Snicket and Brown in Conversation; At the Met with Harry Potter

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Too Much to Juggle? This Book Can Help!]( In the Spotlight [Religion Publishers See Growth in Children’s Books]( Religion publishing for children is in expansion mode today, with more faith-based houses forming imprints and finding ways into the category. [more]( [Nominations Are Now Open for the 3rd Annual PW Star Watch Award]( In the News [Hillary Clinton Comes to BookExpo]( Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the latest public figure and author to join the ranks of speakers at the forthcoming BookExpo, where she will discuss her writing, including a new picture book edition of It Takes a Village. [more]( On the Scene [Harry Potter Tour Finds Magic at the Met]( In honor of the 20th anniversary of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a New York City-based tour company has launched an interactive Potter-themed tour of the Met. [more]( Q & A [Daniel Handler and Lisa Brown]( Lemony Snicket’s latest picture book begins with the end of a pet’s life, following its ghost into the afterlife. Inspired by a series of unfortunate pet events in their own family, the story is illustrated by Lisa Brown, who calls her husband by his real name, Daniel Handler. We caught up with the couple, who have been touring in support of the book. Q: Did an editor or agent suggest Lisa would be the perfect choice for this manuscript or did the writer say, “Can you pass the salt and illustrate my next book?” Handler: Our collaborations usually begin when we are lying around on the sofa cracking each other up, but in this case I believe Lisa Brown thought up the idea of a goldfish ghost when we were away at a conference, eating at a Thai restaurant. She started drawing the upside-down goldfish. [more]( Movie Alert ['Captain Underpants']( Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie swoops into theaters on June 2; the animated film is based on Dav Pilkey’s comics-style series starring fourth grade friends Harold Hutchins and George Beard. We spoke with Pilkey's team at Scholastic about the enduring popularity of the series, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. [more]( Reading Report [From YouTube Screen To Print]( Earning billions of views and millions of followers, YouTubers entice legions of fans that publishers are eager to attract by translating their brand to the page. We've rounded up some recent and anticipated YA releases from this new community of celebrities. [more]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of May 15, 2017]( Hitting shelves next week are a pun-filled picture book, a middle grade adventure novel set in the 18th century, and the launch of a YA series set in feudal Japan. [more]( In Brief [In Brief: May 11, 2017]( This week, an Arizona school is named a literary landmark; Jarrett J. Krosoczka honors lunch ladies; Adam Rubin kisses a dragon; Gerald and Piggie close out Children’s Book Week; teachers welcome Victoria Kann; and Robert Beatty offers a dramatic reveal of his new book. [more]( SPONSORED [Win a Kissing Hand Prize Pack!]( Enter for your chance to win a Kissing Hand basket containing 'Chester Raccoon and the Almost Perfect Sleepover' plus the first three titles in The Kissing Hand series by bestselling author Audrey Penn with brand new covers and more! (Sponsored) [Enter Here!]( For more about these and other great jobs, visit the new [PW JobZone]( now with resume hosting and more! - [International Sales & Support Representative - Ingram Content Group - New York City](. - [Editorial Assistant - The Quarto Group - Minneapolis](. - [Production Manager - ASSOULINE PUBLISHING - New York City](. - [Inventory Manager - Diversion Books - New York, NY](. - [Director of Intellectual Property - The University of Chicago Press - Chicago](. Rights Report Aubrey Poole at Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson has acquired at auction North American rights to The 96 Words for Love, a debut YA novel by designer and author Rachel Roy (l.) in collaboration with Ava Dash, her 17-year-old daughter. A modern retelling of the classic Indian legend of Shakuntala and Dushyanta, the novel follows Raya as she leaves her California life behind to visit an ashram in India in an attempt to confront the sources of her anxiety and realize her place in the world—and, maybe, even fall in love. Publication is scheduled for winter 2018; Kirsten Neuhaus at Foundry Literary + Media represented Roy, and Jess Regel at Foundry Literary + Media represented the packager, In This Together Media. Sarah Barley at Flatiron Books has bought at auction The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue author Mackenzi Lee's Semper Augustus, pitched as a YA The Miniaturist meets Sarah Waters. Set during the height of the Dutch tulipomania, the book tells of a florist who must choose between her family's ruin and playing a part in duping her beloved's father into buying a false Semper Augustus, the most expensive bulb of the time. Publication is planned for winter 2019; Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency handled the deal for world English rights. Rosemary Brosnan at HarperTeen has acquired in a three-way house bid pre-empt Anica Mrose Rissi's YA debut, Always Forever Maybe, a novel about a controlling relationship, an unraveling best friendship, and the depths and boundaries of platonic and romantic love. Publication for the first book is slated for summer 2018, with a second, untitled stand-alone novel to follow; Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore and Company brokered the deal for world rights. Aimee Friedman at Scholastic has bought, in a two-book deal, world rights to P.S. I Like You author Kasie West's Listen to Your Heart, about a girl who reluctantly agrees to host the school's podcast and finds that doling out advice about love is almost as hard as taking it. The first book is set for summer 2018, and the second book for summer 2019; Michelle Wolfson at Wolfson Literary Agency negotiated the deal. Claudia Gabel at HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired at auction, in a six-figure, two-book deal, Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls. Pitched as Shutter Island meets Bone Gap, it tells the story of three teen girls desperate to unravel the mystery behind the vanished girls of Sawkill Rock—but an ancient evil is at work on the island's privileged shores, and soon the girls realize that nothing and no one can be trusted. The book is scheduled for fall 2018; Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency did the deal for North American rights. Grace Kendall at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has bought Pilgrim Playwright Genie Guard, a YA anthology of short stories featuring disabled teens, written by #OwnVoices disabled authors and edited by author Marieke Nijkamp. The stories reflect a range of genres and disabilities; contributors include bestselling authors Kody Keplinger and Francisco X. Stork, as well as newcomers Fox Benwell, Keah Brown, and more. Publication is slated for 2018; Jennifer Udden at Barry Goldblatt Literary brokered the deal for English-language rights. Tara Weikum at HarperTeen has acquired Winterfolk by Janel Kolby, a debut YA novel with magical realism. Set outside of Seattle, the story follows a homeless teen searching for a way to save her encampment when the city threatens to drive them out. Publication is planned for early 2018; Beth Phelan at the Bent Agency negotiated the two-book deal for world English rights. Kieran Viola at Freeform has bought Riverdale writer Britta Lundin's debut YA novel, Ship It, the story of a fanfic writer named Claire who just knows the two male characters on her favorite show are in love, and tries to convince the showrunner to make the relationship happen on screen when she's invited on a Comic Con tour with the cast. Publication is set for spring 2018; Jim Ehrich at Rothman Brecher Ehrich Livingston did the deal for world rights. Reka Simonsen at S&S/Atheneum has acquired world rights to J. Albert Mann’s untitled YA biographical novel about Margaret Sanger, early women’s health and rights activist and the founder of what is now Planned Parenthood. The coming-of-age novel follows Margaret through her early years as she struggles to find her way in a large family amid the harsh realities of life in the late 19th century. Publication is scheduled for spring 2019; Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg Rostan brokered the two-book deal. Becky Herrick at Sky Pony has bought two middle grade novels by Beth Vrabel. Bringing Me Back is a standalone story about a boy who can't seem to tackle the mess he made with his hardscrabble school's football team, nor shorten his mom's jail time—but when he sees a black bear that needs help, he knows he has to take action, even if it means getting in even more trouble. Publication is set for February 2018. The second book, Super Dorks, continues Vrabel’s Pack of Dorks series, and is planned for summer 2018. Nicole Resciniti at the Seymour Agency negotiated the deal for world rights. Jenna Pocius at Bonnier USA has acquired in a preempt for the company's new middle grade imprint The Flourishing of Floralie Laurel, a magical realism novel by debut author Fiadhnait Moser. Pitched as The Secret Garden meets Alice Hoffman, the story follows a girl who must use a secret floriography written by Claude Monet's gardener to decode a letter from her long-lost mother and escape the clutches of her wicked grandmother. Publication is slated for summer 2018; Jaida Temperly at New Leaf Literary & Media did the deal for world English rights. Christian Trimmer at Holt has bought Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude, written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Stevie Lewis, about the two lions who faithfully guard the New York Public Library. When Patience goes missing, Fortitude realizes the secret to Patience's disappearance may be within the Library itself. Lost in the Library is the first picture book that Macmillan plans to publish in partnership with the New York Public Library; it’s scheduled for publication in 2018. Kathleen Rushall at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator is unagented. Andrea Welch at S&S/Beach Lane has acquired world rights to Nancy Raines Day's (l.) Pirate Jack Gets Dressed: A Colorful Yarrrn, a picture book about a pirate getting dressed, piece by colorful piece. Allison Black will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2019. Tricia Lawrence at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author and Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the illustrator. Julia Maguire at Knopf has bought world rights to Building Books by Megan Wagner Lloyd (l.), illustrated by Brianne Farley, a picture book about a pair of siblings who argue over which pastime is best: reading or building? Publication is planned for fall 2018; Ammi-Joan Paquette at Erin Murphy Literary represented the author and Paul Rodeen at Rodeen Literary represented the artist. Sylvie Frank at S&S/Paula Wiseman has acquired world rights to Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy author Susan Vaught's (l.) debut picture book, Together We Grow, a story of community and rebuilding in the wake of disaster. Kelly Murphy will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself. Jaime Schwalb at Sounds True has bought world rights to author Jennifer Adams's (l.) picture book, I Am a Warrior Goddess, about a tiny girl with big aspirations. Trees author-illustrator Carme Lemniscates will illustrate; publication is scheduled for spring 2018. Steven Malk at Writers House represented the author and Adriana Dominguez at Full Circle Literary represented the illustrator. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From Entertainment Weekly:]( 13 Reasons Why is affecting America's classrooms. Teachers tell their stories. [Click here]( [From the Mary Sue:]( DC Comics Will Launch a Young Readers Imprint in 2018. [Click here]( [From Deadline Hollywood:]( The Who Was? Show: Netflix Sets Family Variety Series for 2018. [Click here]( [From the Millions:]( Dragons Are for White Kids with Money: On the Friction of Geekdom and Race. [Click here]( [From Bookish:]( How My Naval Career Inspired My Young Adult Novel, by Erin Beaty. [Click here]( [From Literary Hub:]( 10 Wonderful Children's Poets You Should Know. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( 100 Must-Read LGBTQIA YA Books. [Click here]( [From the Horn Book:]( The Good, the Bad, and the Self-Published: Could an Indie Picture Book Win the Caldecott? [Click here]( [From the Atlantic:]( 'Anne with an E' Is the Best Kind of Adaptation. [Click here]( [From Vanity Fair:]( Why the 1980s Anne of Green Gables Is Such a Hard Act to Follow. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( Do You Hear What I Hear? Why the Music of Reading Aloud Matters for Kids. [Click here]( [From Bookish:]( Marcus Sedgwick on Borders, Ageless Characters, and Saint Death. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( The Best Middle Grade Books for Theater Kids. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( 11 of the Best Moms in Children's Literature. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [Of Mermaids and Purrmaids]( Reading Without Walls Week continues with an exploration of early chapter books for girls. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [Reading Without Walls Challenge, Part 3]( Figuring out what you avoid reading is an eye-opening experience. [more »]( Cynthia Compton [Beam Me Up, Scotty]( Taking the Reading Without Walls challenge into the Science Fiction section. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [Reading Without Walls (Part One)]( Reflections on ‘March, Book One’ as the ShelfTalker bloggers take Gene Luen Yang’s Reading Without Walls challenge. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [Margaret and the Moon]( Dean Robbins, illus. by Lucy Knisley. Knopf, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-399-55185-7 Robbins traces the life of mathematician and self-described software engineer Margaret Hamilton. Beginning with her early life as a curious girl who questioned (and studied) everything, Robbins moves briskly through her career path, from teaching herself how to write computer code to assisting with the 1969 moon landing and other NASA missions. [more]( [Now]( Antoinette Portis. Roaring Brook/Porter, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62672-137-1 Portis writes in the voice of a girl who knows what it means to live in the moment. “This is my favorite breeze,” she says, her eyes closed with delight. Portis invites children to ask themselves what gives them joy. [more]( [Cyclone]( Doreen Cronin. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $16.99 (352p) ISBN 978-1-4814-3525-3 A trip to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone roller coaster ends in tragedy for 12-year-old Nora and her 13-year-old cousin, Riley. Moments after their ride, Riley has a stroke and is rushed to the hospital, leading to the discovery of an undiagnosed heart condition. As Riley works to regain her verbal and motor skills, Nora faces her haunting choices and Riley’s difficult new reality. [more]( [The Great Treehouse War]( Lisa Graff. Philomel, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-399-17500-8 Eleven-year-old Winnie Malladi-Maraj is in danger of failing fifth grade until a project on local history gives her the idea to declare her epic tree house to be on sovereign soil so she won’t ever have to come down. When her friends join her, the so-called “Tulip Street Ten” makes national news. [more]( [Spill Zone]( Scott Westerfeld, illus. by Alex Puvilland. First Second, $22.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-59643-936-8 After losing her parents to the Spill Zone, an inexplicable force that has possessed Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Addison assumes care of her younger sister, Lexa, who witnessed the spill. Although the area is quarantined, Addison frequently risks her life to sneak inside. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( May 11, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [nter for a chance to win an ARC of Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Book 2) ]( [Advertise Your Titles with PW Show Daily @ Book Expo Title Showcase]( In the Winners' Circle The American Booksellers Association has announced the winners of the 2017 Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. The Young Adult Book of the Year is Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys; the E.B. White Read-Aloud winner in the Middle Reader category is The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill; and the Read-Aloud winner in the Picture Book category is Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis. Indie booksellers inducted the following titles in the Picture Book Hall of Fame: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg, Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes, and Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág. For the complete list of winners and honor books, [click here](. In Case You Missed It [Bestselling Authors Team Up for a Tale About Friendship]( [more]( [OMG: A Middle Grade Book Festival]( [more]( [It's a Brave New World for Teachers and Librarians]( [more]( [Cover Reveal: ‘My Brigadista Year’ by Katherine Paterson]( [more]( [YALLWEST 2017 In Photos]( [more]( 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. [Follow PWKidsBookshelf on Twitter]( Children's Bookshelf Editor: Diane Roback Associate Editor: Emma Kantor Digital Producer: Lucy Sutton Send editorial questions about this e-newsletter to: childrensbooks@publishersweekly.com Send advertising questions about this e-newsletter to: cbryerman@publishersweekly.com Follow PW on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. 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