Sara Goodman at Wednesday Books has acquired Hurricane Summer, a contemporary YA debut by actress Asha Bromfield, who currently stars on the TV show Riverdale. Set in Jamaica in the midst of Hurricane Gustav, a girl visiting her estranged father finds her life unraveling when family secrets are revealed, alongside dealing with colorism, classism, colonialism, sexism, and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction. Publication is tentatively slated for spring 2021; WME negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Susan Rich at Little, Brown has bought, in a six-house auction, debut graphic novelist Sophia Glock's Passport, a YA graphic memoir of secrets, spies, and double lives, in which a teen's emerging sense of self is shaped by her discovery that her "foreign diplomat" parents are actually spies. The book will publish in fall 2021, with a second, standalone, untitled graphic novel to follow; Molly O'Neill at Root Literary brokered the deal for world rights.
Emily Daluga at Abrams has acquired Shannon Dittemore's Winter, White and Wicked, a YA fantasy pitched as Mad Max: Fury Road meets Snowpiercer. Set on an island cursed by eternal winter, the book tells the story of an orphan girl who makes a quiet living driving rigs across the frozen expanse. When her best friend disappears, Sylvi teams up with a smuggler and his team of criminals to carry a mysterious haul across the island in exchange for the location of her friend. Publication is set for fall 2020; Holly Root at Root Literary did the world rights deal.
Holly West at Swoon Reads has bought Shana Silver's The Con Code, about a teen forgery artist who must team up with a rival con artist, a master of disguise, and a talented hacker to perform a series of heists in order to find her fugitive mother before the FBI does. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020; Brent Taylor at Triada US negotiated the deal for world rights.
Becky Monds at Thomas Nelson has acquired, in an exclusive submission, The June Boys by Court Stevens, author of Faking Normal and Dress Codes for Small Towns. In the YA novel, Thea Delacroix has reason to believe that the Gemini Thief, who has been kidnapping boys in her hometown every June for nearly a decade, has taken her cousin. And she's starting to wonder if maybe the thief could be her father. Publication is planned for March 2020; Kelly Sonnack at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Nicole Otto at Imprint has bought Joan F. Smith's YA debut, The Half-Orphaned Handbook, a coming-of-age story about grief, first love, and forgiveness. When a 16-year-old girl loses her father to suicide, her mother enrolls her at a summer grief camp that might just help her learn to trust, and maybe even love, again. Publication is slated for winter 2021; Kerry D'Agostino at Curtis Brown handled the deal for North American rights.
Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown has acquired, in a seven-house auction, North American rights to two middle grade books and world rights to four additional titles by Molly Bloom (l.), Sanden Totten (center), and Marc Sanchez, the creators of American Public Media's Brains On!, the science podcast for kids. The books will cover a wide variety of kid-friendly topics about the world around us, from the secret to a dog's sense of smell to what makes gross things gross. Initial publication is set for fall 2020; Albert Lee at UTA negotiated the deal.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought Jessica Brody's middle grade novel I Speak Boy, about a phone-obsessed 12-year-old girl—frustrated by the cryptic boys in her life—who discovers a magic app that can read boys' thoughts and uses it to become a popular "boy connoisseur" in her middle school and impress her crush, all the while driving a further wedge between her and her ex-best friend. Publication is scheduled for spring 2021; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret brokered the two-book deal for world English rights.
Alyson Day at HarperCollins has acquired The Mending Summer by Ali Standish, author of The Ethan I Was Before. The middle-grade novel is about a girl whose father is struggling with alcoholism and who goes to spend the summer at her secretive great-aunt's rambling country house. There she finds unexpected new friends, and a magical lake that grants wishes that provide an escape from reality, but which lead her to a new understanding of herself and her family. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Sarah Davies and Polly Nolan at Greenhouse Literary did the two-book deal for North American rights.
Chris Hernandez, in his first acquisition for Razorbill, has won at auction The Sleepover by Michael Regina. In the middle grade graphic novel debut, a group of kids try to cheer up their friend, who is reeling from the death of his beloved housekeeper, with a night of sugary snacks and scary movies. But the sleepover doesn't go as planned when the young horror buffs discover that the new housekeeper isn't just mean—she's literally a monster. Publication is set for fall 2021; Elena Giovinazzo at Pippin Properties negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has bought Ginger Garrett's middle-grade novel Name Tags and Other Terrible Ideas (Most of Them Mine). When sixth grader Lizbeth finds her plans to get rid of her father's new girlfriend and make friends at her new school derailed, an art project prompts her to think outside the box. Publication is slated for fall 2020; Melissa Jeglinski at the Knight Agency brokered the deal for world rights.
Fiona Simpson and Sarah McCabe at Aladdin have acquired sibling writing duo Heidi Lang (l.) and Kati Bartkowski's Whispering Pines: The Unseeing, a contemporary middle grade horror novel pitched as The X-Files meets Stranger Things. The book follows a UFO-obsessed girl determined to find her missing father, and a ghost hunting boy now being hunted by a ghost of his own—that of his older brother. Publication is planned for fall 2020; Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency did the two-book deal for North American English rights.
Rosemary Brosnan at HarperCollins has bought world rights to a middle grade nonfiction collective biography project by the mother-daughter team of Saadia Faruqi (l.), author of Meet Yasmin, and Aneesa Mumtaz. The collection celebrates the many inspiring Muslim visionaries, from the Middle Ages to today, who have helped to shape our world, break barriers, and forge new paths. Publication is scheduled for fall 2021; Kari Sutherland at Bradford Literary negotiated the deal.
Tamar Mays at HarperCollins has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to the first four books in a new I Can Read series, Ty's Travels, by Jada Jones author Kelly Starling Lyons (l.), about an African-American boy who turns everyday experiences into unforgettable adventures. Nina Mata will illustrate; publication of the first two books is slated for fall 2020. Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Christy T. Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Anne Schwartz at Random House/Schwartz & Wade has acquired a picture book about gender by Elise Gravel, author-illustrator of What Is a Refugee? The as-yet-untitled book will explore the multi-faceted concept of gender in kid-friendly terms and illustrations. Publication is set for summer 2021; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words brokered the deal for world rights, excluding French Canadian.
Ellen Cormier at Dial has bought The Little Green Girl creator Lisa Anchin's second author-illustrated picture book, The Paper Woods, about a girl who rediscovers the joy of creating just for herself after anxiety over outside criticism dulls her imaginative spark. Publication is planned for spring 2021; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media negotiated the deal for world rights.
Tamar Mays at HarperCollins has acquired world rights to 7 Ate Nine author Tara Lazar's picture book Bloop: Alien in the Doghouse, illustrated by Mike Boldt. The book tells the story of an alien who is sent on a mission to Earth: to investigate and infiltrate the evident leaders of humankind—those odd, slobbering entities known as “dogs.” The book will be published in fall 2021; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Meredith Mundy at Abrams Appleseed has bought world rights to debut author Anne Marie Houppert's picture book What About X?, in which all the letters of the alphabet have something to bring on the camping trip except X. Daniel Wiseman will illustrate; publication is scheduled for fall 2020. Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency represented the author, and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the illustrator.
Eliza Swift at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired world rights to Shelly Vaughan James’s debut picture book, Fussy Flamingo, illustrated by Matthew Rivera. The comedic tale of a picky eater follows a young flamingo who refuses to eat the shrimp that will make her feathers pink, and instead sneaks away for unauthorized snacks that turn her increasingly ridiculous colors. Publication is set for spring 2020; Laurel Symonds at the Bent Agency represented the author, and Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency represented the illustrator.
Brett Duquette at Little Bee has bought world rights to Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah Brannen (l.), illustrated by Lucia Soto, a picture book in which Chloe's favorite uncle is getting married, and she's not happy about it. But after a magical day with Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend, Chloe realizes she's not losing an uncle, but gaining one. Publication is slated for summer 2020; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency represented the author, and Aurora Meyer at Astound represented the illustrator.
Rotem Moscovich and Heather Crowley at Disney-Hyperion have acquired world rights to Harbor Bound author Catherine Bailey's (l.) picture book Hustle Bustle Bugs, illustrated by Claymatesillustrator Lauren Eldridge, about the contribution busy bugs make to their world, and ours. Publication is planned for summer 2021; Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Lori Kilkelly at LK Literary Agency represented the artist.
Tamar Brazis at Viking has bought world rights to The Brave Life of Dorothy Lucas, a picture book biography about a WWII female pilot written by debut author Meghan Browne (l.), illustrated by Brooke Smart. Publication is scheduled for spring 2022; Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group represented the author, and Teresa Kietlinski at Bookmark Literary represented the artist.
