Foyinsi Adegbonmire at Feiwel and Friends has acquired Ghosted, a dark YA revenge comedy with a supernatural twist by Talia Tucker (Rules for Rule Breaking). The novel follows an 18-year-old boarding school student with a bad attitude, worse manners, and a sleep paralysis demon named Steve, who finds herself ghosted by Some Guy she meets late one night at her favorite food truck. Armed with blackmail-worthy intel and spite, she decides to ghost him right back—literally—by scaring him so profoundly (with assistance from a cute girl from across the quad) that he'll never set foot on campus again. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Jess Harold at Henry Holt has bought, in an exclusive submission, False Face! The Musical and a second untitled novel by NBA finalist Josh Galarza (The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky). The YA contemporary novel follows two gay teen boys grappling with the pain of homophobia in their own ways: Russell tries praying away his inner Music Man, while Burt lets the hypermasculine action hero within take center stage. But trapped at a conversion camp, the boys will have to interrogate their beliefs and values if they hope to save themselves and each other. Publication is set for fall 2026; David Dunton at Harvey Klinger sold world rights.
Krista Marino at Delacorte Press has acquired Megan Beam's debut Vue Collecteur, a dark, dystopian folktale about a girl who discovers she possesses magical Other Eyes and is forced to flee her strict village and venture beyond its wall, where she learns that her world is built on lies. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Rebekah Von Lintel at Embolden Media Group sold world rights.
Reka Simonsen at Atheneum has bought The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman (Alone and Away), a YA novel in verse about a young woman who learns to navigate a new culture, a new language, and new relationships while trying to protect her hard-won happiness from the destructive forces of her old life. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Deborah Warren at East West Literary handled the deal for world rights.
Samia Garcia-Fakih at First Second has acquired, at auction, The Book of Agnes by Fran Meneses, a YA graphic novel series about a teenage girl questioning her place in the world when life and art get messy. Publication is slated for 2028; Daniel Lazar at Writers House did the two-book deal for North American English rights.
Jaime Gelman at Little Bee Books has bought Anna Zoe Quirke's Something to Be Proud Of, a YA novel about the friendship between an autistic, bisexual comedian and the openly gay captain of the football team. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Phoebe Hockley at Little Tiger Press sold North American English rights.
Karen Boss at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights for I Think I Made You Up, a debut novel by Katie Norton. In 2024, 16-year-old Ella struggles with her mental health and the abusive home of her best friend, Marty, and finds a vintage apron in a Portland, Maine, thrift store with tiny rolls of poem excerpts sewed into the hem. In an alternating 1954 timeline, apron-wearing 18-year-old Dorothy has kept house for her father and brothers ever since her mother died four years earlier, and she wonders if she has the chops to be a published writer when she meets Charlie, a big-city boy who summers on the Maine island where Dorothy lives. Publication is set for spring 2027; the author represented herself.
Gretchen Durning at Putnam has bought, in an exclusive submission, Mary Averling's middle grade novel The Burn Beast. After 13-year-old Pira moves to a remote town where the townspeople are unusually afraid of fire, she becomes convinced that there is something supernatural lurking beneath the town's façade. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American English rights.
Julie Matysik at Running Press Kids has acquired, in an exclusive submission, the tentatively titled Magical Cats by author and animal advocate Natalie Bovis (Cat Gods, Goddesses, Deities and Demons), a middle grade collection of stories about mythological and folkloric felines throughout history. Publication is slated for November 2026; Lilly Ghahremani sold world rights
Nick Magliato at Penguin Workshop has bought Abracadonut by Drew Brockington, a picture book about a young magician whose big birthday debut goes wildly off-script when his "bird trick" hatches not birds, but cinnamon buns, chaos, and self-doubt—until a sweet surprise helps him realize that magic take practice, persistence and a little powdered sugar. Publication is set for summer 2027; Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary did the deal for world rights.
Lee Wade at Random House Studio has acquired world rights to Prickly by Emmy-Award winner Jill Twiss (l.), illustrated by Myo Yim, a humorous picture book about a porcupine who wakes up in an irritable mood but comes to realize that having a bad day doesn't justify lashing out against others. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Brenda Bowen at the Book Group represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Jenny Ly at Kokila has bought world rights to Momma's Christmas Gift, a picture book by APALA and Minnesota Book Award-winning author Kao Kalia Yang (l.), illustrated by Jacqueline Tam. In this story about the spirit of giving, love, and joy, an economically disadvantaged Hmong family is able to celebrate Christmas when Momma comes home with gifts from a toy drive. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Erin Murphy while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Tracy Marchini at BookEnds Literary represented the illustrator.
Frances Gilbert at Doubleday has acquired world rights to This Is a Ghost Story by Ashley Bankhead (l.), illustrated by Enrico Lorenzi. In this interactive picture book, a ghost who is scared of ghosts cannot believe they are the main character in a ghost story. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Bethany Jett at C.Y.L.E. Agency represented the author, and Ethan Long and Heather Long at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.
Kathleen Keenan at Kids Can Press has bought world rights to Fire Is a Chorus, a picture book by Debra Kempf Shumaker (l.), illustrated by Isabella Fassler, which explores the many ways we experience fire from a flicker atop a birthday candle to the blast-off of a rocket ship. Publication is set for spring 2027; Sophie Sheumaker and James McGowan at BookEnds Literary represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Anum Shafqat at McElderry Books has acquired Blood of Silver, the YA fantasy debut by Allie Nguyen, pitched as Spirited Away meets One Dark Window, in which a Vietnamese teen from London is thrust into a magical realm where she must learn to wield a rare magic and uncover dark secrets about her deceased mother's royal past, while ravenous monsters seek to find their way in and a charming prince might want more than just her heart. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Ernie Chiara at Fuse Literary brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Ashley Hearn at Peachtree Teen has bought Devil's Advocate by Amanda DeWitt, a YA supernatural comedy pitched as Succession meets Hazbin Hotel. When Ada Faust's dad—the actual devil—sets his sights on triggering the apocalypse, Ada's siblings are all forced to compete for the coveted spot as his right hand by influencing the presidential election. Ada plans to curry favor by sabotaging her dad's political rival. Problem is, Ada actually likes doing good, and with a dad like hers, you can be a good daughter or a good person, but you can't be both. Publication is set for fall 2026; Cate Hart at Harvey Klinger Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Claire Stetzer at Amulet has acquired Tell Me My Future by debut author Eileen M. Ruvane, a YA speculative thriller about a 16-year-old girl who fakes psychic powers in order to investigate a murder, only to begin having real visions of the future, including premonitions of her own death that she must decipher to save her life. Publication is scheduled for spring 2026; Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Emilia Sowersby at Roaring Brook Press has bought Abiku by Craig Kofi Farmer, Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award-winning author of Kwame Crashes the Underworld. The story follows eighth grader Winston, whose class gets stuck at a historic Louisiana plantation during a field trip. But when a strange, ghostly creature called Abiku appears, Winston begins to unravel the dark secrets that lurk behind the plantation walls. Publication is planned for winter 2027; Emily Forney at BookEnds Literary Agency handled the two-book deal for world English rights.
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired Xolo, an illustrated middle grade novel from Newbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera (l.) and Mariana Ruiz Johnson, which reimagines the myth of Xolotl, Quetzacoatl, and the birth of man (and man's best friend). Publication is slated for fall 2025; Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Agency represented the author for North American English and Spanish and world Dutch rights, and Valentina Colombo at Phileas Fogg represented the illustrator for world rights.
Courtney Code at Abrams has bought world rights to Dare to Be Caring by Chelsea Lin Wallace (l.), illustrated by Lauren Paige Conrad, which follows a cast of children being caring, like inviting a new friend to play, helping a teacher, and doing chores. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Hannah Mann at Writers House represented the illustrator.
Valery Badio at Henry Holt acquired world rights to Belly Growls by Joëlle Retener (l.), illustrated by Alex Aldrich Barrett. Antoine dreams of sinking his teeth into his favorite Haitian foods, but first he and his grandmother must make the long, tiring trip across town to the only grocery store they can afford. Publication is set for winter 2027; James McGowan at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the author, and Alice Jin Zhang at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Kate O'Sullivan at Clarion has bought North American rights to Gaia Bordicchia's author-illustrator debut, Flight from Robot Island. The picture book tells the story of a child who lives alone on an island populated entirely by robots—but who dreams of a bigger world beyond. Ammi-Joan Paquette at Aevitas Creative Management did the deal for publication in summer 2027.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has acquired world rights to Small Norman by Lisa Bentley (The Dreams We Made; I Am Not Your Hat), a picture book about a girl and her pet lizard, which grows so fast and so big that he's hardly recognizable when he gets out one day, causing her to rethink the idea of responsible pet ownership. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary Agency sold world rights.
