exchange for her aid in assassinating a princess hidden in an enchanted forest, Lena embarks on a quest to win her freedom, no matter the cost. Publication is slated for fall 2021; Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Ottaviano has acquired world rights to Two Truths and a Lie and Back After This by April Henry. Pitched as Two Can Keep a Secret meets Bad Times at the El Royale, Two Truths and a Lie features a dwindling group of teens stranded at an old hotel. Back After This follows a teen podcaster who tries to use genetic genealogy to solve a cold case and gets more than she bargained for. Publication is set for winter 2022 and summer 2022, respectively; Wendy Schmalz at the Wendy Schmalz Agency negotiated the two-book deal.
Kendra Levin at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to Lumberjackula, written by Mat Heagerty (l.) and illustrated by Sam Owen. In this middle-grade graphic novel, Jack—a half-vampire, half-lumberjack—struggles to choose between a vampire or lumberjack prep school when what he really wants is to dance. Publication is set for summer 2022; Maria Vicente at P.S. Literary Agency represented both creators.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought world rights to Dear Student by Elly Swartz (Give and Take). The contemporary middle-grade novel stars a girl with social anxiety who becomes the secret voice of the advice column in her middle school newspaper and is faced with a dilemma—how does she give advice to friends who want different things, while keeping her identity a secret? Publication is slated for spring 2022; Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency brokered the deal.
Olivia Valcarce at Scholastic has acquired Yamile Saied Méndez's Wish Upon a Stray, about a girl who moves from Argentina to the U.S. and meets a dog who reminds her of her pet back home. Publication is scheduled for 2021; Linda Camacho at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown has bought world English rights to Monica Sherwood's middle-grade debut The Ice House. In this coming-of-age story tinted with magical realism, two fifth graders whose lives are upended by a historic winter freeze build an ice house meant to help them escape family tensions indoors, but instead it forces them to confront inevitable change. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Steven Malk at Writers House did the deal.
Jenny Bak at Viking has acquired, at auction, Jody Lee Mott's debut middle-grade novel, Hush-A-Bye. When Lucy's impressionable younger sister finds a broken, old-fashioned doll who she claims can speak to her, sinister things begin to happen to anyone who picks on them. Publication is set for summer 2021. Lindsay Auld at Writers House negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Jennifer Greene at Clarion has bought, in a five-house auction, Emmy Kastner's A Very Big Fall, a picture book about the thrill of transition—from the point of view of three autumn leaves. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Hannah Mann at Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Sourcebooks eXplore has acquired world rights to author-illustrator Todd Sturgell's Except Antarctica, in which a turtle leads a band of rogue animals to disobey the wishes of their book's nature-documentary-esque narrator and embark on an adventure, only to be surprised by the results. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021, with a second, untitled picture book to follow; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary negotiated the two-book deal.
Samantha Swenson at Tundra Books has bought, at auction, world rights to The Family Tree by novelist, playwright, and actor Sean Dixon, inspired by his daughter's experience. In this debut picture book, a common school assignment prompts a girl to show that the ways to display the members of a family are as unique and special as the families themselves. Lily Snowden-Fine will illustrate. Publication is planned for spring 2022; Hilary McMahon at Westwood Creative Artists represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Kelly Delaney at Knopf has acquired world rights to The Disappearing Mr. Jacques by Gideon Sterer (l.) (From Ed's to Ned's), about a magician demonstrating his spellbinding disappearing act for the reader, to be illustrated by Benjamin Chaud. Publication is set for summer 2022; Stephen Barr at Writers House represented the author, and Debbie Bibo at Debbie Bibo Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has bought world rights to The Yowlers by Stacy Lynn Carroll (l.), illustrated by Molly Ruttan, a picture book in which members of a bad-tempered family finds themselves transformed by the influence of their considerate neighbors to something almost nice. Publication is slated for 2022; Alyssa Jennette at Stonesong represented the author, and Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the artist.
Bethany Vinhateiro at HMH has acquired world rights to Jimmy Matejek-Morris's (l.) debut picture book Don't Say Poop, full of tongue-twisting alternatives to kids' favorite potty words. Fred Blunt will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2021. Emily Keyes at Fuse Literary represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency represented the artist.
Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has bought world rights to To Dogs with Love by Maria Gianferrari (l.) (Hawk Rising and Coyote Moon). This latest picture book, illustrated by Lucy Fleming, is an ode of love and praise to our most loyal companions. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Frederica Dawson at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Courtney Code at Abrams has acquired world rights to Blue Floats Away by 100 Scope Notes blogger Travis Jonker (l.) (The Very Last Castle), illustrated by Grant Snider. In the picture book, a young iceberg named Blue breaks from his mother and father in rising temperatures, but reunites with them in a surprising and comforting way. Publication is set for spring 2021; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management represented the author, and Judy Hansen at Hansen Literary Management represented the illustrator.
Sue Tarsky at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Goldilocks and the Three Engineers by Sue Fliess, illustrated by Petros Bouloubasis. The picture book is a STEM twist on the fairytale, in which Goldilocks's inventions are improved by three innovative bears who happen upon her makerspace. Publication is slated for April 2021; Jennifer Unter at the Unter Agency represented the author, and Sam Goff at Advocate Art represented the artist.
Naomi Krueger at Beaming Books has acquired world rights to Ana Siqueira's (l.) picture book Bella's Recipe for Success, in which a bilingual Latina girl tries to learn how to bake with her abuela and discovers the value of making mistakes and trying again. Geraldine Rodriguez will illustrate. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Andrea Walker at Olswanger Literary represented the author, and Lucie Luddington at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has acquired world English rights to Great or Nothing by (clockwise from top l.) Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood. This reimagining of Little Women is set in the spring of 1942, when the United States is reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Each March sister's point of view is written by a separate author; woven together, these threads tell a story of grief, family, and finding one's way in a world undergoing catastrophic change. Publication is set for spring 2022; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret did the deal.
Jessica Harriton at Razorbill has bought, at auction, Hannah Reynolds's YA debut The Summer We Found Us, and a second untitled book. The discovery of a box of old letters sends 17-year-old Abby Schoenberg to Nantucket to unravel a family mystery about her grandmother's past during the Holocaust—but things get complicated when she meets the handsome grandson of a prominent family who wants to stop her from investigating. Publication for the first book is slated for summer 2021; Tamar Rydzinski at Context Literary Agency negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Trisha de Guzman at FSG has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to playwright Gina Femia's YA novel, tentatively titled Allondra. In the coming-of-age story, a girl and her friends wrestle their way through the summer, sometimes on the playgrounds of Coney Island, sometimes with their feelings, based on Femia's play of the same name. Publication is scheduled for winter 2022; Joe Veltre at the Gersh Agency brokered the deal.
Amanda Ramirez at Simon & Schuster has bought world rights to Drawn That Way by Elissa Sussman (Stray; Burn), a contemporary YA novel in which Hayley Saffitz is chosen to attend the prestigious inaugural summer internship at the BB Gun Films animation studio. As one of only six young women, she's itching to prove herself by claiming one of the coveted director positions, except all four of them go to boys—and one of them is the CEO's son. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Elizabeth Bewley at Sterling Lord Literistic negotiated the deal.
Ardi Alspach at Sterling Children's Books has acquired world English rights to debut novelist Mary Ann Fraser's Mortal Remains, pitched as Six Feet Under meets Edward Scissorhands. The YA gothic romance follows 17-year-old Lily McCrae, the resident cosmetologist at her family's funeral home, and the mysterious boy she rescues from certain death who strangely reminds her of a childhood crush—a boy who died five years before. Publication is set for spring 2021 under the new Sterling Teen imprint; Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary handled the deal.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has bought a young readers adaptation of Anton Treuer's Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask. This nonfiction book from the acclaimed Ojibwe author and professor asks and answers questions for Native and non-Native young readers alike, ranging from "Why is there such a fuss about nonnative people wearing Indian costumes for Halloween?" to "Why is it called a ‘traditional Indian fry bread taco?' " to "What's it like for natives who don't look native?" and beyond. Publication is slated for spring 2021; the author represented himself in the deal for world rights.
Nicole Sclama at HMH has acquired Jacqueline Firkins's contemporary romantic YA comedy, How Not to Fall in Love, in which a cynical wedding shop worker tries to "cure" a hopelessly romantic LARP-er by teaching him the harsh realities of modern dating, only to realize that he is the one teaching her. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Stacey Barney at Putnam has bought The House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland (Our Chemical Hearts and A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares). Pitched as The Hazel Wood meets Gone Girl, the novel follows three sisters who find themselves trapped in a dark fairytale when one of them goes missing. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for North American rights (Putnam) and Australian rights (to Laura Harris at Penguin Random House Australia).
Mary-Kate Castellani at Bloomsbury has acquired Steve Bramucci’s (The Danger Gang series) tentatively titled middle grade novel The Quest for the Ruby-Backed Turtle. Pitched as Hoot meets The Goonies, the story centers around the search for a possibly mythical (or at least almost definitely extinct) turtle in the Oregon wilderness—featuring an animal-loving boy with ADHD, his eccentric off-the-grid aunt, a young mycologist on a search for answers, and a plethora of disguise-wearing foes. Publication is set for fall 2022; Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties did the deal for world rights.
Courtney Code at Abrams has bought world rights to author-illustrator Renée Kurilla's The Flower Garden, a young graphic novel about two friends who discover a world of magic in their own backyard. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal.
Nikki Garcia at Little, Brown has acquired Jordan's Perfect Haircut by Sharee Miller (Don't Touch My Hair!). Miller's latest picture book centers a boy's journey to find the perfect haircut for picture day at school. Publication is slated for summer 2024; Monica Odom at Odom Media Management negotiated the deal for world rights.
Yasemin Uçar at Kids Can Press has bought world rights to Kerri Kokias's picture book Fantastically You, illustrated by Marcus Cutler. This call-and-response "quiz" compares different fantastical creatures (like mermaids, unicorns, and werewolves) before revealing the most wondrous of them all—the reader themselves. Publication is planned for fall 2021; Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the author, and the artist represented himself.
Dani Valladares at Rodale Kids has acquired world rights to How to Spot a Best Friend by Bea Birdsong (l.), illustrated by Lucy Fleming. On her way to school, a girl explains to her mother the differences between a friend and a best friend in this celebration of kindness and friendship. Publication is currently scheduled for summer 2021; Melissa Edwards at Stonesong represented the author, and Arabella Stein at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Mary Cash at Holiday House has bought world rights to Of Walden Pond by Coretta Scott Honor author Lesa Cline-Ransome (l.) (Overground Railroad). The dual biography, illustrated by Ashley Yazdani, features 19th-century poet Henry David Thoreau and New England entrepreneur Frederic Tudor, who were both drawn to the inspiration and the riches of one historic landmark. Publication is set for summer 2022; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has acquired world rights to Michal Babay's (l.) debut picture book, I'm a Gluten-Sniffing Service Dog, illustrated by Ela Smietanka. Told from a dog's perspective, the book follows Chewie the poodle puppy, who must learn to focus during service dog training before he can assist his beloved girl. Publication is slated for spring 2021; Laurel Symonds at the Bent Agency represented the author, and Sam Groff at Advocate Art represented the illustrator.
Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to Headstrong Hallie, written by Aimée Bissonette and illustrated by David Hohn. The picture book stars Hallie Morse Daggett, the first woman “fire guard” hired by the U.S. Forest Service, whose work led the way for other women to join the Forest Service. Publication is planned for spring 2021; the author represented herself, and Natascha Morris at BookEnds Literary represented the illustrator.
Carol Hinz at Lerner/Millbrook has acquired world rights to Make Way for Animals! by Meeg Pincus (Winged Wonders), illustrated by Bao Luu (Earth Hour). This nonfiction picture book introduces readers to wildlife crossings built by people around the globe to help animals—from a bridge for badgers to a pipeline for penguins to many others. Publication is set for fall 2021; Jenna Pocius at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Kate Kendrick at Astound US represented the illustrator.
