Janine O'Malley at FSG has acquired Like the Moon We Rise by Annabelle Cormack, a debut YA fantasy following Auriel, an indentured servant-witch who is offered a bargain by the haughty Prince Ambrose: pretend to be the enchantress prophesied to liberate his people from the cruel Empress, and live a life of freedom, luxury and power. But the more Auriel learns about the Empress, the less sure she is that she's the enemy. And the more she learns about Ambrose, the less sure she is that she can trust him. The first book in the trilogy is set for winter 2027; Molly Ker Hawn at David Higham Associates did the three-book, six-figure deal for North American rights.
Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press has bought Kiersten White's Wilde and Wicked along with a sequel, in which a girl reluctantly accepts a boarding school scholarship, only to discover she's the heir to a notorious magical bloodline everyone thought was destroyed. As she unravels her dark legacy and a generations-spanning mystery, she's caught between the school's golden boy and his dangerously magnetic twin. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary sold world English rights.
Holly West at Feiwel and Friends has acquired Aiden Thomas's Stray Gods, a YA fantasy in which a trio of cursed teens navigate the gang-ruled streets of a neon-drenched city, while battling their own monstrous powers. Publication is scheduled for fall 2029; Jennifer March Soloway at Starling Literary + Media brokered the six-figure deal for world rights.
Jenny Lopez at Sourcebooks Fire has bought, in a two-book deal, world rights to Kaitlin Reilly's debut novel, Look What You Did, a YA thriller about a teen who must confront her own buried trauma to clear her friend's name of murder and expose the dark secrets of her small town. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Jillian Davis at Kaplan Stahler Literary negotiated the deal.
Amy Fitzgerald at Lerner/Carolrhoda has acquired North American English rights to Annabelle Steele's YA novel Being Amani, originally published in the U.K. The protagonist's abusive estranged father resurfaces, asking for a second chance to be part of her life, just as she's embarking on her first romantic relationship—and noticing some troubling similarities between her dad and her new boyfriend. Publication is set for fall 2026; Petula Chaplin at Petula Chaplin Rights Agency did the deal on behalf of Hashtag Press and MMS Sales Agency.
Polo Orozco at Putnam has bought Deadly Little Lessons, a YA thriller by Danielle Valentine (How to Survive Your Murder). Pitched as Squid Game meets boarding school, the story is set at an academy where students are put through a twisted test of human resilience, and in order to graduate, they first need to survive. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Hillary Jacobson at CAA sold world English rights.
Rose Pleuler at HarperAlley has acquired world rights to Body Count, a YA graphic novel by Andy Schlebecker (l.) and David Chippendale (c.), illustrated by V. Vireak (r.). The story follows Noah and Kevin, a new college couple whose spring break road trip is derailed by a zombie apocalypse—leading the pair to find romance and revenge confronting their homophobic hometown and their fears about being gay. Publication is tentatively slated for spring 2028; Elise Howard at DeFiore & Company represented the authors and illustrator.
David Levithan and Talia Seidenfeld at Scholastic have bought two novels by Barbara Dee (Maybe He Just Likes You); Sam Palazzi will edit. Nothing to See Here follows four eighth graders who team up and start posting fake rumors as an experiment to show everyone the dangers of online gossip after an online incident forces a student to leave their middle school. Your Eyes Are Like Two Clouds is the story of a non-literary seventh grader who uses AI to compose love poems which he sends anonymously to his crush, who mistakenly believes they're written by her own crush. Publication is planned for fall 2026 and fall 2027 respectively; Jill Grinberg at Jill Grinberg Literary Management did the two-book deal for North American rights.
Kate Fletcher at Candlewick Press has acquired author-illustrator Lisa Anchin's Maud and the Very Eventful Week, a quirky, slightly gothic early reader featuring little vampire Maud and her busy week, during which she operates a spider-and-juice stand, discovers a giant tooth, encounters a haunted teapot, and hosts a yard sale. Publication is set for summer 2026; Andrea Morrison at Writers House brokered the deal for world rights.
Ryan G. Van Cleave at Bushel & Peck has bought world English rights to Unsinkable by Fred Koehler, an illustrated middle grade novel following a boy adrift on a storm-damaged boat, a story of survival, courage, and the quiet power of hope. Publication is scheduled for 2028; the author represented himself.
Sally Morgridge at Holiday House has acquired world rights to chapter book series Orion & Cosmo by Stephanie Ward (l.), illustrated by Jessica Goecke. The dual POV series stars a space-obsessed boy who needs to find his missing astronaut mother, and the Martian who arrives on Earth just in time to help. Books one and two will publish in fall 2027, and book three will publish in spring 2028; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary represented the author, and Christie Megill at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Ann Kelley at Random House Studio has bought Andrea Zuill's picture book, Not a Kitty, a humorous story about Fig the possum, whose act of playing dead goes awry when she gets mistaken as a cat by an enthusiastic girl. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary sold world rights.
Meredith Mundy at Abrams Appleseed has acquired world rights to When Is NOW?, a picture book written and illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Marabella's Moment), in which a little pig, worn out by life's hectic pace, learns to live in the moment and notice the NOW. Publication is planned for spring 2027; the author-illustrator represented herself.
Kate O'Sullivan at Clarion has bought world rights to What Is the Wind? by Gideon Sterer (l.) (If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone), illustrated by Guojing (The House That Floated), a picture book ode in alliverative verse to the wonder of the wind that explores its many forms—from a welcome breeze to its whines and whistles. Publication is scheduled for fall 2026; Stephen Barr at Writers House represented the author, and Isabel Atherton at Creative Authors represented the artist.
Cheryl Klein while at Algonquin Young Readers acquired world rights to a nonfiction picture book by Kate Messner (l.) and co-author Ruth Rappaport-Kristal (c.), illustrated by Kelly Wu (r.), titled Ice Cream for Breakfast, the true story of the origins of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, a global day of sweet celebration, to be edited by Samantha Gentry at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Publication is set for winter 2028; Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary represented the authors, and Wendi Gu at Hannigan Getzler Literary represented the artist.
Elizabeth Schleisman at Beaming Books has bought world English rights to Not Again, Dragon Chen! by Amanda Adams (l.), illustrated by Wazza Pink, a picture book about a boy and his imaginary dragon's tantrums, and their journeys to learning how to navigate big emotions. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Eve Adler at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Christina Doffing at Astound US represented the illustrator.
Kortney Nash at Godwin Books has acquired Louangie Bou-Montes's next YA fantasy novel, The Art of Dying, pitched as Daisy Jones and the Six meets Sinners in 1975 New England. A newly turned vampire has a chance to regain her humanity if she can track down the person who murdered her and "turn" him. But the longer she spends consumed by the dark, the more she wonders if recovering her full humanity is possible. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Saritza Hernández at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for world English rights.
Elizabeth Stranahan at Random House has bought Seven Dishes to Fall in Love by debut author Kate Emilie, in an eight-way auction. This speculative contemporary novel, aimed at fans of You've Reached Sam and If I Stay, follows teenager Zoe who becomes suspended between life and death and must untangle her life-altering regret before her death becomes permanent. Publication is scheduled for summer 2027, with a second book in summer 2028; Alyssa Reuben at WME sold North American rights.
Elizabeth Lynch at Penguin Workshop has acquired, at auction, Daughter of Spiders by Valerie Kemp. This debut middle grade novel starts a fantasy adventure series featuring a girl who discovers she's the daughter of the West African trickster god of stories, Anansi, and she is the only person who can rescue him—or else the story of her life will be erased. Book one is set for spring 2028; Chelsea Eberly at Greenhouse Literary Agency did the three-book, six-figure deal for North American rights on behalf of Working Partners. Sara Crowe at Sara Crowe Literary now represents the author.
Ryan G. Van Cleave at Bushel & Peck has bought Serenity and the Soul in the Wall by Maria Linn, winner of the Ready Chapter 1 Middle Grade Challenge. The contemporary fantasy follows a girl who discovers the soul of her family's seaside motel and must awaken its spirit to save her family during a deadly storm. Publication is planned for 2028; Ready Chapter 1 sold world English rights.
Susan Rich at Little, Brown has acquired two debut picture books by Rosie Pink, I Love Everything! and Lucky Day in a new series, Daisy Sunshine, about Daisy and her friends Summerfly and Bear-Bear embracing love and gratitude in a colorful, cozy world. Publication for book one is slated for fall 2026, and winter 2027 for book two; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions negotiated the deal for world rights.
Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane Books has bought world rights to I'm a Star!, a nonfiction picture book by Katie Slivensky (l.), illustrated by Steph Stilwell, an astronomy tale with humor, heart, and plenty of stellar facts, told from the viewpoint of one of our galaxy's newest and most enthusiastic stars. Publication is anticipated in spring 2028; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Aevitas Creative Management represented the author, and Aliza Hoover at the CAT Agency represented the illustrator.
Harriet Birkinshaw at Post Wave has acquired The Mender by Louise Greig (l.), illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger (Otto and the Story Tree). The Mender spends her nights humming a lullaby as she sews stars back into the sky and pours red into fading roses, gently stitching up the broken pieces of the world, until she herself begins to unravel, and finds her lullaby echoed back to her. Publication is scheduled for 2027; the author represented herself, and Kait Feldmann at KT Literary represented the illustrator.
Arthur Levine at Levine Querido has bought world rights to Yingcheng's Two Hats by Erica Lyons (l.), illustrated by Sally Deng, a picture book that tells the story of Kaifeng's Zhou Yingcheng, also known as Moshe ben Avram, the highest- ranking Chinese Jew in the Imperial system who, in the 1600s, managed to conquer rebels, sponsor schools, rebuild his synagogue, and represent the best of both of his identities. Publication is set for spring 2027; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself.
