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We have so much to be thankful for at EMLA—including this list of notices our clients' books have received over the last few months. Congratulations to all! For CHRIS BARTON
For MELANIE CROWDER
For MIKE JUNG
For CYNTHIA LEVINSON
For JEANNIE MOBLEY
For ERIN E. MOULTON
For ERIC PINDER
For MARY LYN RAY
For TRENT REEDY
For JEAN REIDY
For LAURA RESAU
For JOANNE ROCKLIN
For JEANNE RYAN
For SUSAN VAUGHT
For AUDREY VERNICK
For CLINT YOUNG
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It's always a very special moment when you get to introduce the world to a brand new, freshly minted author, and that's a joy I am thrilled to share with you today. I began working with Curtis Manley a few months ago, after being swept away by his wonderful storytelling voice and warm, child-friendly sensibility. While I read a great many of his picture book projects before we agreed to sign together, the one that caught my eye first and most strongly was a charming story called SHAWN LOVED SHARKS. This school story is infused with dry, quirky humor, following the titular shark-loving Shawn as he prepares for his school's Predator Day—only to learn to his vast dismay that his assignment is not to be the shark after all. No. Shawn has been assigned... the leopard seal. I can already visualize the images in my head—and, happily for us all, someone else can too: I'm thrilled to share today that SHAWN LOVED SHARKS has been enthusiastically acquired by Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook Press! Stay tuned for more news about this great title, as it's a keeper for sure. Congratulations, Curtis! ~ Joan |
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We are so pleased with the enthusiasm the good folks at Holt Children's and Macmillan have for Katie Speck's spunky cockroach, Maybelle, and her sidekick, Henry the flea. And how could they not? Not only is Maybelle irresistible, despite her species, but among the three books published in the series so far, we have a Texas Bluebonnet Master List selection, a Bank Street Best of the Year selection, a starred review from Kirkus ("Delightful details will make adults giggle right along with new readers. . . . Maybelle is one cockroach who will be welcome back any day"), and phrases like "laugh-out-loud" and "giggle-worthy shenanigans" peppering reviews. Now Katie is hard at work at a new story in which Maybelle gets to go to school! Of course, her gastronomic obsessions lead to a riot in the lunchroom. How could they not? The new story will be released in spring 2015 (so soon!), and the previous books will get a spiffy makeover and a re-launch in paperback. Sally Doherty is the editor for the series. Congratulations, Katie (and Maybelle)! —Erin |
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Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy (Arthur A. Levine Books, February 2014) has received a starred review in this week's issue of Publishers Weekly! This is the FIRST starred review for Divided We Fall. "In this stunning trilogy opener, Reedy (Words in the Dust) envisions a near-future America on the verge of disaster, where political discord, economic crisis, and a controversial new law have created tension between state and federal governments. Enter 17-year-old Pfc. Daniel Wright, a football-playing, truck-driving, country music–loving high school senior and member of the Idaho National Guard. When his unit is called to help with a potential riot in Boise, things get out of hand, eventually sparking a full-blown conflict between Idaho and the Feds. Caught between duty to family, loyalty to the military, and his own sense of honor, Daniel becomes a pawn in a much larger game between governor and president. In a story line tied to current affairs, Reedy tackles pressing issues with prescient clarity and delicate sophistication. His setup is terrifying in its plausibility and made all the more so by Daniel's conflicted everyman nature, with both sides portrayed as sympathetic yet flawed. Though the tech is slightly futuristic, this cautionary tale screams immediacy and urgency, a page-turner that rapidly moves toward a catastrophic cliffhanger. Ages 14–up." |
Sarvinder Naberhaus came to EMLA with one book deal already in the bag, the delightful BOOM BOOM, which is due out from Beach Lane Press next year. Right from the start, what especially captivated me about Sarvinder's work was her gorgeous, poetic writing style and her incredible imagination. One text in particular especially appealed to me in how it played with language, using a very few spare words to paint vast evocative pictures that spoke of hope and home and country. Today I'm delighted to announce that this gem of a picture book text has found its perfect home: BLUE SKY WHITE STARS was acquired by Lucia Monfried at Dial, who has brought her own special vision to the story, and has also found the perfect illustrator to bring it to full visual life: Kadir Nelson!! This book is truly going to be one to treasure, so set this on your watch list now—you won't be disappointed. And... huge congratulations, Sarvinder! ~ Joan |
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Anna Staniszewski is certainly one busy lady. This month saw the release of MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING, the third and final book in the MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE series. She's got three picture books under contract. And her brand new contemporary tween series launches in January 2014 with THE DIRT DIARY, following the misadventures of fourteen-year-old Rachel Lee, who joins up with her mom's new housecleaning business and ends up in all kinds of sticky situations. Rachel's story will continue with THE PRANK LIST, which is forthcoming in July 2014. What's that, you say? You want more Anna? Well, WE HAVE MORE ANNA! I'm delighted to share the following Publishers' Marketplace announcement for a brand new, hot-off-the-press book deal: MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE author Anna Staniszewski's THE GOSSIP FILE, third book in the forthcoming DIRT DIARY series, continuing the madcap adventures of Rachel Lee as a trip away from home seems like the perfect way to reinvent herself—except the past is a lot harder to hide from, again to Aubrey Poole at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, by Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World English). This third installment in the series promises to be every bit as hilarious and un-put-downable as the first. Congratulations, Anna! ~ Joan |
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I know I tend to be enthusiastic when announcing new deals, and I can throw around the exclamation marks, but our latest deal has totally LEGITIMATE exclamation points, I swear. Here it is: SHARK VS. TRAIN and THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS author Chris Barton's ATTACK! BOSS! CHEAT CODE!, an irreverent abecediary of video game terminology that children might use to educate their parents, to Sharyn Rosart of POW!, by Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World English). (Title and publisher name: Four exclamation points.) (Also, don't you love the word abecediary?) This deal came about after I read an article in Publishers Weekly announcing a new children's imprint at powerHouse. Editor Sharyn Rosart said the imprint's releases "will be 'heavily visual' and a 'little offbeat.' These books, she added, will 'have a sense of humor with crossover into the adult market.'" Boy, did Chris Barton have the perfect book for her! Allow me one more exclamation point: Sharyn plans to publish the book in fall 2014 (!). Okay, one more: Can't wait! Congrats, Chris. —Erin |
We are always happy to have news of our clients' books getting into readers' hands around the world! Here's a roundup of deals over the last few months. For Ruth McNally Barshaw's Ellie McDoodle Diaries (thanks to the sub-rights team at Bloomsbury):
For Kelly Bennett's YOUR MOMMY WAS JUST LIKE YOU, rights sold to Iwasaki Shoten in JAPAN via Penguin's sub-rights team. Thank you! For R. L. La Fevers' NATHANIEL FLUDD: THE UNICORN'S TALE, rights sold to Asunaro Shobo in JAPAN, thanks to Houghton's sub-rights team! For Robin La Fevers' His Fair Assassin trilogy, complex CHINESE rights sold to Sharp Point Press. Thanks to Alex Webb at Rights People! For Vahini Naidoo's FALL TO PIECES, rights sold to KOREA via Skyscape's sub-rights team. Thank you! For Jennifer Nielsen's THE FALSE PRINCE, thanks to the foreign rights team at Scholastic. This makes sixteen foreign rights sold!
For Jean Reidy's ALL THROUGH MY TOWN, rights sold to Querido in the NETHERLANDS via Bloomsbury's sub-rights group. Thank you! For Laura Resau's THE QUEEN OF WATER, rights sold to Sanskrit Books in THAILAND by Alex Webb of Rights People. For Cate Tiernan's IMMORTAL BELOVED (book #1), rights sold to SM Mexico in MEXICO. Thanks to Alex Webb at Rights People! |
The year may be winding down, but that doesn't mean the reads are any less wonderful! We have one series starting up this month, and one winding down: THE MESMER MENACE, by Kersten Hamilton (with illustrations by James Hamilton), launches the Gadgets and Gears series for young middle-graders with a fast-paced story featuring President Teddy Roosevelt, a family of inventors, and a dashing dachshund. Published by Clarion. MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING, by Anna Staniszewski, wraps up the tales of Jenny the Adventurer with a battle against the Evil Queen and the hope of reuniting Jenny's family at last. Published by Sourcebooks. As always, we wish these books into readers' hearts! —Erin & Joan |