CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Agence Eliane Benisti – Children’s Books Frankfurt 2018
Abrams Frankfurt 2018 Kids&ComicArts RG
Iggy Peck, Rosie Revere and Ada Twist are THE QUESTIONEERS! Join them on new adventures in their chapter book series
The QUESTIONEERS Series
by Andrea Beaty
Amulet Books
ADA TWIST AND THE PERILOUS PANTS #2
April 2019
Ada Twist is full of questions. A scientist to her very core, Ada asks why again and again. One question always leads to another until she’s off on a journey of discovery! When Rosie Revere’s Uncle Ned gets a little carried away wearing his famous helium pants, it’s up to Ada and friends to chase him down. As Uncle Ned floats farther and farther away, Ada starts asking lots of questions: How high can a balloon float? Is it possible for Uncle Ned to float into outer space? And what’s the best plan for getting him down? In this new chapter-book adventure, Ada must rely on her curious mind, her brave spirit, and her best pals Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck to solve a mystery in her own backyard.
ROSIE REVERE AND THE RAUCOUS RIVETERS #1
October 2018
Rosie Revere is no stranger to flops and fails, kerfuffles and catastrophes. After all, engineering is all about perseverance! But this time, Rosie has a really important project to tackle—one that feels much bigger than herself. Rosie’s beloved Aunt Rose and her friends, the Raucous Riveters—a group of fun-loving gals who built airplanes during World War II—need help inventing something new. And Rosie is just the engineer for the job! After one flop . . . then another . . . and another . . . Rosie starts to lose hope. But thanks to some help from her fellow Questioneers Iggy Peck and Ada Twist, Rosie gets the job done. And, along with the Riveters, she rediscovers the meaning of home.
Andrea Beaty is the author of “Iggy Peck, Architect”; “Rosie Revere, Engineer”; and “Ada Twist, Scientist”; among other children’s titles. David Roberts has illustrated many children’s books, including “Iggy Peck, Architect” and “Rosie Revere, Engineer”.
Coco Chanel has been featured in a number of successful picture-book biographies. This new book focuses on Coco’s early life and celebrates her style with fashion forward illustrations
ALONG CAME COCO
by Eva Byrne
Abrams, March 2019
In a time when children were meant to be seen and not heard, along came Coco, a small French orphan with an eye for style, a talent for sewing, and a big imagination. Coco grew up in an orphanage run by very strict nuns, but she wasn’t very good at following rules. At a time when girls were told to brush their hair 100 times until their arms were sore, Coco promised herself that one day she would snip away her locks so that she wouldn’t have to be so fussy—girls needed time for other things, and they needed some of the comforts that boys enjoyed. Why shouldn’t girls have pockets? And why did they have to wear corsets all the time? An exploration of Coco’s early life and a celebration of her creativity, ALONG CAME COCO shows the ways in which Coco Chanel’s imaginative spirit led her to grow into one of the world’s most beloved fashion icons.
Eva Byrne is an artist who specializes in fashion illustration and children’s books. She is the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Princesses Wear Pants”.
This sweet and funny summertime romance is perfect for fans of “Love and Gelato” and “The Unexpected Everything”
HAPPY MESSY SCARY LOVE
by Leah Konen
Abrams, May 2019
As everyone at her Brooklyn high school announces their summer adventures, Olivia harbors a dirty secret: Her plan is to binge-watch horror movies and chat with her online friend, Elm. Olivia and Elm have never shared personal details, apart from their ages and the fact that Elm’s aunt is a low-budget horror filmmaker. Then Elm pushes Olivia to share her identity and sends her a selfie of his own. Olivia is shocked by how cute he is! In a moment of panic, assuming she and Elm will never meet in real life, she sends a photo of her gorgeous friend Katie. But things are about to get even more complicated when Olivia’s parents send her to the Catskills, and she runs into the one person she never thought she would see.
Leah Konen is the author of “The Romantics” and “Love and Other Train Wrecks”. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and her dog, Farley. Find out more on leahkonen.com.
Dealing with themes of violence and enlightenment, Suicide Bomber tackles the current social and political issues that plague our world today
A SUICIDE BOMBER SITS IN THE LIBRARY
by Jack Gantos
Abrams, May 2019
“People stop thinking when they cease to read.” When a young boy enters a library wearing an explosive vest hidden underneath his lovely new red jacket, he only has one plan on his mind. But as he observes those around him becoming completely captivated by all of the wonderful books they are reading—books he has no ability to read—the boy can’t help but question his reasoning for being there. With Dave McKean’s unique mixed-media illustrations, bestselling author Jack Gantos brings to life the story of a young suicide bomber, his unquestionable duty to his beliefs, and the unexpected power of books to change lives. Dave McKean’s illustrations have garnered worldwide recognition through his collaborations with Neil Gaiman. His awards include a World Fantasy Award, a Harvey Award, the British DF Association Award, three Spectrum World Fantasy Awards, and multiple Locus Awards. He is also the illustrator of the Newbery Medal–winning “The Graveyard Book”.
Jack Gantos is an award-winning author of over 50 books for young readers. He was a professor at Emerson College, where he developed the Masters Degree Program in Children’s Literature, Writing and Publishing. His works have received a Newbery Award, Scott O’Dell Award, Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, Sibert Honor, and National Book Award Finalist Honor. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Dave McKean is an award-winning, #1 bestselling illustrator and filmmaker. Some of his books include “Sandman”, “The Graveyard Book”, and “Coraline”, written by Neil Gaiman, and collaborations with Richard Dawkins and David Almond. He lives in England’s Kent countryside.
A new fantasy YA series from the bestselling author of the “Woodwalkers” series
IM BANN DES SILBERFALKEN
The KHYONA Series #1
(“The Silver Falcon’s Spell”)
by Katja Brandis
July 2018
The vacation with her new patchwork family in Iceland is just as strenuous as Kari had pictured. Yet when she meets a silver falcon and is taken to the Land of Isslar, it changes everything. Before she knows it, Kari finds herself in a magic world full of trolls, ice dragons and fairies, where geysers decide your fate and where a mysterious young man rules over the volcanoes of the island. But why is she here? When Kari finds out that she looks like the twin of a young female assassin who must commit murder as ordered by the duchess of Isslar, Kari is already in deep trouble…
Book #2 to be published in Fall 2019
The Katja Brandis’ “Woodwalkers” series has sold around 270 000 copies in Germany and translated in five foreign languages.
A book for all of those who, together with their best friend, are invincible
ZWEI FREUNDINNEN GEGEN DEN REST DER WELT
The WILD UND WUNDERBAR Series #1
(“Two Friends Against the Rest of the World”)
by Ilona Einwohlt, illustrated by Inka Vigh
June 2018
When Shark a.k.a. Sophie Hyazinth Amanda Ricarda Kornelius moves into the flat on the floor under Linn’s home, her world is turned upside down. That is because the new girl with her bright leggings and checkered hair strand looks hot and always has a cool saying on her lips. Linn has always wanted a best friend who is as self-confident as Shark is. But what is she supposed to do to become Shark’s best friend? She, shy Linn, who is harassed daily by the mobbing clique? What Linn doesn’t know yet is that Shark urgently needs a true friend herself …
Ilona Einwohlt has made a name for herself by writing her guides for girls – not only because she writes about topics that really interest girls in her easy-going yet sensitive style. She is the author of “Sina’s Survival Guides” novels and other series.
Caskie Mushens FBF rights guide
From the author of the New York Times bestselling “Summoner” series, comes a brand new EPIC world
THE CHOSEN
The Contender #1
by Taran Matharu
Hodder, May 2019
Throughout history, people have vanished with no explanation. Now, a teenage boy is about to discover why. Cade, a misunderstood juvenile delinquent, is mysteriously transported to another world. Abandoned in a realm populated with lost remnants from the past, prehistoric animals and monstrous creatures, they are forced to become contenders in an endless, brutal tournament. It’s time to get ready for battle . . . because hiding is not an option.
Taran Matharu’s previous books in “The Summoner” series were bestsellers, with Book 1 at #5, Book 2 at #3 and Book 3 at #4 in the New York Times Bestseller List.
DeFiore Kids FFBF18 3-compressed (1)
Stranger Things meets Men in Black in this funny and eerie young adult novel
THE TRUTH LIES HERE
by Lindsay Klingele
HarperTeen, August 2018
In small town Michigan, Penny Hardjoy, an aspiring journalist, teams up with the nerdy boy next door and the town’s star quarterback to find her conspiracy theorist father after he goes missing and several other people turn up dead in the woods. The deeper she digs, the weirder things start to get. Townspeople repeat the same phrases—verbatim. Men in black suits stroll around Main Street. Chunks of Penny’s memory go missing. Pretty soon, her research leads her to the long-ago meteorite crash in Bone Lake’s woods, and she’s going to have to reconsider her definition of “real” if she wants answers…
Lindsay Klingele author of “The Marked Girl” and its sequel, “The Broken World”, has worked in television, in addition to writing YA novels.
“Sparkles with beauty, intrigue, and romance. THE BEHOLDER will leave you clutching your poor heart and aching for the sequel.” – Kiera Cass, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series
THE BEHOLDER
by Anna Bright
HarperTeen/HarperCollins, Summer 2019
As the Seneschal-elect or princess-to-be of Potomac, 18-year-old Selah’s duty is to set an example for her people and marry young. Selah is happy to fulfill her responsibility—until her choice of consort turns her down at the very public Arbor Day ceremony. Selah’s rejection is the perfect excuse for her treacherous stepmother to send her away and seize power. With Selah’s father too weak to step in, her stepmother forces her to set sail across the Atlantic on the Beholder with young, enigmatic Captain Andrew Lang in command, and an itinerary stacked with suitors. The message is clear: come home with a worthy husband or don’t come home at all. Throughout her journey, Selah finds much-needed camaraderie with the eclectic crew of the Beholder, though she often wonders if ferrying her across the sea is the ship’s only mission. Selah soon realizes she’s been set up to fail: her suitors all have thrones to inherit, too bound to their own countries to help lead hers. Marriage to any of them means abandoning Potomac—which Selah refuses to consider—until she meets Prinse Torden of Norge. Fierce, disciplined, and unwaveringly faithful to his kingdom, Torden and his inseparable, unruly siblings help Selah discover confidence and courage she didn’t know she possessed. And she can only hope that her newfound courage will help her make the hardest decision of her life.
Anna Bright lives in Washington, D.C., where she’s an indie bookseller by day and an author by night. THE BEHOLDER is her first novel.
Rights sold in Czech Republic and Slovakia (Albatros)
The first book in a hilarious middle-grade trilogy sure to captivate kids who dream of a future in outer space, full of alien encounters, zero-gravity dodgeball, and everything in between
SEVENTH GRADE VS THE GALAXY
by Joshua Levy
Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing, March 2019
The P.S.S. 118 is just your run-of-the-mill school. Except that it’s a rickety old public school spaceship in orbit around Jupiter. Which gets captured by aliens on the last day of school. And caught in the middle of a galaxy-spanning war. As thirteen-year-old Jack Graham puts it, “You know, usual summer vacation stuff.” During the end-of-the-year assembly, the school is mysteriously attacked. Amidst the chaos, Jack receives a cryptic message from his father (the school’s recently-fired-for-tinkering-with-the-ship science teacher) and reluctantly follows it down to the engine room with his best friend, Ari, and his non-friend, Becka. There, Jack discovers that his dad has built humanity’s first light-speed engine—and given Jack voice control. To try and save the ship, Jack catapults the school hundreds of light-years away and right into the clutches of the first aliens humans have ever seen. School hasn’t just gotten out—it’s gone clear across the galaxy.
SEVENTH GRADE VS THE GALAXY is Joshua Levy’s debut novel.
Fans of The Magic School Bus, Carmen Sandiego, and Magic Tree House will love this new chapter book series
The MAGIC ON THE MAP Series
Let’s Mooove! #1
by Courtney Sheinmel and Bianca Turetsky
Random House Books for Young Readers, May 2020
8-year-old twins Finn and Molly Parker live an ordinary life in Harvey Falls, Ohio. But one day, Finn and Molly come home to find something out-of-the-ordinary in their driveway: a camper van. And not just any camper van: one equipped with a Planet Earth Transporter — PET, for short. PET uses the information superhighway to travel anywhere in the world. And he always returns before their next family meal. As the twins experience the fun and excitement of each destination, they learn about geography and keep track of their travels on a map at the back of the camper. With each trip, they head home knowing they’ve left things a little bit better than they found them. Where will PET take them next? California? Texas? France? Anything is possible on the magical road trip of a lifetime!
Courtney Sheinmel is the author of the middle grade series, “The Kindness Club”, and Bianca Turetsky is the author of the “Time Traveling Fashionista” series.
The Magicians meets Fight Club in this heart-stopping contemporary fantasy standalone about a teen girl with special powers who seeks redemption through dangerous tournament that garantees the winner a chance to undo the past. Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and “The Young Elites”, and written by debut author Katharyn Blair
THE BECKONING SHADOW
by Katharyn Blair
July 2019
Vesper Montgomery can summon your worst fear and turn it into a reality—but she’d rather not. She has learned the hard way that it is an addicting and dangerous power, difficult to control and even harder to understand. One wrong move and you could irrevocably hurt someone you love. She’s better off alone, thank you very much. But then a chance encounter introduces her to other people like her who have special abilities that separate them from your average Baseline human. Finding them leads her to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a spot in the Tournament of the Unraveling, where competitors battle it out for a chance to rewrite the past. Desperate to avoid using her powers, she turns to Sam Hardy, a former MMA fighter who’s also carrying a tragedy he desperately wants to undo. However, helping heal Sam’s heart will mean breaking her own, and the competition won’t let her ignore what is inside of her. She will have to master her powers −powers she has been terrified of since they destroyed her life.
Katharyn Blair is a novelist and screenwriter. She graduated with her MFA in 2015 and is finishing her MA in Literature. She’s been a social media coordinator for several films at 20th Century Fox, an intern at her city’s Parks and Recreation Department, a gymnastics coach, and most recently, a writing professor at Azusa Pacific University. This is her debut novel.
Two sisters broke the world. Two sisters will save it. Frozen meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this epic YA fantasy duology about a world cracked in two –one half trapped in scorching eternal day, the other in endless frozen night- and the twin goddesses who undertake a dangerous journey hoping to heal it
THE NEVER TILTING WORLD
by Rin Chupeco
October 2019
Remarkable in beauty and fearsome in power, generations of twin goddesses have long ruled Aeon. Until, seventeen years ago, one sister’s betrayal defied an ancient prophecy and split their world in two. The planet ceased to spin, and three quarters of the world perished. Now, a Great Abyss divides the planet; one side cloaked in perpetual night, the other scorched beneath an unrelenting sun. While Asteria and her daughter, Odessa, rule Aranth –a frozen city surrounded by a storm-wracked sea –her twin sister, Latona, inhabits the sand-locked Golden City with her daughter, Haidee. When spectral forces summon them to the site of the Breaking, the two young goddesses –along with Lan, the most powerful healer in Aranth, and Arjun, a mouthy desert scavenger- set out on separate journeys across treacherous wastelands, desperate to heal their broken world. No matter the matter the sacrifice it demands. Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus.
Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Rin Chupeco is the author of “The Girl from the Well”, “The Suffering”, “The Bone Witch”, and “The Heart Forager”.
A touching middle grade story about a diverse group of foster kids who redefine what it means to be a family. Perfect for readers of books like “Counting by 7s”
THE ECHO PARK CASTAWAYS
by M.G. Hennessey
July 2019
Nevaeh, Vic, and Mara are not new to the foster care system. They have been living with Mrs. K for a while now, and for the past year, Mrs. K is hardly ever at home because of work. As the oldest, Nevaeh is tasked with taking care of things. Considering Vic spends most of his time in a fantasy world in which he is a superspy, and Mara does not speak English, she has her work cut out for her. Then Quentin arrives at the house, and things are turned upside down. Quentin is on the autism spectrum, and while he does not speak and is clearly overwhelmed by everything that has happened to him, he has made it clear th|at he has one goal: to find his mother. And when Vic decides to help, they set off on an epic quest through the streets of Echo Park, California. Although the outcome of their adventure is not what they were hoping for, Nevaeh, Vic, Quentin, and Mara still learn valuable lessons about hope, trust, acceptance, and ultimately, family.
M.G. Hennessey is the author of the acclaimed middle-grade novel “The Other Boy”.
In a sweet and clever picture book from debut author-illustrator Coll Muir, two animals — a cat and a bird — wonder if they can be friends with one another, despite their predator and prey relationship
CAN CAT AND BIRD BE FRIENDS?
by Coll Muir
June 2019
This witty book tells a tale of a cat and a bird. Two animals who, according to the natural course of things, are not supposed to be friends – but does it have to be that way? In his simple but brilliant art style. Coll Muir playfully conveys the idea that if you are different from somebody, it does not mean that you cannot be friends and that even the most unlikely duo can manage to get along. Akin to / Want My Hat Back and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Coll Muir’s debut picture book feels like an instant classic friendship story!
Graham Howie writing as Coll Muir is a London-based illustrator and writer of children’s books. After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art, he worked in the film and television industry. He has created characters for the British children’s comic books, The Beano and The Dandy.
Two cats learn to share a home and family in this charming picture book, written by acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates and illustrated by Dave Mottram
THE NEW KITTEN
by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated by Dave Mottram
June 2019
As the only cat in her house, Cherie is accustomed to being showered with treats and affection. So when her family brings home a new kitten named Cleopatra, Cherie resents that she’s no longer the center of attention—and she can’t believe all the trouble that the kitten gets away with! Feeling neglected, Cherie runs away to the great outdoors. When the animals she meets are just as unwelcoming as she’s been to Cleopatra, all Cherie wants is to go home. But she knows that to do so, she’ll have to open her heart to the newest member of her family. Award winning author Joyce Carol Oates’ story about a cat adjusting to life with a new housemate, beautifully illustrated by Dave Mottram, will resonate for any reader who has—eventually!— found the joy in sharing the spotlight with a new family addition.
Joyce Carol Oates is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a recipient of the National Book Award, the LA. Times Book Award, and the National Medal in the Humanities. Her first novel for teens, “Big Mouth & Ugly Girl”, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, followed by the acclaimed novels “Freaky Green Eyes”; “Sexy”; “After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away”; and “Two or Three Things I Forgot to Tell You”. Her previous picture books for children include Come Meet Muffin and Naughty Cherie!
A heartfelt and humorous contemporary YA novel, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Mylnowski, about two sisters—polar opposites—who struggle to find themselves outside of the shadow of their late father
ORDINARY GIRLS
by Blair Thornburgh
May 2019
Fifteen-year-old Plum Blatchey’s real name is Patience, but with an older sister like Ginny—who flings herself on furniture when she’s stressing about college admissions—patience is not a virtue Plum can easily identify with. Sort of like how she is definitely not a writer even though her late father was an acclaimed author. Ginny got the genius genes, unfortunately. Plum’s skills are limited to analyzing Brontë novels, getting her cat to eat his heartworm pill, and—oh!—making a fool of herself in front of fellow classmate Tate Kurokawa, who she has been tutoring for extra cash since her mother’s finances have hit a snag. Ginny Blatchley is not getting into the University of Pennsylvania. Her straight As aren’t straight enough, she only speaks three languages, and she did not even take advanced calculus. Is this what her dad meant when he called her, in one of his last essays, a genius? It’s not like she’s clever or brilliant like Plum… But this has always been the sisters’ dynamic. So why does everything feel different this year? Maybe because Ginny is going to leave for college. Maybe because Plum has a secret for the first time in her life. Or maybe because the girls are forced to come to terms with who they really are instead of who their late father said they were.
Blair Thornburgh writes stories for and about teenagers. A graduate of the University of Chicago and a graduate of Hamline University’s MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults, she lives in Philadelphia. Her first book, “Who’s That Girl”, was named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year.
Globally bestselling author of the “Septimus Heap” series, Angie Sage, brings forth a gripping and darkly humorous tale of Maximillian Fly — a human with cockroach features — whose quiet life is upended when he aids two human children in their escape from an oppressive governing power. Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket and Adam Gidwitz
MAXIMILLIAN FLY
by Angie Sage
June 2019
You are about to meet an extraordinary human. His name is Maximillian Fly. Maximillian is a gentle creature, and he wants no trouble; however, he does look like a cockroach, and this may frighten you. If you insist on following along his journey, you should take care to know the whole story: the history of the Contagion; the orb his city of Hope is trapped beneath; and how the story of his life took a different direction when he opened his door to two wingless children who needed a place to hide. He will know you are watching him. Maximillian Fly is proud and will try to prove his goodness to you. But in a world filled with prejudice, fear, and lies, this will be difficult. As a roach human with wings and many arms, he has been shunned by many. Are you afraid? Do not be, my reader. You are vital to this dark and twisty tale, for it begins with the kind Maximillian Fly — and you.
Angie Sage loves the sea, spooky old houses, and medieval England. Ms. Sage has created many books for children, including the New York Times bestselling series “Septimus Heap” and “Araminta Spookie”.
KTLiterary Children’s Frankfurt Rights List 2018
Tackling the stigma of menstruation with humor, heart, a dash of mayhem, and cramps. Lots of cramps
REVENGE OF THE RED CLUB
by Kim Harrington
Aladdin Books/Simon & Schuster, Fall 2019
Riley Dunne loves being a member of the Red Club. It’s more than a group of girls supporting each other through Aunt Flo’s ups and downs; it’s a Hawking Middle School tradition. The secret locker has an emergency stash in case Shark Week comes unexpectedly. And the girls are always willing to lend an ear, a shoulder, or an old pair of sweatpants. But when school administration shuts the Red Club down because of complaints, the girls are stunned. Who would do that to them? An adult who thinks it’s inappropriate? A mean boy who thinks girl stuff is gross? The girls’ shock quickly turns into anger, and then they decide to get even. But wallpapering the gym with maxi pads and making tampon crafts in art class won’t bring their club back. Only Riley can do that. Using skills she cultivated as her school paper’s top investigative reporter (okay, only investigative reporter), she digs for the truth about who shut the club down and why. All the while dealing with friendship drama, a new and ridiculous dress code, and a support group that is now more focused on fighting back. Can she save the Red Club before this rebellion turns into a full scale war?
Kim Harrington is the author of multiple titles for teens and kids. Her first book, “Clarity”, received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, was a 2012 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, sold to nine countries, and was optioned for television by Warner Brothers.
An emotional whirlwind from the author of “Underwater”
AFTERSHOCKS
by Marisa Reichardt
Amulet Books, Fall 2020
When the Big One hits Southern California, Ruby never expected to be trapped in a laundromat only moments after her first conversation with Charlie. But as the hours and days tick on, and Ruby and Charlie struggle to survive with only each other’s voices to help keep them going, Ruby’s memories of the choices that brought her to this place and her dreams for the future may be the only way to find hope to continue.
Marisa Reichardt is a SoCal native and high school writing instructor. She has a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and dual undergraduate degrees in literature and creative writing from UC San Diego. She spent her college years shucking oysters, waiting tables, and peddling swimwear. She has spent her post-grad years writing, tutoring, and teaching.
The new Sarah Watson’s YA contemporary novel
MOST LIKELY
by Sarah Watson
Poppy/Little Brown, Spring 2020
As the first female president of the United States is about to be sworn in, she takes her husband’s hand, and thinks back to the first time she kissed him — her senior year in high school — and how they got from there to here. The mystery, of course, is which girl got the guy and the gig. The story is of four best friends who’ll do anything for each other, and the swoonworthy guy that ends up the first First Gentleman. We’ll see how their friendship and support of one another helps to shape one of them into the future leader of the free world.
Sarah Watson is the creator of the Freeform series, “The Bold Type”, the show that The New York Times described as, “Sex and the Single Girl for Millennials.” Previously she was a Writer and Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed NBC drama, “Parenthood”. She has also written for “About A Boy”, “Lipstick Jungle”, “The Unusuals”, and “The Middleman”, as well as other series. She has sold pilots to ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX and had her writing appear in Buzzfeed. A Northern California native, Sarah studied English and American Literature at UCLA before beginning her career in television.
Levine Greenberg Rostan Frankfurt 2018
Don’t miss one of the most heartwarming young adult novels of the year. Perfect for fans of Water for Elephants, Wonder and All the Bright Places, When Elephants Fly shows that how we choose to live our lives matters, and that sometimes taking a risk can be both the hardest and the most wonderful thing of all
WHEN ELEPHANTS FLY
by Nancy Richardson Fischer
Harlequin Teen, September 2018
T. Lily Decker is a high school senior with a twelve-year plan: avoid stress, drugs, alcohol and boyfriends, and take regular psych quizzes administered by her best friend, Sawyer, to make sure she’s not developing schizophrenia. Genetics are not on Lily’s side. When she was seven, her mother, who had paranoid schizophrenia, tried to kill her. And a secret has revealed that Lily’s odds are even worse than she thought. Still, there’s a chance to avoid triggering the mental health condition, if Lily can live a careful life from ages eighteen to thirty, when schizophrenia most commonly manifests.
Nancy Richardson Fischer is a graduate of Cornell University and a published author with children’s, teen, and adult titles to her credit, including Star Wars titles for Lucasfilm and numerous autobiographies of athletes, such as Julie Krone, Bela Karolyi and Monica Seles.
From actor and writer Thomas Lennon comes a hilarious new middle-grade series—the love child of Eoin Colfer and Lemony Snicket—set in a world of law-breaking leprechauns
RONAN BOYLE AND THE BRIDGE OF RIDDLES #1
by Thomas Lennon
Amulet, March 2019
“In my completely unbiased opinion, my good friend Thomas Lennon has written perhaps the finest children’s book of all time (in the ever-burgeoning leprechaun crime-drama sub-genre). Equal parts JK Rowling and Douglas Adams, which, y’know… ain’t a bad thing.” – Weird Al Yankovic
Fourteen-year-old Ronan Boyle is the youngest and lowliest recruit to the secret Garda, an Irish police force that handles the misdeeds of numerous magical creatures. Ronan’s parents are in jail, but Ronan is convinced that they were framed by the wee people. So, despite his small size, poor eyesight, and social awkwardness, he’s determined to learn all he can in the Garda in order to prove his parents’ innocence. To show he’s got what it takes, he’ll have to confront a fiery leprechaun, a sinister harpy, and a whole world of monsters hidden in plain sight next to real-life Ireland. Fast-paced, action-packed, and completely hilarious, this is the start to an exciting new middle-grade series by actor and writer Thomas Lennon.
Thomas Patrick Lennon is a writer, comedian, actor and director best known for his role as Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the Comedy Central series Reno 911! and as Felix Unger on the CBS series The Odd Couple. He is of Irish descent and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Jenny Robertson, and their son, Oliver.
The highly anticipated new novel from Jennifer Mathieu is about the stories families tell to survive. Perfect for fans of We Were Liars
THE LIARS OF MARIPOSA ISLAND
by Jennifer Mathieu
Roaring Brook, September 2019
Every year, summer begins with the Callahans’ arrival to Mariposa Island. That’s when Elena gets to escape her unstable, controlling mother by babysitting for their two children. And the summer of 1986 promises to be extra special when she meets J. C., the new boy in town whose kisses make Elena feel like she’s been transported to a new world. Joaquin can’t imagine why anyone would want to come to Mariposa Island. He’s just graduated from high school and dreams about going to California to find his father and escaping his mother’s manipulation and abuse. THE LIARS OF MARIPOSA ISLAND is told first from the point of view of Elena and then Joaquin. Interspersed are chapters about Caridad, Elena and Joaquin’s mother, and her experience as a teenage refugee fleeing the Cuban revolution. This remarkably crafted, multilayered novel explores the illusive nature of truth, the danger of keeping secrets, and the fierce and sometimes destructive love that can exist in families.
Jennifer Mathieu is the award-winning author of several young adult novels from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press including “Moxie” (named to TIME magazine’s Top Ten YA novels of 2017) and “The Truth About Alice”, a Children’s Book Choice Award winner. Jennifer believes in writing books that treat teenagers like real people.
MacKenzie Wolf_Rights Guide_FBF 2018
A dark, twisted, unforgettable fairy tale from Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist “What Girls Are Made Of”
DAMSEL
by Elana K. Arnold
HarperCollins, October 2018
The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son the prince must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been. When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It’s all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale. As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in.
Elana K. Arnold is the author of picture books, middle grade novels, and books for teens, including the National Book Award Finalist “What Girls Are Made Of”.
A touching exploration of love and how it shapes us, both during a relationship and after it has ended
BRIEF CHRONICLE OF ANOTHER STUPID HEARTBREAK
by Adi Alsaid
Harlequin Teen, Spring 2019
The summer after senior year is not going as eighteen-year-old Lu Charles expected: after her longtime boyfriend unexpectedly breaks up with her, she finds herself unable to write her relationships column for Misnomer, the popular e-zine that feels so central to her identity. Then, she meets Cal, a handsome, charming and decidedly un-single stranger. Or is he? Cal’s ever-practical girlfriend Iris is looking ahead to her first year of college, and her plans do not include a long-distance boyfriend. When Lu learns that Cal and Iris have planned to end their relationship at the end of the summer, she becomes fascinated and decides to chronicle the last months the couple will spend together. But the closer she gets to both of them, the harder it becomes to untangle her own feelings toward Cal from the story she’s writing. When Lu’s ex-boyfriend Leo unexpectedly comes back into the picture, Lu will have to decide what she wants—and from whom—or risk losing it all.
Adi Alsaid was born and raised in Mexico City. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After graduating, he packed up his car and escaped to the California coastline to become a writer. He’s now back in his hometown, where he writes, coaches basketball, and makes every dish he eats as spicy as possible. In addition to Mexico, he’s lived in Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Monterey, California. Adi is the author of “Let’s Get Lost”, “Never Always Sometimes”, and “North of Happy”.
Kate O’Shaughnessy’s winsome debut middle grade novel, THE LONELY HEART OF MAYBELLE LANE, is about a girl who sets out on the adventure of a lifetime to enter a singing competition and—she hopes—meet her father, one of the competition’s judges, for the first time
THE LONELY HEART OF MAYBELLE LANE
by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Knopf BFYR, Spring 2020
Eleven-year-old Maybelle Lane collects sounds. She records the Louisiana crickets chirping, Momma strumming her guitar, their broken trailer door swinging half-shut. However, the crown jewel of her collection is a sound she didn’t collect herself: an old recording of her daddy’s warm, sunshine laugh, saved on an old phone’s voicemail. It’s the only thing she has of his, and the only thing she knows about him. That is, until one day when she hears that laugh—his laugh—pouring out of the car radio. Going against Momma’s wishes, Maybelle starts listening to her radio DJ daddy’s new show religiously, taking in every detail of his personality like a plant leaning toward the sun. When he announces he’ll be the judge of a singing contest in Nashville, she signs up in secret, saving her worries about how she’ll get there—and what she’ll sing—for another day. The problem: although Maybelle collects sounds, she doesn’t make them. It’s not that her voice is bad—Momma always says it’s the loveliest she’s ever heard—it’s that her bone-shaking stage fright keeps her from using it. But when a neighbor, Mrs. Boggs, offers to drive her to Nashville in her RV, Maybelle jumps at the opportunity. As their trip brings them closer to her father, Maybelle has to find her voice to tell her story—because the lights are on, the music is starting, and the world is ready for the lonely heart of Maybelle Lane.
Kate O’Shaughnessy is a graduate of Yale University and lives in Berkeley, California.
A multi-generational novel following two teenagers: one who joins the circus in 1965, and her granddaughter who leaves the circus 50 years later
WE WALKED THE SKY
by Lisa Fiedler
Razorbill, July 2019
In 1965, seventeen-year-old Victoria flees to the circus, hoping to start a better life. Fift y years later, Victoria’s sixteen-year-old granddaughter Callie is thriving. A gift ed and focused tightrope walker, Callie can’t imagine herself anywhere but the circus. But when Callie’s mother accepts her dream job, Callie is forced to leave her lifelong home behind. Now Callie must use her circus prowess to navigate the uncharted waters of public high school.
Lisa Fiedler Lisa Fiedler is the author of many novels for children and young adults, including two retellings of a Shakespearean story from the female point of view, “Dating Hamlet” and “Romeo’s Ex”.
The Serpent King meets Stranger Things in Emily Henry’s gripping novel about a group of friends in a small town who find themselves dealing with unexpected powers after a cosmic event
WHEN THE SKY FELL ON SPLENDOR
by Emily Henry
Razorbill, March 2019
Almost everyone in the small town of Splendor, Ohio, was affected when the local steel mill exploded. If you weren’t a casualty of the accident yourself, chances are a loved one was. That’s the case for seventeen-year-old Franny, who, five years after the explosion, still has to stand by and do nothing as her brother lies in a coma. In the wake of the tragedy, Franny found solace in a group of friends whose experiences mirrored her own. The group calls themselves The Ordinary, and they spend their free time investigating local ghost stories and legends, filming their exploits for their small following of YouTube fans. It’s silly, it’s fun, and it keeps them from dwelling on the sadness that surrounds them. Until one evening, when the strange and dangerous thing they film isn’t fiction–it’s a bright light, something massive hurdling toward them from the sky. And when it crashes and the teens go to investigate…everything changes.
Emily Henry is the author of “The Love That Split the World” and “A Million Junes”. She is a full-time writer, proofreader, and donut connoisseur. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the New York Center for Art & Media Studies.
Master storyteller David Baldacci sounds the drums of war in the jaw-dropping conclusion to the #1 international bestselling Vega Jane fantasy series
THE STARS BELOW
(The Vegan Jane Series #4)
by David Baldacci
Scholastic, February 2019
“What happens when an international best-selling crime novelist tries his hand at a youth fantasy? Well, in this case, success.” – Starred Booklist Review for THE FINISHER
Vega Jane has tried to outrun, outsmart, and outlast her enemy, but the showdown she has dreaded is finally here. Her ragtag crew must take a stand against a fully trained army, knowing the odds are impossible, knowing each of them could die for nothing. But when injustice appears, the only choice is to stand and fight.
Previous titles in this series: THE FINISHER (#1), THE KEEPER (#2) and THE WIDTH OF THE WORLD (#3)
David Baldacci made a big splash on the literary scene with the publication of his first novel, ABSOLUTE POWER, in 1996. A major motion picture adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 27 novels, all of which have been national and international bestsellers; several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries; over 110 million copies are in print worldwide. David has also published four novels for children. He has received numerous accolades for his writing; most recently, he was inducted into the International Crime Writing Hall of Fame and received the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award.
St. Martin’s Press_Frankfurt 2018
House of Night meets X-Men in this exciting new series from #1 New York Times mother/daughter writing duo, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. A graphic novel adaptation is scheduled for May 2019
THE DYSASTERS #1
by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Wednesday Books, January 2019
Foster Stewart knows she’s different. Her life has never been « normal. » Talking to plants and controlling cloud formations aren’t things most seventeen year olds are into. Tate « Nighthawk » Taylor is perfect. Star quarterback and all around dreamy boy next door he never thought about his « extra » abilities. What quarterback wouldn’t want night vision? That’s not weird, right? It’s cool! But on the night of their first meeting a deadly tornado brings them together and awakens their true abilities – the power to control the element air. Unbeknown to Tate and Foster, they are the first in a group of teens that were genetically manipulated before birth to bond with the elements. Which truly sucks for Foster, as she has to face the fact that Dr. Rick Stewart, her beloved scientist father, betrayed her and now wants to use her and the others for his own nefarious world domination plot.
#1 New York Times & #1 USA Today bestselling author P.C. Cast is a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Kristin Cast is a #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author who teams with her mother to write the wildly successful HOUSE OF NIGHT series.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the Shadow Falls series comes a new YA thriller about a girl who learns that she may have been kidnapped as a child and must race to uncover the truth about her past before she winds up a victim
IN ANOTHER LIFE
by C.C. Hunter
Wednesday Books, March 2019
Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her. When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they’re kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth. As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?
C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym for award-winning romance author Christie Craig.
A new series that gives scientists the super hero treatment! Teach childen about the incredible Marie Curie with this fun, informative picture book
MARIE CURIE AND THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE
by Karla Valenti
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, April 2019
What if superheroes didn’t have supernatural powers, but were humans with amazing brain power? What if our superheroes were scientists? The first book in the My Super Science series is about Marie Curie and her power of persistence. Using a fictionalized storytelling approach, readers will learn about Marie Curie’s achievements and will feel empowered to become science superheroes themselves. Created with the Marie Curie Alumni Association, which has a worldwide presence, outreach, and creditability, MARIE CURIE AND THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE includes educational backmatter and a scientific glossary.
Thomas Patrick Lennon is an author of children’s picture books and middle grade novels.
The lessons Muzoon has learned from a young age will inspire and activate other young people to think globally and engage with today’s most pressing issues. For readers of “I Am Malala”
JUST LIKE ME
Life Lessons from a Young Refugee
by Muzoon Almellehan
Knopf Books for Young Readers, Spring 2020
When her family was forced to flee their beloved home of Syria, Muzoon, then 14 years old and a passionate student, was allowed to bring only one bag. She packed her ninth-grade textbooks, leaving everything else she owned behind. Once settled in the refugee camps, she noticed that many girls didn’t attend school, instead dropping out to become child brides. She went from tent to tent on a one-girl campaign to convince girls and their families of the value she held close as her country was torn apart—that education was the key to a future of possibility and to one day returning to rebuild Syria. Her efforts drew the attention of Nobel Peace Prize winner and fellow activist Malala Yousafzai, now a close personal friend, as well as UNICEF, launching Muzoon on a path to becoming a globally renowned activist for education and refugees. Just LIKE ME follows Muzoon from her heartbreaking escape of war-torn Syria, to crowded refugee camps in Jordan, to becoming an advocate for education and negotiating resettlement for her family in the UK. Told as different lessons she has learned along her journey, such as the power of friendship, handling hard times and connecting with your community, Muzoon’s story is at once a window into a historical, life-altering conflict and the story of any teenage girl learning to navigate her world. Through “If you were me…” prompts at the conclusion of each chapter, Just Like Me offers young readers a way to connect to Muzoon’s story and get inspired to consider how they will navigate their own world.
Known as “the Malala of Syria,” Muzoon Almellehan is an internationally recognized activist for education, refugees and the rights of girls and women. She is currently the youngest UNICEF ambassador at 20 years old as well as the first with official refugee status. Last year, she was named one of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year and one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21, an honor that brought her to a round table discussion with Hillary Clinton.
From the author of Beastly, now a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens, comes a heartwarming tale of coming-of-age adventure, romance, and the true meaning behind friendship
GIRLS OF JULY
by Alex Flinn
HarperCollins Children’s, June 2019
With peaceful waters, breathtaking views, and hiking trails, the Adirondacks in New York is the perfect place for a summer vacation. But Britta, Meredith, Kate and Spider rent out the secluded cabin with no cell phone reception for different reasons. Britta is a theater aficionada escaping her mother’s sleazeball boyfriend; Meredith is a genius preparing to get accepted into every Ivy League school; Kate is a wealthy daughter of a debutante mother and politician father; and Alicia, nicknamed Spider, is a movie buff and aspiring screenwriter. Though these four girls have nothing in common, fate and random circumstance brings them together in the cabin for a life-changing summer experience. As the summer wears on, the girls of July disconnect with the lives they’ve left behind, reconsider their futures, and form an unexpected bond.
Alex Flinn is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Beastly, a spin on Beauty and the Beast that was made into a major motion picture starring Vanessa Hudgens. She is the author of 12 other novels for teens, including Breathing Underwater, Beheld, and A Kiss in Time.
A stunning and genre-bending exploration of immigration, folklore, family, and our astonishing, limitless universe
SIA MARTINEZ AND THE MOONLIT BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING
by Raquel Vazquez Gilliland
Simon Pulse, Summer 2020
It’s been three years since the deportation and the phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people—stupid people, Sia’s friend Rose would say—refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.” She knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home. One night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive. As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous. Imagine a Mexican Jessica Jones racing through a David Arnold novel with a pitstop in Roswell and you’ll find Sia Martinez. Timely and propulsive, Raquel’s debut stopped me in my tracks. I hope that it does the same for you.
Raquel Vazquez Gilliland comes from a line of lore-telling Mexican women who practice folk magic. She obtained her MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her first collection of poems was published this year by Green Writers Press. Her second poetry collection won Rattle’s Chapbook Prize and will be published in September.
Text Publishing Frankfurt Rights Guide 2018
SONGBIRD is a tender story about belonging, about the importance of friendship and of asking for help, and about the parts of our lives we keep concealed
SONGBIRD
by Ingrid Laguna
May 2019
What was Mina doing now? Jamila squeezed her eyes shut tight to send her thoughts to her friend. Mina, are you okay? Jamila wanted to tell the class about Mina, but how could she tell people she had only known for a few weeks that she had been wrenched away from her best friend in the world? How could she explain that her father was not here and that she didn’t know when she would see him again? Jamila has left her friends, her school and her home in Iraq, and now she has a new home. It’s safe in Australia, but Jamila is finding it hard to settle in. She misses her best friend and worries for her dad’s safety back in Iraq. It’s hard to speak and write in English all day. And Jamila has a secret she wants to keep hidden. When she joins the choir, Jamila begins to feel happy. Singing helps take her worries away. And singing will help her find her place in her new life, a place where she can finally shine.
Ingrid Laguna is a writer, teacher and musician. SONGBIRD is her second book.
Writers House Frankfurt Children’s 2018
An emotional and tensely plotted novel about revenge, grief, and self-reliance
THE LAST VOYAGE OF POE BLYTHE
by Ally Condie
Dutton, January 2019
The only thing Poe Blythe ever wanted was Call. Call was true love and hope in Poe’s otherwise dim life as a machinist in the Settlement. Call was home. Poe and Call hungered for the chance to live in the untamed wilderness beyond the Settlement’s walls— to make a new life, together. Hopeful for a taste of freedom, they take jobs on the river dredge—a hulking beast of a ship that claws its way across river bottoms in search of gold. But all their dreams are shattered the night raiders board the dredge and murder Call. Poe’s world is irreparably fractured in the wake of Call’s death and soon her only driving force is revenge, destruction of those who ripped Call away from her. She becomes the architect of a stronger dredge, outfitted with savage defense systems that will slaughter any outsider who attempts to board. But Poe never expected to return to the river, nor did she expect to return as the dredge’s captain. With possible traitors in her midst and a looming unease about the true agenda of the Settlement’s leadership, Poe’s unexpected new voyage might also be her last. Poe is confident that her defenses will not fail. What she is less sure of, is herself. Intricately crafted and emotionally gripping, THE LAST VOYAGE OF POE BLYTHE is the compelling story of one young woman’s journey to move beyond the grief and anger that control her and find the inner strength to chart her own course.
Ally Condie is the international bestselling author of the MATCHED trilogy.
This compelling, mind-bending YA novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all, and is perfect for fans of Black Mirror and Westworld
STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL
by Arwen Elys Dayton
Delacorte, December 2018
STRONGER. The future is curious. Today our bodies define us. We color our hair; tattoo our skin; pierce our ears, brows, noses. We lift weights, run miles, break records. We are flesh and blood and bone. FASTER. Tomorrow has different rules. The future is no longer about who we are—it’s about who we want to be. If you can dream it, you can be it. Science will make us smarter, healthier, flawless in every way. Our future is boundless. MORE BEAUTIFUL. This is a story that begins tomorrow. It’s a story about us. It’s a story about who comes after us. And it’s a story about perfection. Because perfection has a way of getting ugly. STRANGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL is a novel in six parts about what it means to be human—and where those boundaries lie.
Arwen Elys Dayton is the author of the “Seeker” trilogy.
Sold in a heated 9-bidder auction, STEPSISTER is a startling, fiercely feminist reimagining of Cinderella from bestselling, award-winning author Jennifer Donnelly
STEPSISTER
by Jennifer Donnelly
Scholastic, May 2019
Isabelle should be blissfully happy—she’s about to marry the handsome prince. Except Isabelle isn’t the girl who lost the glass slipper. She’s the ugly stepsister who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella’s dainty shoe… which is now overflowing with blood. When the prince discovers Isabelle’s deception, she’s turned away in shame. It’s no more than she deserves. She’s a plain girl in a world that values beauty; a feisty girl in a world that wants her to be pliant. Isabelle tried to fit in. She cut away pieces of herself in order to become pretty. But that only made her mean, jealous, and hollow. At least, that’s what she believes until she finds herself an unwitting pawn in an eternal disagreement between Fate and Chance. Cold, cynical Fate contends that an ugly girl can never change her destiny. Dashing, beguiling Chance believes that Isabelle can chart her own course no matter what stands in her way.
Now being adapted for film by the developers behind “The Stars Beneath Our Feet”.
Jennifer Donnelly is the author of eleven novels and Humble Pie a picture book for children.
You’re about to meet a teenager fighting three battles: one against cancer, another for his father’s love, and a third for world peace, in this extraordinary YA memoir from Jeff Henigson
WARHEAD
The True Story Of One Teen Who Almost Saved The World
by Jeff Henigson
Delacorte, July 2019
In 1986, Jeff was 15 years old: crazy about girls, bouncing around with his friends, trying like hell to get a car. The world is feeling crazy too: stand-offs between world leaders, Russia and the United States at glaring odds, and that awful word, “nuclear,” on everyone’s mind. Then—boom. Jeff was diagnosed with a possibly terminal brain cancer. Such news might bring most families closer together, and indeed, Jeff’s family rallies around him. But they love fiercely and poisonously— especially Jeff’s father, a complicated man who never says, “I love you,” even during the worst of Jeff’s surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. So when the Starlight Foundation offered Jeff a wish, he devised one certain to win his father’s respect: Jeff asked to travel to the Soviet Union, meet with Mikhail Gorbachev, and discuss nuclear disarmament and ending the Cold War. You might assume a book about brain cancer and nuclear war is dark. And it is. But it’s also funny, romantic, and surprising. Jeff’s life swings from incredibly ordinary to absolutely incredible, as he grapples with questions of mortality, war, love, hope and miracles.
WARHEAD is Jeff Henigson’s debut.
Standup comedian Doogie Horner’s YA debut is a touching, funny and authentic meditation on the difficulty of dealing with loss (and trying to get paint to stick to cows)
THIS MIGHT HURT A BIT
by Doogie Horner
Simon Pulse, Summer 2019
Kirby Burns is about to have the second worst day of his life. Tomorrow is the one-year anniver- sary of the worst day of his life, and in the three hundred and sixty four days since then he hasn’t stopped running: from his family, his memories, and the horse-sized farm dogs that chase him to the bus stop every morning. But he can’t run forever, and as THIS MIGHT HURT A BIT begins, Kirby and his friends PJ and Jake sneak out of his house to play a prank whose consequences follow them to school the next day, causing a chain reaction of mayhem and disaster. As Kirby runs, runs, runs, to make it through the day, he confronts all manner of assault or expulsion, sorts through complicated feelings towards his parents, and grapples with his sister’s death one year earlier. Most importantly, he finally learns to stop running.
Doogie Horner is a successful standup comedian and art director at Quirk Books, and designed the now-iconic packages for “Miss Peregrine”, “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies”, and more. His previous books include “Everything Explained Through Flowcharts”, “100 Ghosts”, and “Some Very Interesting Cats Perhaps You Weren’t Aware Of”; he also illustrated the middle-grade trilogy “Kid Presidents”, “Kid Athletes”, and “Kid Artists”. THIS MIGHT HURT A BIT is his debut YA fiction.
Just sold at auction before the fair, this lavishly illustrated middle-grade novel is hilarious, strange, savage and utterly compulsive—perfect for fans of “Coraline”, “Goosebumps” and “Stranger Things”
NO PLACE FOR MONSTERS
by Kory Merritt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020
Levi and Biff, two unlikely friends, are about to discover a very dark side to their neighborhood. Kids have been going missing—except no one even realizes it, because no one remembers. Until Levi and Biff remember, and suddenly only they can see why their friendship, their families, and everyone around them are in terrible danger when the night air rolls in. “There is no place for monsters in suburbia,” we learn in the prologue. But now Levi and Biff know better.
Kory Merritt illustrated the “Poptropica” graphic novel series, and created “The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York”. NO PLACE FOR MONSTERS is his middle-grade debut.
Jen Petro-Roy
Told in journal entries and written for a middle-grade audience, this is a deeply heartfelt, unflinching and realistic depiction of inpatient eating disorder treatment, and a moving story about a girl who has to fight herself to survive
GOOD ENOUGH
Feiwel & Friends, February 2019
Before she had an eating disorder, twelve-year-old Riley was an aspiring artist, a runner, a sister, and a friend. But under the influence of her anorexia, Riley alienated her friends, abandoned her art, turned running into something harmful, destroyed her family’s trust—and wound up in an inpatient treatment center for kids with eating disorders. Riley knows that if she wants her life back, she has to recover. But when her hospital roommate starts to break the rules, triggering Riley’s old behaviors and blackmailing her into silence, Riley realizes that recovery will be harder than she thought. And even if she does “recover,” will she be able to stay recovered once she leaves the hospital and has to deal with her dieting mom, the school bully, and her gymnastics-star sister?
A perfect nonfiction companion piece to GOOD ENOUGH
YOU ARE ENOUGH
Feiwel & Friends, February 2019
This self-help book for young readers delivers real talk about eating disorders and body image, tools and information for recovery, and suggestions for dealing with the media messages that contribute so much to disordered eating. While guides like this exist for a YA audience, this warm, personal, carefully-researched handbook is the first of its kind aimed at the middle grade audience, when these questions and body-based negative thinking begin to take root.
Jen Petro-Roy is the critically acclaimed author of P.S. I Miss You. She was first diagnosed with an eating disorder as a teenager, and has poured her own experiences of recovery, and the lessons she learned along the way, into this heart-rending and hopeful story.
Sold in a heated auction, this debut novel marks Cameron Rosenblum as a major new talent in YA literature. A literary blend of We Were Liars and 13 Reasons Why, THE STEPPING OFF PLACE is a moving, nuanced and honest depiction of grief, and opens the window on a friendship for the ages
THE STEPPING OFF PLACE
by Cameron Rosenblum
Harpercollins, Summer 2020
Every girl loves her best friend, but Hattie is more like Reid’s social oxygen. Hattie’s the badass, Reid’s the wingman; that’s how it’s meant to be. But when Hattie drowns off the coast Maine while summering with her family two weeks before the start of senior year, Reid must confront the devastating loss and her own identity crisis, all while hearing and seeing Hattie everywhere. The police declare that Hattie died by suicide, but it just doesn’t make sense. Hattie was one of the most enigmatic and joyful people Reid has ever known. Something just doesn’t feel right, so Reid immediately begins to question the circumstances surrounding Hattie’s death. Little does she know she will soon unravel painful secrets about the person she thought she knew better than herself. This truth will force Reid to reexamine everything she knows about alphas and betas, truth and lies, and what it means to step into yourself.
Cameron Rosenblum works as a children’s librarian in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Active in SCBWI, Cameron has founded writing retreats in Maine and New Hampshire and co-directed the celebrated Whispering Pines Retreat in Rhode Island. Cameron has also served as a judge for the CYBILs award for middle grade fiction and guest blogged on nerdybookclub.com. Most recently she joined the board of Portland’s Illustration Institute, where she is helping develop the Maine Children’s Book Arts residency program.
A heart-stopping, gorgeously cinematic, thrilling new YA fantasy series full of magic and be- trayal—from the New York Times bestselling author of the The Crown’s Game
CIRCLE OF SHADOWS #1
by Evelyn Skye
Balzer + Bray, January 2019
Sora can move as silently as a ghost and hurl throwing stars with lethal accuracy. Her gemina, Daemon, can win any physical fight blindfolded and with an arm tied around his back. They are apprentice warriors of the Society of Taigas—marked by the gods to be trained in magic and the fighting arts to protect the kingdom of Kichona. As their graduation approaches, Sora and Daemon look forward to proving themselves worthy of belonging in the elite group—but in a kingdom free of violence since the Blood Rift Rebellion many years ago, it’s been difficult to make their mark. So when Sora and Daemon encounter a strange camp of mysterious soldiers while on a standard scouting mission, they decide the only thing to do to help their kingdom is to infiltrate the group. Taking this risk will change Sora’s life forever—and lead her on a mission of deception that may fool everyone she’s ever loved.
Book #2 to be published in January 2020
Evelyn Skye is the author of the phenomenal debut duology, “The Crown’s Game”/”The Crown’s Fate”.
Following her acclaimed Honor Girl, Maggie Thrash revisits a period of teenage depression in a graphic memoir that is at once thoughtful, honest, and marked by hope
LOST SOUL, BE AT PEACE
by Maggie Thrash
Candlewick, October 2018
A year and a half after the summer that changed her life, Maggie Thrash wishes she could change it all back. She’s trapped in a dark depression and flunking eleventh grade, befuddling her patrician mother while going unnoticed by her father, a workaholic federal judge. The only thing Maggie cares about is her cat, Tommi . . . who then disappears somewhere in the walls of her cavernous house. So her search begins — but Maggie’s not even really sure what she’s lost, and she has no idea what she’ll find. Lost Soul, Be at Peace is the continuation of Maggie’s story from her critically acclaimed memoir Honor Girl, one that brings her devastating honesty and humor to the before and after of depression.
Maggie Thrash is the author of the graphic memoir “Honor Girl” as well as the “Strange Truth” books. She is a former staff writer for Rookie.