Giving a Voice to Licensed Characters; Emma Mills on Writing Mean Girls

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Innovative Leaders Appearing Exclusively at Global Kids Connect | Dec. 4, 2017]( In the Spotlight [Giving a Beloved Character Voice—On and Off the Page]( Authors who write entertainment tie-ins sometimes see their work rise to the top of the bestseller lists, but their names and their profession are little known outside the licensed publishing sphere. We spoke with authors Annie Auerbach (l.), Brandon T. Snider, and the husband-and-wife team of Bobbi J.G. Weiss and David Cody Weiss about this unique portion of the industry. [more]( On the Scene [The 2017 Shanghai Children's Book Fair in Photos]( The fifth China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, which wrapped up earlier this month, brought together approximately 350 exhibitors for an exploration of the Asian publishing market. We’ve rounded up a selection of photo highlights from the fair, from book talks to tots with books. [more]( [The Watcher by Nikki Grimes]( Reading Roundup [Children's Book Reissues: Fall 2017]( This fall brings a bountiful crop of picture books given new life in print. From the illustration debut by Britain’s inaugural Children’s Laureate, to the spooky picture book by a well-known record cover designer, there’s plenty of nostalgic appeal for readers young and old. [more]( Global Kids Connect [Global Kids Connect 2017 Preview]( Take a look at what's in store for the third annual GKC conference on Monday, December 4, which will bring together members of the industry to discuss international trends in children’s publishing, and areas for future growth. This year’s conference will feature panels with a number of professionals from a range of media, speaking on the theme of “Publishing in an Unpredictable World: transforming challenge into opportunity.” Join us! [more]( Q & A [Emma Mills]( At the center of Mills’s third YA novel, Foolish Hearts, is the evolution of a friendship between the mean girl at school, Iris, and Claudia, who suffers the full force of Iris’s wrath. PW caught up with Mills in Indianapolis, where she attends graduate school, for a discussion of mean girls in books and film, and why friendships are even more important than romance during high school. Q: What drew you to writing a friendship story? A: For me, in high school my friendships were the most important thing, and romantic relationships were secondary. I love to read romances and I love to have romantic elements in my books, of course, but I also love to have a strong emphasis on friendship because friends are such an integral part of the teen experience. [more]( SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now]( Francisco X. Stork, Andrea Beaty, Dan Santat, Julie Fogliano, Christian Robinson, Philip C. Stead, Matthew Cordell – listen to these and other top writers and artists discuss their new books for children and teens in the PW KidsCast podcast. [Click here]( to listen. For more about these and other great jobs, visit the new [PW JobZone]( now with resume hosting and more! - [Assistant Editor for Simon Spotlight - Simon & Schuster](. - [Publicist, Revell and Baker Books - Baker Publishing Group - Grand Rapids](. - [Art Production Coordinator - Callisto Media - New York](. - [Art Director - Callisto Media - New York](. - [Art Director - Callisto Media - Emeryville](. Rights Report Katherine Harrison at Knopf has acquired Elizabeth Lim's YA debut, The Blood of Stars, and an untitled sequel, pitched as Project Runway meets The Wrath and the Dawn. To provide for her family, 17-year-old Maia Tamarin disguises herself as a boy to compete for the position of imperial tailor. Her task to sew three magical gowns of the sun and moon and stars leads her to find adventure, romance, and danger in a Chinese-inspired fantasy set along a re-imagined Silk Road. Publication is scheduled for May 2019; Gina Maccoby of Gina Maccoby Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights. Sonali Fry at Bonnier/Yellow Jacket has signed two books in the Gemini Mysteries, an illustrated, interactive middle-grade mystery series written by Kat Shepherd. The series kicks off with The North Star, in which a diverse group of kids work through motives, suspects, and scenarios behind the disappearance of a diamond necklace. Publication of the first book is set for spring 2019; Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights. Margaret Ferguson at Holiday House has bought The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle author Christina Uss's new middle-grade novel, Colossus of Roads. The story stars an 11-year-old boy with an eye for patterns who finds an unexpected way to make a difference when his city is caught in a crisis. The book is planned for spring 2019; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary Agency did the deal for world rights. Putnam has acquired Confessions of a Dork Lord, an illustrated middle grade novel by Michael Johnston, in which a young warlock-in-training embarks on a mission to follow in his father's footsteps to become the next Dark Lord of the Known World—and survive middle school. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment brokered the deal for world rights. Alice Jonaitis at Random House/Beginner Books has bought A Ticket for Cricket, a rhyming early reader written and illustrated by Molly Coxe, about a baby cricket who becomes homesick during a trip to outer space. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020; Wendi Gu at Janklow & Nesbit Associates negotiated the deal for world English rights. Paula Wiseman at S&S/Wiseman has acquired author-illustrator Elizabeth Rose Stanton's Cowie, a picture book about a donkey who wants nothing more than to be a cow, but needs his friends to help him learn how to moo first. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media handled the deal for world rights. Neal Porter at Holiday House has bought world rights, at auction, to Adrea Theodore's (l.) debut picture book A History of Me, illustrated by Erin Robinson, for his new imprint. The story follows a girl as she comes to terms with America's legacy of slavery and segregation, and its generational impact on her and her family. Publication is set for fall 2019; Brooks Sherman at Janklow & Nesbit represented the author while at the Bent Agency, and Marzena Torzecka at Marlena Agency represented the illustrator. Michael Green at Philomel has acquired world rights to Laura McGee Kvasnosky's (l.) Squeak!, in which a small mouse's squeak sets off a chain reaction that wakes all the animals in the mountains and meadows, as he wonders, "Why is everyone up so early today?" The book is illustrated by Kvasnosky and Kate Harvey McGee, the sister team behind Little Wolf's First Howling. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio brokered the deal. Tom Peterson at the Creative Company has bought world rights to the picture book My Mastodon, by Barbara Lowell, illustrated by Antonio Marinoni. The book is based on the real-life Sybilla Peale, her artistic family, and their “pet” mastodon. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Abigail Samoun of Red Fox Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. Charlotte Wenger at Page Street Kids has acquired world rights to Kim Chaffee's (l.) Nothing Wee About Me. In the picture book, a girl goes on an imaginary adventure with a magical ladle and saves the day in time to be home for soup. Debut artist Laura Bobbiesi will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2019. The author and illustrator represented themselves. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From the New York Times:]( Maria Russo on Why Wonder, the Movie, Can't Best the Book It's Based On. [Click here]( [From Page Six:]( Facebook group for Upper East Side mothers may close down over a politically controversial alphabet book. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Jacqueline Woodson on falling in love with New York City during the disco era. [Click here]( [From the Age:]( In Maurice Sendak's studio, a tantalizing glimpse of his unpublished manuscript. [Click here]( [From the Bookseller:]( Amelia Edwards, founding art director of Walker Books in the U.K., has died at 77. [Click here]( [From the Citizen-Times:]( Authors abound: A YA boom in Asheville, N.C. [Click here]( [From Entertainment Weekly:]( Chris Colfer lands a new book deal and announces a new companion series. [Click here]( [From the Telegraph:]( Mother calls for Sleeping Beauty to be banned from primary school as it promotes "inappropriate behavior." [Click here]( [From Literary Hub:]( Anne of Green Gables: Patron Saint of Girls Who Ask Too Many Questions. [Click here]( [From WBUR:]( Thoughts on Art and Life from the Sculptor of Ducklings in Boston's Public Garden. [Click here]( [From the Bookseller:]( Terry Deary's Horrible Histories series to be turned into a film set in Roman Britain. [Click here]( [From Electric Literature:]( Poetry Is for Everyone, Says Jason Reynolds. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [The 2017 Stocking Stuffer of the Year Award]( DDG’s best new sideline gifts are recognized, but can the award overcome the last two years’ shocking scandals? [more »]( Cynthia Compton [And So We Give Thanks]( A children’s bookseller gives thanks for the blessings of the season. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [With Apologies to Edgar Allan Poe]( A bookseller’s tongue-in-cheek lament about paying for all of the fabulous fall releases — before they’ve sold. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [A Literal Feast of Kid Lit]( Cookbooks featuring recipes from classic children’s literature to liven up your Thanksgiving table. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [The Rabbit Listened]( Cori Doerrfeld. Dial, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7352-2935-8 Taylor, a boy in a striped onesie, is miserable after a flock of birds knocks down his amazing wooden-block tower. One by one, several animals approach him with strategies for feeling better. Then along comes a rabbit who doesn’t say a thing, but in its willingness to listen, Taylor senses genuine concern and respect for his feelings. [more]( [Baby Bear's Book of Tiny Tales]( David McPhail. Little, Brown, $16.99 (56p) ISBN 978-0-316-38750-7 Baby Bear, first seen in 2017’s I Promise, makes a series of discoveries in this cheery collection of four stories. In “Baby Bear Finds a Boot,” he hooks a rubber boot while fishing and becomes determined to “give it back” to its rightful owner. McPhail’s simple, well-structured stories are suffused with warmth and a spirit of generosity. [more]( [Wed Wabbit]( Lissa Evans. Scholastic/Fickling, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-338-18527-0 Ten-year-old Fidge is usually patient with her four-year-old sister, Minnie. But after a frustrating shopping trip, Fidge kicks Wed Wabbit, one of Minnie’s beloved stuffed toys, and Minnie gets hit by a car when she runs after it. While their mother stays with Minnie at the hospital, Fidge spends the night with her cousin, and the two are somehow transported to the land of the Wimbley Woos, creatures from Minnie’s favorite stories. [more]( [A Girl Like That]( Tanaz Bhathena. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-374-30544-4 Bhathena makes an impressive debut with this eye-opening novel about a free-spirited girl in present-day Saudi Arabia. Orphaned at a young age, Zarin Wadia moves in with her uncle and abusive aunt, who constantly shames and beats her. Her treatment at school is even worse. After Zarin gets reacquainted with a childhood friend, Porus, she becomes dependent on him for escape, protection, and the type of gentle affection she has not felt since her mother’s death. [more]( November 28, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [The Anna Dewdney Read Together Award]( [#GivingTuesday Matching Gift Offer]( [Baby Chomper's Bath Time by Jeff Minich]( PeopleJulie Temple Stan has joined Highlights in the new position of v-p, editorial director, Highlights Learning. She was most recently president of Bluum, and previously worked at Sesame Workshop and Grolier/Scholastic At-Home. Andrew Eliopulos has been promoted to executive editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, from senior editor. Bestsellers [Children's Frontlist Fiction]( #1 The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12) by Jeff Kinney. [Click here]( [Picture Books]( #1 Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. [Click here]( Follow Us Children's Bookshelf is on [Instagram]( Please follow us @pwkidsbookshelf. Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? [Click here]( see our archives page! CONTACT US Have a comment or suggestion? We'd love to hear from you. [Click here](mailto:childrensbooks@publishersweekly.com) to drop us a note. 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