Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins has acquired Two for Joy by Susan Dennard, the first of four titles in a new series of seasonally themed, standalone cozy romantic horror mysteries, about an 18-year-old girl who is haunted by otherworldly music, and murders that appear to be connected to a cult classic movie filmed in her hometown. Publication is planned for summer 2026; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media sold North American English rights.
Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit has bought world rights to Embracing Your ADHD Brain: An Actually Helpful Guide for Teens by Danielle Sullivan, a neurodiversity coach and host of the Neurodiverging podcast. The book equips teens with practical strategies for self-advocacy, executive functioning, and emotional regulation, providing tools to thrive with ADHD rather than work against it. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; the author represented herself.
Jessica Garrison at Dial has acquired world English rights to Phoenix and Katara, the first two titles in the Ride On series of short middle grade novels by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (author of Newbery Honor books The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words). Harper, after moving to an unfamiliar town with her newly divorced mother, nurses a neglected horse back to health, forges new friendships, joins a competitive riding team, and discovers grit and determination she didn't know she had. Publication is set for 2026 and 2027; Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown Ltd. did the two-book deal.
Anuoluwapo Ohioma at Disney/Freedom Fire has bought Karate Road by Eisner-winning cartoonist Rashad Doucet (Art Club; Wish I Was a Baller). Cobra Kai meets Duel in this contemporary middle grade graphic novel about a boy's epic road trip with his estranged older sister to train with eccentric karate masters in preparation for facing his opponents—and life's many unexpected hits. Publication is slated for 2027; Jas Perry at Looking Glass Literary & Media brokered the deal for world English rights.
Kelsey Murphy at Viking has acquired, at auction, The Island by Deva Fagan, a middle grade speculative adventure about seven girls who wake up on a deserted tropical island and must figure out how to survive when they start disappearing one by one. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Pam Gruber at High Line Literary sold world rights in the two-book deal.
Bloomsbury Children's has bought world rights to Greta Grimsdark, a debut middle grade series by Haley Neil (l.), illustrated by Anna Daviscourt. Pitched as Junie B. Jones meets the Addams Family, in which the only human in a family of monsters makes her first normal friend, leaving the real world and monster world to collide with hilarious results. Sarah Shumway will edit; publication will begin in fall 2026. Lauren Spieller at Folio Literary Management represented the author, and Justin Rucker at Shannon Associates represented the illustrator.
Allison Cohen at Running Press Kids has acquired The Monster Manual: The Ultimate Guide to Werewolves, Goblins, and Other Wicked Creatures by Sarah Glenn Marsh (l.), illustrated by Justine Wollman. This handbook features the wild, weird, and wicked creatures that lurk in the world's darkest corners, including survival tips, quizzes, and crafts. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Katelyn Detweiler at Jill Grinberg Literary Management represented the author, and the illustrator was unagented.
Aneeka Kalia at Viking has bought, at auction, to Las Chachalacas and a sequel by Marissa Valdez (illustrator of Ambitious Girl). This picture book series follows the adventures of boisterous, cha-cha-loving chachalaca birds. Publication of the first book is slated for fall 2027; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency sold world rights.
Alvina Ling at Little, Brown has acquired Tiger's Night Out, a debut picture book by artist-author Naomi Canale, a tale about finding those who will love and accept you for who you truly are, in which a tiger escapes the zoo to spend a night among humans. Publication is set for fall 2027; Timothy Travaglini at Transatlantic Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.
Cecily Kaiser at Rise x Penguin Workshop has bought This Way! by Chandra Bocci, a hand-cut collage picture book in which a lonely giraffe embarks on an adventure following a series of mysterious signs. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028; Carrie Hannigan at HG Literary sold world rights.
Jessica Garrison at Dial has acquired world rights to Your Why by Shannon Stocker (l.) and Devon Holzwarth, the team behind the Schneider Family Book Award-winning Listen: How Evelyn, Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion. Their new book explores the day-to-day challenges preschoolers face with a focus on the joys of the journey and the bonds formed with caregivers and community. Publication is planned for spring 2027; Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau at Tugeau 2 represented the illustrator.
Simon Boughton at Norton Young Readers has bought Flatville's 42 Folds, a picture book by debut author Jennifer Zaffini Lowe, (l.) illustrated by Shaw Nielsen, in which a boy learns about exponential growth when he sets out to see if he really can reach the moon by folding a piece of paper in half 42 times. Publication is set for summer 2027; Lisa Gouldy at Corvisiero Literary Agency represented the author, and Nancy Moore at Rapp Art represented the illustrator.
Lee Wade at Random House Studio has acquired, at auction, world rights to Jingle by MacKenzie Cadenhead, illustrated by Erin Kraan (Buffalo Fluffalo), a Christmas picture book introducing a special new character to the North Pole. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Erica Rand Silverman at Stimola Literary Studio represented the author, and Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions represented the illustrator.
Winsome Bingham at Reycraft Books has bought world rights to It Won't Be Long by Laura Hays Hoover (l.), illustrated by Jieting Chen, a picture book that blends a celebration of joyful childhood experiences with the realization that these precious times will quickly turn into treasured memories. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Keely Boeving at WordServe Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
Lois Evans at Knopf acquired world rights to Homebodies All Year Long by Cassi McCreight (l.), illustrated by Thai My Phuong, the story of a house—and a family—who create a home nobody ever wants to leave. Publication is set for fall 2027; Christie Megill at the CAT Agency represented the author, and Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Mary Lee Donovan at Candlewick has bought world rights to Chalo! Let's Go by Namita Moolani Mehra (l.), illustrated by Navya Raju, a picture book filled with the spectacular sights of street life in India, experienced through the eyes of children enjoying a rickshaw ride. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Naomi Davis at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the author, and Lorna Hemingway at Bell Lomax Moreton represented the illustrator.
Natalia Vázquez Torres at Charlesbridge has acquired world rights to Summer Is Verano in El Campo by Sheila Colón-Bagley (l.), and Diane Earley has acquired world rights for illustration by Esther Diana. This picture book shows a bicultural kid's experience of spending half of the summer in a U.S. city and spending the other half in the countryside of Puerto Rico with extended family. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Amy Giuffrida at Belcastro Agency represented the author, and Alice Jin Zhang at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Caitlin Johnson at Versify has bought Sun's Eid, written and illustrated by Natasha Khan Kazi (Moon's Ramadan), a picture book about the sun's journey through the celebration of Eid al-Adha following a family as they pray, share meals, and give to those in need, marking a day of joy, family, and tradition. Publication is scheduled for winter 2028; Tanusri Prasanna at DeFiore and Company brokered the deal for world rights.
Elizabeth Schleisman at Beaming Books has acquired North American and U.K. rights to Monster Manners, a debut picture book by Heidi Yates (l.), illustrated by Yana Kozak, which exposes what it's really like to attend a modern monster bash and shows that everyone can master good etiquette. Publication is set for fall 2026; Elisa Houot at the Seymour Agency represented the author, and Tina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Anum Shafqat at McElderry Books has acquired Shameen Abubakar's debut novel The Echo of Empires, pitched for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and S.A. Chakraborty. This crossover fantasy is about three former street rats who become magically bound to mythical beasts, plan an epic heist, crash a royal wedding, and accidentally unravel an empire while they're at it. Publiication is set for spring 2027; Keir Alekseii at Azantian Literary Agency did the two-book deal for North American rights.
Jessica Smith at Simon Pulse has bought, in an exclusive submission, Beautiful & Deadly by Britnee Meiser, a historical romantasy loosely based on the love story of Elizabeth Woodville and King Edward IV, in which a common forest girl with magic in her blood is thrust into a cutthroat court in the midst of a civil war. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027; Uwe Stender at Triada US negotiated the deal for North American rights.
Vanessa Aguirre at Wednesday Books has acquired Lost and Darling Things by Sandra Proudman (Salvación), a YA fantasy retelling of Peter Pan following an immortal teen bruja, Petra, who must work together with a mysterious captive named W to find the last living faerie, or risk her island becoming lost to a nefarious pirate captain forever. Publication is planned for spring/summer 2027; Kate Schafer Testerman at KT Literary sold North American rights.
Andrew Karre at Dutton has bought, in an exclusive submission, Her Own Rhythm by two-time National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi (l.) and her daughter, dancer and educator Abadai Zoboi, a YA biography in verse about trailblazing dancer, anthropologist, and activist Katherine Dunham. Publication is slated for 2027; Georgia Bodnar at Noyan Literary brokered the deal for North American rights.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick has acquired world rights to My Roller Skates by Newbery Medalist and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Meg Medina (l.), about a girl who just can't bring herself to share her prized roller skates with anyone—not even her best friend. Pura Belpré Honor winner Leo Espinosa will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2027. Jennifer Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Elizabeth Rudnick at Gillian MacKenzie Agency represented the illustrator.
David Levithan at Scholastic has bought It Came from the Creek by Amy Sarig King (Attack of the Black Rectangles), a middle grade novel about two friends who uncover a toxic waste dump in 1980 and help the fight to shut it down. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich and Bourret negotiated the deal for world rights.
Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books has acquired, in an exclusive submission, Monica Mikai's middle grade illustrated historical fiction novel in verse, Black Sails Blue Freedom, a story inspired by the life of Phillis Wheatley, the first African American female to publish a book of poetry in the United States, after being captured as a child in West Africa and sold into slavery in Boston. Publication is planned for spring 2028; Christy Ewers at the CAT Agency sold world rights.
Meg Gibbons at Sourcebooks has bought, at auction, Isaac Rudansky's debut middle grade fantasy Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot, which follows a boy determined to find his abducted father in the fantastical world of Scatterplot, a hidden realm where Scribes record human memories to safeguard reality from fiction—and where a villain wants to usurp the truth with a lie so dangerous it could end their world and ours. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Pete Knapp at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management brokered the three-book deal for North American rights.
Taylor Norman at Holiday House/Neal Porter Books has acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Ray by author-illustrator Matt James. The picture book follows a lovestruck boy who takes a leap of faith, falls literally and figuratively in love, and finds that both hearts and arms heal with time. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028; Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists did the deal.
Tracey Keevan at Union Square has bought world rights to author-illustrator Jerrold Connors's next picture book, Stampede, a tale of cows on the run, and on the run, and on the run…. Ammi-Joan Paquette while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the deal, for publication in summer 2026.
Kandace Coston at Lee & Low Books has acquired world rights to Cheryl Kim's (l.) untitled picture book biography of Katherine Sui-Fun Cheung, the first female Chinese pilot to hold a commercial flying license, who joined the Ninety-Nines club alongside Amelia Earhart, and performed daredevil aerobatics at air shows across the U.S. in the 1930s. Nicole Wong will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2027. Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and James McGowan at BookEnds Literary Agency represented the illustrator.
Katie Ten Hagen at Magination Press has bought world rights to Waiting for Iced Tea by Karen Gebbia (l.), illustrated by Mette Engell, an intergenerational story about how to fill a long wait for homemade iced tea on a sweltering summer day. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Amy Thrall Flynn at Aevitas Creative Management represented the author, and Robbin Brosterman at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator.
Elizabeth Schleisman at Beaming Books has acquired world rights to Mongoose's Holi Party, a picture book by Darshana Khiani (l.), illustrated by Abhilasha Khatri. In this Indian twist on the tale of the Little Red Hen, Mongoose is getting ready for a Holi party bash. Her friends can't wait, but when Mongoose asks for their help, they are full of colorful, exasperating excuses. Publication is slated for February 2027; Ammi-Joan Paquette while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and Tina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Sandra Sutter at Gnome Road has bought world rights to Universe Pie by Carrie Karnes-Fannin (l.), illustrated by Anita Bagdi, a picture book that transforms kids into cosmic chefs baking a universe of their very own via a recipe-style narrative that simplifies scientific ideas and helps to explain life on Earth and the human experience of eating, and sharing, the perfect apple pie. Publication is scheduled for fall 2027; the creators were unagented.
