Jordan Brown at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired PW Flying Starts author Phoebe North's new YA novel, If You Should Ever Leave Me. When a teen boy vanishes, his sister suspects he's fled into the make-believe fantasy world they invented as children. But when he reappears, she's forced to confront the dark worlds she's created, both real and fantastical, to save what's left of her family. Publication is slated for winter 2020; Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency handled the two-book deal for world English rights.


Namrata Tripathi at Dial has acquired Fake Chinese Sounds, a graphic novel by Jing Jing Tsong. As she enters fifth grade, Mei faces off with a school bully, questions her relationship with her BFF, and meets her Taiwanese grandmother for the first time, which helps her better understands her sense of self and place in the world, and gain a fresh perspective on her Asian-American heritage. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Rubin Pfeffer of RP Content negotiated the deal for world rights.


Stephanie Stein at HarperCollins has bought world rights to Lee Edward Födi's middle grade novel The Secret of Zoone, about a boy who, with the help of a flying tiger, stumbles through a secret door and into a magical station at a crossroads between worlds. Publication is scheduled for winter 2019, to be followed by the next two books in the series; Rachel Letofsky of the CookeMcDermid Agency brokered the six-figure deal for world rights.


Nick Thomas at Scholastic/Levine has acquired Aida Salazar's debut novel, The Moon Within. The free verse middle grade novel tells the story of 11-year-old Cely, whose life swirls with questions about her changing body, her first attraction to a boy, her best friend's exploration of what it means to be genderfluid, and her mother's insistence she have a Chicana moon ceremony for her first menses. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Marietta B. Zacker of the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American English and Spanish rights.


Jocelyn Davies at HarperCollins has acquired Katherine Sparrow's debut middle grade novel, Little Apocalypse. Pitched as Coraline with a Tim Burton flair, the story is about a lonely girl who must save her city from monsters that are invisible to everyone except children—and hopefully, in the process, make a friend. Publication is planned for winter 2019; Linda Epstein of Emerald City Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.


Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House/Ferguson has bought world rights to Newbery Honor author Margi Preus's chapter book, The Littlest Voyageur, about an adventurous squirrel who travels with 18th-century French-Canadian explorers. No publication date has been set yet; Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency negotiated the deal.


Emily Easton at Crown has acquired, at auction, Caldecott Honor author and illustrator John Rocco's How We Got to the Moon, an illustrated middle grade exploration of how JFK's daring "moon shot" challenge mobilized almost a half million people to invent the science and technological innovation needed to get humans to the moon. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020; Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management handled the deal for world rights.


Jon Anderson and Jeffrey Salane at Little Simon have bought world English rights to two board books by Sandra Boynton. The first book, Here, George!, will be illustrated by New Yorker cartoonist George Booth, and stars a big dog. This marks the first time Boynton has collaborated with another illustrator on any of her books. The second book, But Not the Armadillo, written and illustrated by Boynton, is the followup to her 1982 book But Not the Hippopotamus. Here, George! will publish on May 1, 2018, followed by But Not the Armadillo on September 4; Boynton and Booth represented themselves.


Alessandra Balzer at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired world rights to Snow Much Fun by Knopf senior executive editor Nancy Siscoe (l.), illustrated by Sabina Gibson. The picture book is a celebration of cold cozy fun, as bear, squirrel, and fox revel in all the ways that they are snow excited about winter. Publication is slated for fall 2019; the author represented herself, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the artist.


Liz Szabla at Feiwel and Friends has bought North American rights to Old MacDonald Had a Baby by Emily Snape (l.), illustrated by K-Fai Steele. In a twist on the classic rhyme, Old MacDonald is reimagined as a youngish new father and farmer, trying to handle a baby on his own. Publication is planned for fall 2019; John Rudolph of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret represented the author, and Erica Rand Silverman of Stimola Literary Studio represented the illustrator.


Sahra Correia at Clavis Books has acquired two picture books by The Green Umbrella author Jackie Azua Kramer (l.), That's for Babies! and Miles Won't Smile, about a preschooler and her baby brother. Lisa Brandenburg will illustrate; the books will be published in both English and Dutch-language editions in 2018 and 2019. Stephen Fraser of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights on behalf of the author, and the illustrator represented herself.


Kristin Rens at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has bought world rights, in a preempt, to Bethany Hegedus's (l.) Hard Work but It's Worth It: The Life of Jimmy Carter. The first picture book biography of the 39th President of the United States traces Carter's life of service from his early days as the son of a peanut farmer to his post-White House days and his continuing work as a humanitarian. Kyung Eun Han will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Alexandra Penfold of Upstart Crow Literary represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong of the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.


Christian Trimmer at Henry Holt has acquired author Jonathan Stutzman and illustrator Heather Fox's latest collaboration, Llama Destroys the World, in which Llama, upon eating too much cake and dancing a little too hard, sets off a series of events with world-ending consequences. Publication is scheduled for winter 2020; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties brokered the deal for North American rights on behalf of both the author and the illustrator.


Marilyn Brigham at Amazon/Two Lions has bought world rights to Joy Jordan-Lake's (l.) picture-book debut, A Crazy-Much Love, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez. The story follows an adopted child, her parents, and the family dog on their journey of becoming a family. Publication is planned for fall 2019; the author represented herself, and Teresa Kietlinski of Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.


Emily Meehan and Augusta Harris at Disney-Hyperion have acquired London Shah's debut YA novel, The Light at the Bottom of the World, and its sequel. Set in a future where the Earth is underwater, the book follows 16-year-old Leyla McQueen, a British Muslim submersible racer, who must navigate the treacherous abyss to find her missing father. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Rebecca Podos at the Rees Literary Agency negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.


Stacey Barney at Putnam has bought two standalone, currently untitled, contemporary middle-grade novels by The Bitter Side of Sweet author Tara Sullivan. The first book, set in the mining highlands of Bolivia, tells the story of Ana, a girl struggling to unearth a future for herself and save her brother from the crushing precedent of generational poverty. The second book, set in Indonesia, stars Kadek, a boy struggling to define both family and reality in the aftermath of his older brother, Rama, being shackled in place due to his mental illness, a practice called pasung. Publication of the first book is scheduled for 2020; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.


Joy Peskin at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has acquired Fear of Missing Out, a new YA novel by Kate McGovern. Sixteen-year-old science geek Astrid has terminal cancer and is exploring cryopreservation as a way of taking control of her destiny. A road trip with her best friend and her boyfriend, and reaction to a vlog they create to help raise funds for her, help Astrid make a difficult decision. Publication is set for winter 2019; Jessica Regel at Foundry Media brokered the deal for North American rights.


Stacey Barney at Putnam has bought, at auction, A River of Royal Blood, a YA feminist fantasy debut by bookstagrammer Amanda Saulsberry. Set in a North African-inspired fantasy world, two sisters—one with magick of light and persuasion and one with magick of blood and bone—must compete in a duel to the death for the right to inherit the queendom. The first book in the planned duology is planned for fall 2019; Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary represented the author in the two-book, six-figure deal for North American rights.


Tiffany Liao at Holt has acquired Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's The Story Collector and an untitled sequel. The middle-grade mystery series is inspired by the true story of Viviani Fedeler, a girl born and raised in the New York Public Library. Pitched as From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler set during the Roaring Twenties, The Story Collector follows Viviani, who suspects that a ghost might be responsible for a missing stamp collection and sets out to catch the thief. This is the first middle-grade series that Macmillan plans to publish in partnership with the NYPL. Iacopo Bruno will contribute five illustrations. Publication of the first book is slated for fall 2018, followed by the second book in fall 2019. Josh Adams at Adams Literary brokered the two-book deal for world rights for the author; the illustrator is unagented.


Kheryn Callender at Little, Brown has bought Ashley Herring Blake's middle grade novel, The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James. The book tells the story of 12-year-old Sunny St. James, who has a heart condition and must undergo a transplant and recovery while reconnecting with her estranged mother. When she meets and develops a crush on another girl, she forms a New Life Plan that involves being kissed and making a new friend. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Rebecca Podos at the Rees Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.


Dayna Anderson at Amberjack has bought Jon Etter's first three books in a new middle grade fantasy series, Those Dreadful Fairy Books, centered on a bookish, not-very-cheerful fairy named Shade who begrudgingly goes on an adventure to find an elusive library, as told by the reluctant narrator Quentin Q. Quacksworth. Publication for the first title in the series, A Dreadful Fairy Book, is set for June 2019; Adria Goetz at Martin Literary & Media Management negotiated the deal for North American English rights.


Steve Geck at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired Illegal, a graphic novel by Eoin Colfer (l.) and Andrew Donkin, illustrated by Giovanni Rigano, which follows a boy's epic journey across Africa to Europe. The book will publish in fall 2018; Susannah Palfrey at Hachette Children's Group (U.K.) brokered the deal for North American rights.


Namrata Tripathi at Dial has acquired North American rights, at auction, to William C. Morris Award-winning author Isabel Quintero's picture book, My Papi Has a Motorcycle, a father-daughter story of a father's love portrayed through an evening motorcycle ride through the neighborhood. Zeke Peña will illustrate; publication is planned for late 2019. Peter Steinberg at Foundry Literary + Media represented both the author and illustrator.


Liz Bicknell and Chris Paul at Candlewick have bought world rights to Tricia Springstubb's (l.) Khalil and Mr Hagerty, illustrated by Elaheh Taherian. The book features a boy from a large and noisy family who finds friendship with the lonely old man who lives downstairs through their love of their shared backyard, discovering the magic of words in the process. The book is slated for spring 2020; Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.


Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine Books has acquired world rights to Good Morning, Snowplow! by Deborah Bruss (l.); Kait Feldmann will edit. The picture book celebrates the diligent night work of a brave snowplow driver in wintry climes and the sparkling morning magic that follows a blazing blizzard. Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2018. Sandy Ferguson Fuller at Alp Arts Co. represented the author and the illustrators represented themselves.


Christy Cox at Sasquatch/Little Bigfoot has bought world rights to Stubby the Fearlessfull Squid by Barbara Davis-Pyle (l.), illustrated by Carolyn Digby Conahan. The book follows an anxious squid who builds an unlikely friendship with a razor clam pen pal who claims to be brave and fearless. Publication is scheduled for May 2019; the author is represented herself, and Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.


Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press has acquired The Green Umbrella author Jackie Azua Kramer's (l.) story about a boy and his father dealing with grief, The Boy and the 800-Pound Gorilla. Cindy Derby will illustrate; publication is planned for fall 2020. Stephen Fraser at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Laughran at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights.


Marissa Moss at Creston Books has bought world rights to Martin & Anne, a nonfiction picture book by Nancy Churnin (l.), author of The William Hoy Story and Manjhi Moves a Mountain. The book tells the story of two babies born in the same year, who grew up to become Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Frank, and how neither gave up hope in humanity, even in the face of unimaginable horror. Yevgenia Nayberg will illustrate; publication is slated for 2019, the year they would have turned 90. Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Anna Olswanger of Olswanger Literary represented the illustrator.


Andrew Wooldridge at Orca Books has acquired world rights to the board book Diwali Lights by Rina Singh. The book explores the Indian Festival of Lights through rhyme and photographs. Publication is set for fall 2018; Essie White of Storm Literary Agency represented the author.