Layoffs at Sky Pony Press; Asher and Alexie Top ALA 'Challenged Books' List

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [The Orphan Band of Springdale by Anne Nesbet]( In the News [Skyhorse Reorg Results in Cutting of Children’s Staff]( Skyhorse Publishing announced on Tuesday that it will decrease the overall number of titles it publishes annually by approximately 25%. As part of the restructuring, the publisher is eliminating 16 full-time positions out of 77, including all four full-time editors who worked exclusively at its children’s imprint, Sky Pony Press. [more]( [Jay Asher, Sherman Alexie Top ALA 'Challenged Books' List]( The ALA's annual State of America's Libraries report, released on Monday, saw books by Jay Asher and Sherman Alexie land at the top of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom's Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2017 list. Both men have been charged with sexual harassment, which they have denied to various degrees. [more]( [Cassandra Clare’s Latest Book Temporarily De-Listed by Amazon]( Son of the Dawn, a forthcoming e-book by authors Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan, published by Clare's newly formed Shadow Mountain Enterprises, was taken down from the site for two days last week after Amazon became convinced the book's posting was fraudulent. [more]( [2018 Pannell Award Winners Announced]( The Women’s National Book Association has announced the winners of this year's Pannell Awards, given annually to two bookstores that enhance their communities by fostering a love of reading. [more]( [Little Sunny Sunshine / Sol Solecito]( Book News [New Novel Coming from 'Big Nate' Author Lincoln Peirce]( Random House Children’s Books has announced plans to publish a new standalone illustrated middle grade novel by author Lincoln Peirce, creator of the bestselling Big Nate series. The new book, Max and the Midknights, will be released by Crown Books for Young Readers on January 8, 2019. [more]( On the Scene [On Tour with Tahereh Mafi]( This March, YA author Tahereh Mafi (l., seen here with Nicola Yoon) set out on a 10-city tour in honor of the March 6 publication of Restore Me, book four in her bestselling Shatter Me series. We’ve gathered a selection of highlights from the events, which featured appearances by guest authors, Q&As, photo-ops, and more. [more]( Licensing News [BuzzPop Goes Bilingual With Disney]( Disney Publishing Worldwide has granted a three-year license to Bonnier Publishing USA’s BuzzPop imprint for original bilingual books featuring characters from Disney animated feature films and TV series. The titles will start rolling out on July 31. [more]( [Licensing Hotline: April 2018]( Becker Associates and the Anjar Company have secured licensing rights to the Anne Geddes brand, featuring the imagery of the Australian photographer, who has created many books across many formats over the years. Read on for news about Sourcebooks’ new licensing effort with Moxie & Company, A Fan for Life's Home Team-branded books, and more. [more]( Q & A [Jewell Parker Rhodes]( In her latest novel for middle grade readers, Ghost Boys, Jewell Parker Rhodes blends history with current events to weave a tale of an African-American boy whose life is cut short by a white policeman’s bullet. We spoke with Rhodes about her personal experiences of racism in America, and how writing this novel was painful, but also cathartic for her. Q: What was your writing process for Ghost Boys? A: Writing Ghost Boys was challenging and emotional. I had to experience my own painful journey in order to experience and reaffirm transformative love for our common humanity. I felt such a special obligation because I was writing for youth. My novel makes a space for strong emotions but doesn’t slay hope and optimism. [more]( SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now]( Tomi Adeyemi, Wendy Mass, Rebecca Stead, Christopher Paul Curtis, Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen – 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! - [Editorial Assistant(s) - Workman Publishing Co. - New York](. - [Account Manager - BookBub - Cambridge](. - [Analyst, Pricing & Analytics - HarperCollins - New York](. - [Vice President, Retail Sales - Hachette Book Group - New York](. - [Senior Editor, Professional Clinical Publishing - American Academy of Pediatrics - Itasca](. Rights Report Ben Schrank at Razorbill has acquired Love Inc. by Jill Twiss, writer on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and coauthor of A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo. The YA romantic comedy is about a teen girl entrepreneur who can guarantee true love... for everyone but herself. Publication is set for 2019; Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger did the deal for world rights. Karen Wojtyla at McElderry Books has bought, in a preempt, debut author Kelly Powell's Cacophony, in which a violinist with her own secrets must work with the local lighthouse keeper to solve a murder on an island that is also home to deadly sirens who prey on the inhabitants. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Kristy Hunter at the Knight Agency sold North American rights. Lauren Knowles at Page Street has acquired world rights to debut-author Zack Smedley's Deposing Nathan, a YA novel structured around a deposition, in which the main character must testify about what really happened the night he was stabbed by his best friend. The book explores the complexities of identity with LGBT themes. Publication is slated for spring 2019; Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio negotiated the deal. Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Ottaviano has bought North American rights, in a two-book deal, to Gilbert Ford's first illustrated middle grade novel, Kindred Spirits, in which a lonely girl helps her fake psychic mother con widows out of their inheritances, while keeping her own real psychic abilities and ghost best friend a secret. Publication is planned for winter 2020; Carrie Hannigan at Hannigan Salky Getzler brokered the deal. Margaret Raymo at HMH has acquired Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander's (l.) picture book, The Undefeated, based on his poem featured on ESPN's The Undefeated. The book will be illustrated by two-time Caldecott Honor artist Kadir Nelson. Publication is set for spring 2019 under Alexander's Versify imprint; Arielle Eckstut at Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency represented the author, and Steven Malk at Writers House represented the illustrator in the deal for world rights. Arthur Levine at Scholastic/Levine has bought world rights to This Old Dog, a picture book by Martha Brockenbrough about a lonely old dog that discovers the perfect person to walk with through the wonderful world: a girl taking her first steps. Gabriel Alborozo will illustrate. Publication is scheduled for 2019; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. Jessica Garrison at Dial has acquired Red House, Tree House, Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin (l.), illustrated by Blanca Gomez. The picture book is an exploration of colors and patterns and counting and more, with a tiny mouse hidden on every page. Publication is planned for fall 2019; Linda Kaplan at DeFiore & Company sold North American rights for the author on behalf of Affirm Press, and Rebecca Sherman at Writers House sold world rights for the artist. Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane has bought world rights to Here Comes Ocean, a picture book by Meg Fleming (l.) (Ready, Set, Sail), illustrated by Paola Zakimi (Secrets I Know). The book follows a child who discovers that along with every rolling wave comes a new possibility for adventure. Publication is slated for spring 2020; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management negotiated the deal. Victoria Rock at Chronicle has acquired world rights to When, a picture book by James Proimos, illustrated by Zoey Abbott. After two wolves find a human baby floating down a river, they teach her the ways of wolves and in time become a real family. But when the girl gets a hint of a world outside of the forest, she must find her place in it. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020; Rosemary Stimola represented the author, and Erica Rand Silverman represented the illustrator, both at the Stimola Literary Studio. Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins/Tegen has bought Manfish and On a Beam of Light author Jennifer Berne's (l.) Look Up with Me: Neil Degrasse Tyson: A Life Among the Stars, a picture book biography of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Paper artist Lorraine Nam will illustrate; the book is scheduled for summer 2019. Caryn Wiseman at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself in the deal for world rights. Ada Zhang at Sterling has acquired world rights to Ahimsa author Supriya Kelkar's (l.) debut picture book, The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh, about an Indian-American boy who expresses himself through colors. When he moves to a new town across the country, he uses his colors to navigate the various emotions he feels, from nervous, to shy, to finally feeling at home again. The book will be illustrated by Alea Marley; publication is slated for fall 2019. Kathleen Rushall at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and Alex Gehringer at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator. Andrea Hall at Albert Whitman has bought world rights to Jodi McKay's (l.) picture book, Pencil's Perfect Picture, illustrated by Juliana Motzko. Pencil is trying to find out what makes a perfect picture and gets a colorful response from Brush, Marker, Pastel, Chalk, and all the little Crayons. Publication is planned for spring 2019; Linda Epstein at Emerald City Literary Agency represented the author, and Anne Moore Armstrong at the Bright Agency represented the illustrator. Nina Kooij at Pelican has acquired world rights to the picture book Sherlock Chick & Bunny Watson by Henry Herz (l.), illustrated by Patrick Girouard. Sherlock Chick eagerly solves mysteries with his keen eye and sharp intellect. When Sherlock observes a mislaid egg, even Watson's level-headed advice can't stop him from jumping to conclusions. Publication is set for spring 2019; Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator is unagented. Connie Hsu at Roaring Brook has bought two picture books by Ninja Bunny and Mr. Fluffernutter author-illustrator Jennifer Gray Olson. In the first book, Some Space, a girl named Lolli lives a very crowded life and must look to the sky for some extra space. But she soon realizes that it can be lonely with too much space to yourself. The first book is slated for spring 2020, and the second, untitled book is set for spring 2021; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan brokered the deal for world rights. Nina Gruener at Cameron Kids has acquired world rights to Alphabet Kingdom, an animal-themed alphabet picture book featuring the paintings of fine artist Starla Michelle Halfmann. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; the author-illustrator was unagented. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From School Library Journal:]( Most Challenged: A Look Back at Books Some Wanted Off the Shelves. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Teenage Vandals Were Sentenced to Read Books. Here's What One Learned. [Click here]( [From Electric Literature:]( The New Voices of South Asian Young Adult Literature. [Click here]( [From the Washington Post:]( Anti-vaccine reviewers target children's books on Amazon. [Click here]( [From USA Today:]( Harry Potter books get new paperback jackets by Brian Selznick. [Click here]( [From Deadline:]( Julian Lennon's picture book Touch the Earth to become animated TV series. [Click here]( [From Entertainment Weekly:]( Why the new wave of East Asian authors is targeting YA. [Click here]( [From NPR:]( Fizza-Ma-Wizza-Ma-Dill: On Rapping Dr. Seuss. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Elizabeth Bluemle [Glom on Mom: An Early Reader for Parents]( An ode to mothers of small children, with apologies to Dr. Seuss’s ‘Hop on Pop.’ [more »]( Meghan Dietsche Goel [Cracking the 6-Minute Book Challenge]( Lessons learned from some quality, if occasionally reluctant, reading time. [more »]( Kenny Brechner [Gertie’s Leap to Sameness]( Should a book cover convey the essence of the story it represents? Your opinion is requested. [more »]( Cynthia Compton [Bye Bye, Geoffrey]( An indie kids’ store owner reflects on the closing of Toys R Us. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [Heartbeat]( Evan Turk. Atheneum, $17.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-4814-3520-8 Turk creates an achingly poignant tribute to the beauty and dignity of whales. In powerful pastel spreads, Turk shows a mother whale with a yet-to-be-born baby visible inside her: “One heart beats. Two hearts beat.” Once born, the baby and the mother sing together. Then a harpoon’s barb slashes across the page to find the mother, and the baby’s heart beats on without hers. [more]( [Vernon Is on His Way: Small Stories]( Philip C. Stead. Roaring Brook/Porter, $19.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-62672-655-0 Vernon, the thoughtful toad who charmed readers in A Home for Bird, returns with his good friends Skunk and Porcupine. The slow pace, the moments of silence, and the quiet white space in Stead’s spreads are an antidote to frenetic busyness. For Vernon, what matters most is kindness, cherishing one’s friends, and noticing what other people miss. [more]( [The Button War: A Tale of the Great War]( Avi. Candlewick, $16.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-7636-9053-3 Darker than the Newbery Medalist’s usual fare, this powerfully evocative WWI novel set in Poland parallels a child’s game with the war raging in the not-so-distant background. After the Germans bomb the schoolhouse and the long-residing Russian soldiers prepare to leave the area, Patryk’s small, isolated village is suddenly a whirlwind of activity. Told from Patryk’s point of view, the novel captures the ways that war can forever alter a child’s sense of order, morality, and security in the world. [more]( [My Plain Jane]( Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperTeen, $17.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-06-265277-5 Hand, Ashton, and Meadows follow up My Lady Jane (about Lady Jane Gray) with another tongue-in-cheek novel about a famous Jane—this time, Jane Eyre. In this take on the classic, Jane and Charlotte Brontë are good friends from school, and as Jane’s story unfolds, Charlotte records every moment of it—at first writing it as a murder mystery, then a romance. The authors’ affection for their source material is abundantly clear in this clever, romantic farce. [more]( [Little Do We Know]( Tamara Ireland Stone. Hyperion, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-4847-6821-1 Despite their different personalities, Emory and Hannah have been best friends and next-door neighbors since childhood. But after a bitter argument, which ends with Emory calling Hannah a “sheep” for always following her minister father’s beliefs, the two don’t speak as they continue their senior years at separate high schools. Touching on weighty issues, including sexual harassment, religious crises, friendship, and taboo love, Stone writes a thought-provoking novel that challenges conventional ideas. [more]( April 10, 2018 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal]( [Everything You Need for a Treehouse by Carter Higgins]( [The PW Publishing Industry Salary Survey 2017]( PeopleHanna Lee has been promoted to senior manager of digital marketing at Random House Children's Books, from manager. Whitney Berger has joined Little Bigfoot at Sasquatch Books as marketing and publicity coordinator; she was previously children's marketing manager at the King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City. Bestsellers [Children's Frontlist Fiction]( #1 Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man #4) by Dav Pilkey. [Click here]( [Picture Books]( #1 Llama Llama Easter Egg by Anna Dewdney. [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. 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