T.S. Ferguson at Harlequin Teen has acquired Tiffany Sly Lives Here Nowauthor (and star of Heroes and Glee) Dana L. Davis's YA novel The Voice in My Head. When Indigo Phillips hears a voice in her head telling her she can save her terminally ill twin sister's life, she delays her medically assisted suicide to drag her family on a road trip filled with drama, fighting, forgiveness, and eventually, closure. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Uwe Stender at TriadaUS Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins has bought Broken Things, a YA novel by Lauren Oliver, author of the Delirium trilogy and Before I Fall. A standalone thriller, Broken Things features two girls who have been accused of killing their best friend, allegedly driven by their obsession with a fantasy novel that began to play out in real life; years later, new facts come to light. Publication is slated for October 2018; Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for U.S., Canadian, and audio rights.
Krista Marino at Delacorte Press has won, in a multi-house auction, debut author Amélie Wen Zhao's YA fantasy trilogy Blood Heir. The epic follows a fugitive princess with a dark secret and a charismatic con man who forge an unlikely alliance in order to save themselves, each other, and their kingdom. The first book is scheduled for summer 2019; Peter Knapp at Park Literary and Media did the deal for North American rights.
Kheryn Callender at Little, Brown has acquired Samira Ahmed's YA novel Internment. Set in the near future, Muslim Americans are forced into an internment camp, and 17-year-old Layla Amin must find the courage to fight back against Islamophobia, oppression, and complicit silence. Publication is set for spring 2019; Eric Smith at P.S. Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
Alex Arnold at HarperCollins/Tegen has bought, in a six-figure preempt, Swati Teerdhala's debut YA fantasy novel, The Tiger at Midnight, first in a trilogy. The #ownvoices novel is set in a world inspired by ancient India, where a soldier hunts the rebel girl accused of killing his General. When their beliefs are thrown into question, the solider and the rebel must decide between loyalty to their old lives or to a love that's made them dream of new ones. Publication of the first book is planned for winter 2019; Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency represented Teerdhala in the deal for North American rights, after connecting through the Twitter pitchfest #DVPit.
Susan Dobinick at Bloomsbury has acquired world rights to a YA adaptation of Carol Anderson's (l.) White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, written by Coretta Scott King Honor recipient Tonya Bolden. The adaptation, called Between Black and White: Challenging Our Racial Divide, will feature new content on the repercussions of racism in post-Obama America, photographs and archival images, and additional backmatter and resources. It will be published in September 2018 simultaneously with Anderson's adult nonfiction book, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy, which will also be adapted for YA readers in spring 2019. Rob McQuilkin at Massie & McQuilkin represented Carol Anderson, and Jennifer Lyons at Jennifer Lyons Literary represented Tonya Bolden.
Maggie Rosenthal and Leila Sales at Viking have bought, at auction, author Laura Sibson's debut YA novel, The Art of Breaking Things. Some girls can't say “me too”—even when they need to—but when aspiring artist Skye worries that her own sister is in danger, she must trailblaze her own route and confront her past. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Brianne Johnson at Writers House brokered the two-book deal for North American English rights.
Eliza Leahy at Capstone has acquired world rights to Tami Charles's Definitely Daphne, in which a 13-year-old girl finds herself living a double life when she starts an undercover vlog that goes viral. Publication is scheduled for October 2018; Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author.
Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House has bought Katya Balen's debut novel, The Space We're In, the story of 10-year-old math whiz Frank and his younger brother Max, who is autistic. When their mother dies suddenly, Frank is forced to try and repair their fractured family. Publication is set for summer 2019; Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management negotiated the deal for North American rights on behalf of Catherine Clarke at Felicity Bryan Associates.
Erica Finkel at Abrams has acquired a new chapter book series from the author of the bestselling Origami Yoda series, Tom Angleberger. Didi Dodo will be set in the same universe as Angleberger's Inspector Flytrap series. When Her Majesty's Secret Fudge Sauce is stolen, Didi Dodo roller-skates to the rescue. Publication of the first book is planned for spring 2019; Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Yvette Ghione and Katie Scott at Kids Can Press have bought, in a two-book deal, two nonfiction picture books by Helaine Becker, author of Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13. The first book, That's No Dino!, looks at dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals through the lens of taxonomy. The second book, Emmy, is a picture book biography of the mathematician Emmy Noether, whose groundbreaking work underpins the theory of relativity and the field of modern algebra. Publication for both books is scheduled for 2020; Sally Keefe-Cohen brokered the deal for world rights.
Orli Zuravicky at Scholastic has acquired, at auction, in a two-book deal, Jess Keating's nonfiction picture book, Ask Me Anything with Dr. Sugarpaws, illustrated by Pete Oswald. The world's only sugar glider with a Ph.D. in zoology, Dr. Sugarpaws answers questions from a medley of wild animals in her advice column, covering all aspects of science. Publication is set for 2020, with a second book to follow in 2021; Kathleen Rushall of Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Kirsten Hall of Catbird Productions represented the illustrator for world rights.
Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Ottaviano has bought world rights to Maryann Cocca-Leffler's (l.) The Way It Should Be, a picture book about a rambunctious animal community that struggles to get along, before an act of heroism opens hearts and binds them together. Kristine Lombardi will illustrate. The book is scheduled for 2019; the author and the illustrator represented themselves.
Christina Pulles at Sterling has acquired world rights to When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree, a picture book by Jamie LB Deenihan (l.), illustrated by Lorraine Rocha. In the story, a child hopes for an electronic toy as a birthday gift, but receives an unexpected surprise. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Linda Camacho at Gallt and Zacker Literary represented the author, and Stephanie Fretwell-Hill at Red Fox Literary represented the illustrator.
Kate DePalma at Barefoot Books has bought Dump Truck Disco, illustrated by Baby's First Words artist Christiane Engel. The singalong picture book tells the story of a group of friendly construction vehicles who build surprises for city kids in the middle of the night. The text was written by Barefoot Books senior editor Lisa Rosinsky, writing as Skye Silver. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Doreen Thorogood at Good Illustration represented the illustrator for world rights.
Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has acquired Still, The Earth Gives More, a picture book about celebrating the Earth's offerings and its seasons, by From Here to Thereauthor-illustrator team Sue Fliess (l.) and Christiane Engel. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Jennifer Unter of the Unter Agency represented the author, and Doreen Thorogood of Good Illustration represented the artist.
