Newbery Medalist Kelly on Her New Book; Gayle Forman's Return

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [The Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender]( To Our Readers Because of the Bologna Book Fair, we’ll have one issue of Bookshelf next week, on Wednesday, live from Bologna. We'll have lots of news, photo highlights, and notes from all over in our special issue. [My Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera]( School and Library Spotlight [An Early Literacy Expert Evaluates the Every Child Ready to Read Initiative]( We spoke with Susan B. Neuman, a professor of early-childhood education and literacy development at New York University, about her national study on the effect of library programming on parent engagement. [more]( [Three Librarians Share Tips for Nurturing Early Literacy]( Buddy day programs, sing-alongs, story time, and play are among the ways librarians are inspiring a love of reading while helping children engage with one another and their families. [more]( [Cycle City by Alison Farrell ]( Book News [Gayle Forman Finds Her Way]( Gayle Forman’s first YA novel in three years, I Have Lost My Way, did not come easily. “I started and crashed on seven different projects,” she said. In celebration of the new book, which hits shelves on March 27, Forman (r.) is teaming up with fellow author Libba Bray to shine the light on teen artists and performers. [more]( In the News [CBC Partners with First Book for Children’s Choice Book Awards Voting]( The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader have announced a new partnership with First Book, in support of the 11th annual Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards. Now through May 6, young readers can vote online and at participating schools, libraries, and bookstores for their favorite books of the previous year. [more]( Behind the Scenes [The Making of 'Sleep Train' In Photos]( Sculptor and photographer Lauren Eldridge made her children’s debut in 2017 as the illustrator of Claymates by Dev Petty. Eldridge is also the illustrator of Jonathan London’s forthcoming bedtime picture book, Sleep Train. Click through to see her process for creating the models that served as the basis for her photo-illustrations. [more]( Q & A [Erin Entrada Kelly]( This February author Erin Entrada Kelly received the Newbery Award for her novel Hello, Universe. Though she told PW she “still hasn’t wrapped her head around [winning],” she knows the honor will bring more readers to her new novel, You Go First. In the book, two friends who live across the country stay connected through an online game of Scrabble. We spoke with Kelly about how she strives to build community through storytelling. Q: In You Go First, what did you hope to convey and explore about evolving friendships and bullying? A: I was bullied when I was young and you never forget. I want young readers to know they’re not alone in the world. Even just as they’re reading I want them to feel that connection. I want to celebrate kids who are undercover, those who fly under the radar, and those who are missed, and show them that they are not missed, and that they are not alone. [more]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of March 26, 2018]( Among the books hitting shelves next week are an illustrated book about an odd couple of animal friends, a middle grade novel set in the world of fan conventions, and a YA novel about the harsh realities of the foster system. [more]( In Brief [In Brief: March 22, 2018]( This week, author Laura Murray celebrates St. Patrick’s Day; author Russell Ginns concludes a five-city tour; an author and illustrator team meets in Chicagoland; young author Chessy Prout shares her story of survival; and author Sharee Miller talks ‘Princess Hair.’ [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! - [Editor, Specialty - HarperCollins Christian Publishing - Nashville](. - [Publicist, Little Bee Books - Bonnier Publishing USA - New York](. - [Marketing Manager - Scholastic Inc. - New York](. - [Account Manager: International and Special Markets - Guilford Publications - New York](. - [Acquisitions Editor - The Quarto Group - Minneapolis](. Rights Report Liesa Abrams at Simon Pulse has acquired We Are the Ants author Shaun David Hutchinson's memoir, Brave Face. Hutchinson, who is known for his fiction relating to mental health issues, will explore his personal struggles with depression and suicide in the memoir for teens. The book is set for summer 2019; Katie Shea Boutillier at Donald Maass Literary Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights. Kate Sullivan at Delacorte has bought Ashley Woodfolk's new YA novel, When You Were Everything, the story of how two best friends fall apart, told in alternating "before" and "after" chapters. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019; Beth Phelan at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights while at the Bent Agency. David Gale at Simon & Schuster has acquired world rights to Peter Stone's debut YA novel, The Perfect Candidate, a political thriller that follows Cameron Carter as he lands in D.C., eager to start his much coveted internship with the Speaker of the House. But when a fellow staffer mysteriously dies and rumors and accusations swirl about Capitol Hill, Cameron is recruited to join an FBI investigation he wants no part of. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Rachel Kim and Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment represented the author. Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought, in a preempt, Beauty for Ashes, a debut novel by Erin Stewart, about a teenage girl heading back to school one year after a fire left her severely disfigured, pitched as Alessia Cara's Scars to Your Beautiful meets Girl in Pieces, along with a second, untitled book. It will be published in fall 2019; Brianne Johnson at Writers House did the deal for North American rights. Jessica Garrison at Dial has acquired Jack Cheng's untitled middle grade novel, following his award-winning debut, See You in the Cosmos. Taking place in a near-future Detroit and set partly inside a video game, the book follows Chinese-American seventh-grader Octavia Lu and her burgeoning friendship with Dante, an African-American boy newly "bussed in" to her suburban school in a self-driving car. Publication is set for spring 2020; Jessica Craig at Craig Literary negotiated the deal for North American rights. Justin Chanda at Simon & Schuster has bought world English rights to an as-yet-untitled Broken Crayon picture book by Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park (l.) and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi. "You never know what will come out of a broken crayon" is the motto that accompanies Ohi's Broken Crayon doodle series, which combines photography and line drawings. The book is an intergalactic adventure featuring determined robots, intrepid kids, and a wild assortment of items all emerging from crayons. Publication is slated for fall 2019; Ginger Knowlton at Curtis Brown brokered the deal. Steve Geck at Sourcebooks Jabberwocky has acquired Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me, a new collection of poems by Eloise Greenfield, the 2018 recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Seven-year-old Jace and his puppy Thinker put everything they do into verse, from going to the park to playing ball. Ehsan Abdollahi will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2019. Petula Chaplin did the deal for North American rights on behalf of U.K. publisher Tiny Owl. Reka Simonsen and Julia McCarthy at Atheneum have bought Circus Galacticus author Deva Fagan's new middle grade fantasy, A Rival Magic. The story features book-smart Antonia and her rival Moppe, two apprentice magicians who must learn to embrace their strengths and forge a powerful friendship while facing enchanted creatures, voice-stealing forests, and sea monsters in order to save their imprisoned teacher and help the rightful queen retake her throne. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Hannah Fergesen at KT Literary negotiated the deal for world rights. Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has acquired world rights to Jason Pratt's (l.) debut picture book, Three Squeezes, in which a family communicates their love to each other through the simple hand gesture of three squeezes. Chris Sheban will illustrate; publication is set for winter 2020. Erica Rand Silverman represented the author, and Rosemary Stimola represented the illustrator, both at Stimola Literary Studio. Kate O'Sullivan at HMH has bought, in a four-house auction, E.B. Goodale's author-illustrator debut, Under the Lilac Bush. The picture book is about the comfort and chaos of home and finding one's independence. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020, with a second untitled book to follow in 2021; Lori Kilkelly at Rodeen Literary Management did the two-book deal for world rights. Kristine Enderle at Magination Press has acquired world rights to My Whirling Twirling Motor, a picture book by debut author Merriam Saunders (l.), about a boy with ADHD whose behaviors seems to be driven by a nonstop motor. Tammie Lyons will illustrate, and Katie Ten Hagen will edit. Publication is planned for March 2019; Caryn Wiseman represented the author, and Mela Bolinao at MB Artists represented the illustrator. Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee has bought world rights to Laura Gehl's Except When They Don't, illustrated by Joshua Heinsz, a rhyming picture book that encourages children to examine and question the gender roles and stereotypes that they experience. Publication is set for summer 2019; Erzsi Deak at Hen&ink Literary represented the author, and James Burns at the Bright Group International represented the illustrator. Elizabeth Kribs at Tundra has acquired world rights to Jess Keating's (l.) picture book biography, Ocean Speaks, a story of oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp, the woman who mapped the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which caused a paradigm shift in earth sciences and paved the way for our understanding of continental drift. Katie Hickey will illustrate; publication is planned for spring 2020. Kathleen Rushall at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Helen Boyle at Pickled Ink represented the illustrator. Alexis Orgera and Chad Reynolds at Penny Candy have acquired world rights to Thank You, Crow by Michael Minkovitz (l.), illustrated by Jose Medina. Their debut picture book stars a boy whose act of kindness toward an injured crow leads to friendship and adventure. Publication is slated for fall 2017; the authors were unagented. Charlotte Wenger at Page Street Kids has bought world rights to My Shape Is Sam by Amanda Jackson (l.), illustrated by Lydia Nichols. In the debut picture book, Sam, a square who longs to roll like a circle, takes a risk and discovers his truest shape. Publication is planned for fall 2019; the author and the illustrator were unagented. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From School Library Journal:]( AILA Rescinds Sherman Alexie's 2008 YA Book of the Year Award. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( J.K. Rowling's Pottermore Sacks Editorial Staff, Putting the Fan Website's Future in Question. [Click here]( [From Electric Literature:]( Why Sherman Alexie's Sexual Misconduct Feels Like a Betrayal. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( Annie On My Mind: A Brief History of This Often Challenged Young Adult Novel. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( 10 Years of Ladybug Girl: A Q&A with Jacky Davis and David Soman. [Click here]( [From Shondaland:]( The Best, Least Annoying Books to Read to Children. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Barbara Wersba, 85, Dies; Wrote Candid Books for Young Adults. [Click here]( [From the New York Post:]( New Amazon series, The Dangerous Book for Boys, was too sad for This Is Us network NBC. [Click here]( [From Children's Book Review:]( How Children's Books Are Inspiring the Next Generation of Activists. [Click here]( [From HuffPost:]( 17 Children's Books to Read to Your Kids in Honor of Women's History Month. [Click here]( [From Deadline:]( There's Someone Inside Your House movie in the works at Netflix. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( Children's Rhyming Books That Won't Rhyme. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [Marlon Bundo and Exclusivity]( Thoughts on why inclusiveness should be present in retail bookselling channels as well. [more »]( Cynthia Compton [Taking a Bite Out of Tuesday]( A bookstore location next door to the dentist office is a reason to smile. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [A ‘Bad’ Book Can Be Good for Readers]( It can be so helpful for youngsters to encounter life’s big topics in books. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [Being Seen Is Marvelous]( A moving tale from the graphic novel section of Spellbound Children’s Bookshop. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [In-Between Things]( Priscilla Tey. Candlewick, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-7636-8983-4 “An in-between thing is a thing in the middle,” debut author Tey explains on the opening page, and with dog and cat frenemies as readers’ guides, she explores all the things that in-between can be: a geographic location, a separator, a mashup, or something that’s neither one thing or another. In an aesthetic that is quirky, ingenious, and highly disciplined, Tey shows readers there’s a world of in-between wonder right in front of them. [more]( [Snail Mail]( Samantha Berger, illus. by Julia Patton. Running Press, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7624-6251-3 Four snails carry a letter “made by a Girl who loved a Boy” from Santa Monica to New York City in this appropriately leisurely paced tale about the pleasures of taking one’s time. After Colonel McHale Snail issues the directive to “Go!,” the snails inch ahead, chanting the Snail Mail Promise: “Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, nor hail will stop a snail from bringing the mail.” [more]( [The Memory of Forgotten Things]( Kat Zhang. Aladdin, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-4814-7865-6 Zhang’s story is filled with real-world lessons on compassion and kindness with a sci-fi twist. Sophia remembers her mother in impossible ways, fragments of a life that never was after her mom died when she was six. But the images are so vivid that Sophia, now 12, is convinced they’re real. During a group project, Sophia discovers that a boy from school has similar prophetic visions. [more]( [The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan]( Gia Cribbs. Harlequin Teen, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-335-01537-2 In Cribb’s intricately plotted debut thriller, high-school senior Sloane Sullivan (her 19th identity) has been in the Witness Protection Program for almost six years, after witnessing a violent crime. Her minder, Agent Markham, has taken care of her through both her mother’s murder and her father’s eventual suicide. Sloane just wants to be normal, but her past is catching up with her, placing everyone she cares about in harm’s way. [more]( [The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik]( David Arnold. Viking, $18.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-425-28886-3 In Arnold’s dry-witted and existentially minded story, 16-year-old Noah Oakman’s life has been laid out in front of him. College swimming recruiters are calling, and all he sees ahead of him are four unfulfilling years at a college he is unenthusiastic about. To get some breathing space, he fakes a back injury, and afterward, begins to focus more on his strange fascinations: four seemingly unconnected people. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( March 22, 2018 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [The Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender]( [Lucy and the Dragonfly by Lucie Papineau]( [A Dog with Nice Ears by Lauren Child]( People Penguin Young Readers has two promotions. Ken Wright, v-p and publisher of Viking Children's Books, has been named president and publisher of Viking Children's Books and Philomel Books. Each imprint will retain its autonomous identity and editorial direction. Jill Santopolo has been named associate publisher of Philomel Books; she was previously editorial director. In Case You Missed It [Big, Bold Moves at Bologna]( [more]( [Trends to Watch in Bologna]( [more]( [New Novel Coming from Markus Zusak]( [more]( [Kate DiCamillo Writes Companion Novel to 'Raymie Nightingale']( [more]( Sneak Previews Take a look ahead at some of the big titles for children and teens due out this fall, from picture books to YA novels, [in our exclusive roundup](. Follow Us Children's Bookshelf is on [Instagram]( Follow us @pwkidsbookshelf. Bookshelf Archives Looking for a previous issue of Children's Bookshelf? [Click here]( for 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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