Maggie Lehrman at Amulet has acquired, and Claire Stetzer will edit, NBA winner Kacen Callender's Sun Chasers. The YA contemporary romance novel is about the enduring love that grows between teens Kole and Gabriel despite the people and societal expectations that fight to keep them apart. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Beth Phelan at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency brokered the North American deal.
Nicole Ellul at Simon & Schuster has bought A Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter, a YA historical fantasy in which a young artist in Renaissance Florence learns he has traded away too much of his life to the workshop angel, and must team up with the cocky and talented teenage Leonardo da Vinci to track down his missing brother before his time runs out. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Kari Sutherland at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world English rights.
Rosemary Brosnan and Cynthia Leitich Smith at HarperCollins/Heartdrum have acquired American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor author Cheryl Isaacs's (Mohawk) new YA novel, Deep in the Bone, about a girl on the run who, after shedding a drop of blood that wakes something monstrous in the woods, must uncover her forgotten identity before the creature, and her own past, devours everyone she loves. Publication is slated for summer 2027; Natalie Lakosil at Looking Glass Literary & Media sold world English rights.
Lauren Knowles at Page Street has bought, in a preempt, Where the Bones Took Root by Juniper Klein, a YA fantasy debut set in a society where magic is banned, a self-taught witch consumed by grief is blackmailed by an infuriatingly handsome young man who needs her help infiltrating the alchemy cult that's implicated in her girlfriend's death; and La Belle Vengeance, a YA fantasy novel following an orphaned debutante who discovers a mysterious amulet that binds her to forbidden magic, haunting visions, and a boy with a revenge quest who swears their entanglement began lifetimes ago. Publication is set for fall 2026 and fall 2027, respectively; Paula Weiman at ASH Literary sold North American rights.
Emily Duffy at Union Square Kids has acquired world rights to Grim Reaper Girl, a YA graphic novel by Celina Frenn (l.) (Spy Grandma), illustrated by Mari Luoma, in which 16-year-old Ellen, desperate for a normal life, runs over a Grim Reaper with her hearse and inherits his powers. Now stuck with a death clock over everyone's head, a best friend with a crush, a cute ghostly guide she doesn't trust, and bodies piling up, Ellen must decide if she's meant for high school—or for death itself. Publication is scheduled for summer 2028; Jemiscoe Chambers-Black, now at Starling Literary + Media, represented the author while at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Christie Megill at the CAT Agency represented the artist.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has bought, in a three-book deal, world rights to Emi Grande Grady and the Book-o-Matic by Newbery Medalist Meg Medina (l.), illustrated by Tania de Regil, about an eight-year-old's excitement to pick the new Gumshoe Hounds book from the school Book-o-Matic for her birthday, but a classmate with the same birthday also wants the book, and friends and family help Emi figure out the perfect solution. Publication will begin in fall 2027; Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Adriana Dominguez at Aevitas Creative Management represented the illustrator.
Andrew Arnold at HarperAlley has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Ghost House by Victoria Evans (The History of Everything). This middle grade graphic novel follows siblings Elsie and Rhys as they move into their late grandmother's house, which happens to be haunted, according to rumors. But when the siblings start giving haunted house tours to their new classmates, they find that the rumors just might be true. Publication is slated for 2028; Britt Siess at Britt Siess Creative Management sold world English rights.
Sarah Alpert at Norton Young Readers has bought Australian author-illustrator Sean E. Avery's Dr. Hoppenfluff's Monster, first in a middle grade graphic novel series starring Dr. Hoppenfluff, an evil bunny mad scientist who has a score to settle with Bunnyville Village. The series will reimagine classic horror stories humorously for kids in the vein of Dexter's Laboratory and Dog Man. Publication will start in summer 2028; Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency did the three-book deal for world rights.
Joni Sussman while at Kar-Ben acquired Radio Mensches by Allison Marks (r.) and Wayne Marks, a contemporary middle grade novel about a smartphone-obsessed boy and his unlikely friendship with his rival classmate, a Morse code prodigy. Leila Sales will edit. Publication is scheduled for spring 2027; the authors represented themselves.
Kelly Barrales-Saylor at Ten Speed Young Readers has bought Frog Face and a second untitled character-driven picture book by Blythe Russo, starring a charismatic frog who is a little misunderstood by the rest of the animals in her neighborhood, but could use at least one good friend who loves her exactly as she is. The first book will publish in fall 2026; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.
Celia Lee at Simon & Schuster has acquired The Erhu Sings by Sally Deng, the story of a boy who can't stand the distressing sound of his grandfather's erhu, until his best friend and cousin moves far away. Now his grandfather's song no longer smothers like a heavy fog, but wraps him like a blanket, helping him process his sad feelings. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Tracy Marchini at Tracy Marchini Literary sold world English rights.
Ariel Richardson at Chronicle has acquired world rights to Good Neighbor Books by Dan Paley (l.), illustrated by Keiko Hayner. In this picture book ode to bookstores, booksellers, and the communities they depend on, a tightly knit community must come together to support their beloved bookshop owner in her time of need. Publication is scheduled for fall 2028; Amy Thrall Flynn at Aevitas Creative Management represented the author, and Sophie Sheumaker at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Matt Phipps at Putnam has bought world rights to Blooming Behind Barbed Wire by Traci Huahn (l.) (Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School), illustrated by Mayumi Sasage. Inspired by the gardens at Manzanar, the book follows a boy's experience in a WWII incarceration camp, portraying the hope, humanity, and improbable beauty that Japanese Americans created by planting gardens behind the camp's barbed wire fences. Publication is set for spring 2028; Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Essie White at Essie White Literary represented the illustrator.
Miloni Vora at Atheneum has acquired world rights to Where Daddy Is by Lora Stead (l.), illustrated by Daniel Miyares, a picture book about a boy torn between his love for his father and his fear of visiting him in jail, but when he receives a letter from his dad recounting their best times together, he's able to find his courage to reunite. Publication is scheduled for summer 2029; Joyce Sweeney at the Seymour Agency represented the author, and Studio Godwin Sturges represented the illustrator.
Barb McNally at Sleeping Bear Press has bought world rights to Sherman's Special Deliveries, a picture book by Kathleen Bahr (l.), illustrated by Alyssa Russell, in which mail delivery mayhem brings Sherman, a shy porcupine, together with his neighbors, in a story about learning how to give—and receive—kindness and friendship. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Elise Howard at DeFiore & Company represented the author, and Christie Megill at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Alexandra Hinrichs at Islandport Press has acquired world rights to E. Norm Moose by Schneider Family Book Award Honoree Heidi E.Y. Stemple (l.), illustrated by debut illustrator Annie Gregoire. This picture book follows a klutzy, enormous moose as she attempts to navigate the world on her own and find a friend her size. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Naomi Krueger at Beaming Books has bought world rights to Jimmy Carter: Helper, Humanitarian, Hero, a picture book biography by Sibert Honor author Suzanne Slade (l.), illustrated by Alex Aldrich Barrett, which highlights the importance of kindness as it shares how President Jimmy Carter helped others around the world for decades. Publication is set for fall 2027; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Christina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
