Cindy Loh at Bloomsbury in the U.S. and Rebecca McNally at Bloomsbury in the U.K. have bought world English rights to two YA novels by Nick Lake, author of In Darkness, winner of the 2013 Printz Award. The first book, a still-untitled literary thriller, will publish in the U.S., U.K., and Australia in 2014. It follows Shelby Jane Cooper, whose life is turned upside-down when she is hit by a car and discovers everything she knows about herself and her family might possibly be a complete and utter lie. The second novel will publish in 2015. The deal was brokered by Caradoc King and Louise Lamont at AP Watt.;
Andrea Spooner at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has signed up a new version of The Grasshopper & the Ants by Caldecott Medalist Jerry Pinkney. In the classic fable, a playful grasshopper learns a lesson about responsibility from a group of hardworking ants. Publication is set for spring 2015; Sheldon Fogelman at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency did the deal for North American rights.
Nancy Inteli at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to two picture books by Aaron Blecha, illustrator of the George Brown, Class Clown series. In the first book, Grizzle Grump, a lovable grizzly bear just wants to find a quiet place to sleep, but all of the animals in the forest are making too much noise. The book is scheduled for fall 2015; Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates was the agent.
Michelle Poploff at Delacorte Press has bought Henry Hubble's Book of Troubles, an illustrated middle-grade novel by Andy Myer. In the journal-style book, the troubles of an 11-year-old aspiring cartoonist and part-time poet are portrayed through words and pictures. A spring 2015 pub date is planned; Deborah Warren at East West Literary did the deal for North American rights.
Melanie Cecka at Knopf has acquired Golden, a middle-grade novel by Katherine Coville. Pitched as “a little bit Wicked, a little bit Jane Eyre, with a touch of Downton Abbey, it's a retelling of the Goldilocks story from the point of view of the bears: a young female bear named Ursula, who discovers a strange human girl with long golden hair hidden on the third floor of the mansion where Ursula has been hired as governess. The book will pub in fall 2015; Jennifer Laughran at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.
Chris Paul at Candlewick Press has bought a full-color graphic novel by Matt Phelan, to be edited by Deborah Noyes. The untitled new book, Phelan’s fourth graphic novel, is a noir retelling of Snow White, set in a Depression-era New York City. Publication is slated for fall 2016; Rebecca Sherman of Writers House brokered the deal.
Hilary Van Dusen at Candlewick Press has acquired Ann Angel's Things I'll Never Say: Short Stories About Our Secret Selves, a YA anthology about the perils of keeping and breaking secrets. Contributing authors include Varian Johnson, Cynthia Leitich-Smith, Chris Lynch, Ellen Wittlinger, and others. The book is scheduled to publish in spring 2015; Tracey Adams at Adams Literary did the deal for world rights.
Georgia McBride at Month9Books has acquired a three-book series, The Night Has Teeth, by Kat Kruger, from Canadian publisher Fierce Ink Press. In the first book, a teenage boy is caught in the middle of the battle between werewolves who are bitten and those who are born. Publication is set for December 2013; Kelvin Kong of the Rights Factory was the agent.
Tamar Brazis at Abrams Books for Young Readers has bought world rights to You & Me by author Susan Verde and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, the team behind The Museum, in a two-book deal. In the first book, a serendipitous series of events leads to a lifelong friendship. Publication is scheduled for Valentine's Day 2015; Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties did the deal on behalf of both Verde and Reynolds.
Donna Bray of Balzer + Bray at HarperCollins has acquired a modern fantasy trilogy by Heather Demetrios, author of the forthcoming Something Real, at auction. The Arabian Nights-inspired series – which moves from the Hollywood Hills to a lost city in ancient Egypt to the realm of the jinn – takes on issues of war, trafficking, and class as the heroine battles shape-shifting adversaries and discovers that her empire's most dangerous enemy could be her own heart. A publication date for the first title, Exquisite Captive, has not been finalized. Brenda Bowen of Greenburger Associates negotiated the three-book deal for North American rights.
Andrea Spooner and Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers have bought Snoop Troop, an interactive, illustrated chapter book series by Kirk Scroggs, author of the Tales of a Sixth-Grade Muppet series. In the books, two fifth-grade private eyes solve their town's biggest crimes, with readers helping to find clues, crack codes, and draw suspects along the way. The first book is scheduled for fall 2014; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media did the three-book deal for world English rights.
Michael Green of Philomel Books bought world rights to a new fantasy series by debut author Matthew Jobin. The first book in the trilogy, The Nethergrim, which is scheduled for April 2014, is set in a village called Moorvale where the titular evil character was long ago defeated by a famous knight-wizard duo. Now, as local children continue to disappear, fears mount that the Nethergrim has returned. Eleanor Jackson at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner negotiated the deal.
