Galleys to Grab at BookExpo; Children's Book Week in Photos

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [Galleys and Goodies Galore with Auzou | Visit Auzou at BEA 2017 Booth #2452B]( In the Spotlight [Children's Galleys to Grab]( See highlights from the coming season of children's titles, including new works from many favorite and bestselling middle grade and YA authors, to be showcased by publishers at this year’s BookExpo, May 30–June 1. [more]( In the News [Children’s Book Week 2017 in Photos]( The 98th annual Children’s Book Week took place May 1–7 in schools, libraries, and bookstores from coast to coast. This year, more than 700 locations in all 50 states hosted official events, including story times, author visits, costume parades, and more. See highlights from the festivities here. [more]( [Margarita Engle Named Young People’s Poet Laureate]( The Poetry Foundation has named Margarita Engle as the new Young People’s Poet Laureate, tasked with promoting a love of poetry among children. “When given a chance, so many children will not only love poetry, but also write poetry,” Engle said. [more]( [Nominations Are Now Open for the 3rd Annual PW Star Watch Award]( Bookselling News [2017 Pannell Award Winners Announced]( The Women’s National Book Association has announced the winners of this year's Pannell Award, a prize given annually to two bookstores that enhance their communities by fostering a love of reading. [more]( Book News [Phyllis Grann, Tomie dePaola Team Up for Literacy]( Phyllis E. Grann, who retired from publishing in 2011 after holding such executive positions as CEO of Penguin Putnam, has taken on the role of children's book author. Her new book, I Will Talk to You, Little One, is illustrated by acclaimed author and illustrator—and longtime member of the Putnam stable—Tomie dePaola. [more]( On the Scene [Harnessing Bookstagram: A PAMA Panel]( The women behind top Bookstagram accounts—influencers of Instagram’s literary community—gathered for a recent panel, in which they shared insight on building book-themed brands and connecting with readers online. [more]( Q & A [Jodi Lynn Anderson]( Jodi Lynn Anderson began her career as an editor, but now devotes her energy to writing YA and middle grade novels that celebrate the magic of real life. Her new novel, Midnight at the Electric, spans more than a century, from post-WWI England to the 1934 Dust Bowl to near-future 2065 Kansas. Anderson spoke with PW about the importance of a sense of place and finding the connecting thread between three distinct characters and settings. Q: How did the concept for Midnight at the Electric emerge? A: I started picturing Catherine, the protagonist from the Dust Bowl, in the middle of her barren yard next to a dead tree. Everything was empty, but I felt this magic around her. [more]( SPONSORED [Win Auzou's Fabulous Wolf Gift Set!]( Each set includes three books featuring Auzou's famous Wolf: 'The Wolf Who Wanted to be a Superhero,' 'The Wolf Who Wanted to be an Artist,' and Wolf's brand new adventure, 'The Wolf Who Wanted to Fall in Love'! The set also includes a cuddly plush toy. (Sponsored) [Enter Here.]( For more about these and other great jobs, visit the new [PW JobZone]( now with resume hosting and more! - [Online Accounts Manager for USA and UK - TASCHEN - Los Angeles](. - [ACQUISITIONS EDITOR - Diversion Publishing Corp. - New York](. - [Senior Editor - Storey Publishing - North Adams](. - [Administrative Assistant - Guilford Publications - New York](. - [Managing Proofreader - Sounds True - Louisville](. Rights Report Melissa Frain at Tor Teen has acquired Kristen Simmons's latest YA trilogy, The Valhalla Academy. The series, a Norse myth-inspired riff on The Skulls, is about an elite boarding school where students earn their keep running cons for their powerful headmaster, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who gains admittance into their too-good-to-be-true world, and the real cost of success. Publication of the first book, The Price of Admission, is set for fall 2018, with A Study in Deception and The Measure of Risk to follow; Joanna Mackenzie at Nelson Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights. Sarah Barley at Flatiron Books has bought Kathryn Barker’s U.S. debut, Waking Romeo. Pitched as Romeo and Juliet meets Wuthering Heights, the YA novel follows Jules Capulet who, in a future world, is reeling from the end of her romance with a classmate called Romeo; it has left him in a coma and her as a social outcast. Enter Heathcliff Ellis, a time traveler sent on a mission to wake Romeo. Publication is planned for winter 2019; Sara Burnes at the Gernert Company negotiated the deal for world English rights (excluding Australia/New Zealand). Aimee Friedman at Scholastic has acquired North American rights to Fake by Skinny author Donna Cooner, a YA novel about a girl who creates a fake social-media account in an attempt to connect with a boy at school. As the strategy works, her web of online lies increases, until the girl whose identity she's stolen becomes all too real. Publication is scheduled for 2019; Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary did the deal. Anne Heltzel at Abrams/Amulet has bought in a pre-empt Hope Cook's YA debut, House of Ash, about a Victorian-era girl trapped in an eerie mansion with her malevolent stepfather, while a boy in the present witnesses her torment through a cursed mirror and tries to save her. Publication is slated for fall 2017; Heather Flaherty at the Bent Agency brokered the deal for world English rights. Jocelyn Davies at HarperCollins has acquired Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow, a contemporary middle grade novel about a drummer named Melly, whose parents announce they're getting a divorce the day before she leaves for rock camp. She has a life-changing summer at camp as she navigates confusing feelings, changing friendships, and her first crush on a girl, and learns to find her own beat. Publication is set for summer 2018; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency negotiated the two-book deal for North American rights. Sonali Fry at Bonnier Publishing USA has bought in a preempt The Colors of the Rain by R.L. Toalson for the company's new middle grade imprint. A historical middle-grade debut novel in verse, the book is set against the backdrop of Houston's 1972 desegregation battles, and tells the story of a boy coming to terms with loss and the changes in his life and town. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency brokered the deal for world rights. Katherine Tegen at HarperCollins/Tegen has acquired All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook author Leslie Connor's Dogs and Goddesses, about an orphaned girl who comes to a rural town in Connecticut to live with her aunt, her aunt's partner, and the old man they care for; she will recreate a family with the help of a big yellow dog with a mysterious past. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Miriam Altshuler at DeFiore and Company handled the deal for world English rights. Adrienne Szpyrka at Running Press Kids has bought Amy Dixon's debut middle grade novel, Annie B., Made-for-TV, in which an exuberant 11-year-old aspiring TV commercial writer auditions as the host for a web show, but must deal with her talented best friend showing her up. Publication is scheduled for spring 2018; Laura Biagi at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world English rights. Rebecca Davis at Boyds Mills Press has acquired The Three Rules of Everyday Magic, a middle-grade novel by debut author Amanda Rawson Hill. The book follows 11-year-old Kate, who is starting to believe in what her grandmother calls “everyday magic”—she just hopes it can bring back her estranged feather or her erstwhile best friend. Publication is set for fall 2018; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. brokered the deal for North American rights. Nancy Paulsen at Penguin/Paulsen has bought Tamara Bundy's untitled novel set during post-Depression wartime. Pixie moves in with her grandparents after her mother dies, her father can't find work, and her beloved sister is stricken with polio, for which Pixie blames herself. So her father brings her a lamb to nurse—to brighten Pixie's world—until the unthinkable happens on the farm. Publication is slated for summer 2019; Steven Chudney at the Chudney Agency did the deal for world rights. Sonali Fry at Little Bee has acquired Polka Dot Parade, a picture book about fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, by Deborah Blumenthal (l.) with illustrations by Masha D'yans. Publication is planned for summer 2018; Abigail Samoun at Red Fox Literary negotiated the deal for world rights for both the author and illustrator. Kelsey Skea at Amazon/Two Lions has bought a picture book by author-illustrator Jim Benton, tentatively titled Comet, in which one of Santa's reindeer is sidelined on Christmas Eve, but still manages to help Santa avoid a holiday catastrophe. Publication is scheduled for fall 2019; Kirsten Hall at Catbird Productions brokered the deal for world rights. Juliana Hanford at Kane Press has acquired Norman and the Nom Nom Factory by debut author-illustrator Bridgette Zou. The picture book tells the story of Norman, who happily lives alone on Planet Gerp making Nom Noms in his factory and eating Nom Noms at every meal, until a small but exuberant stranger challenges Norman's ideas about foods and adventures. Publication is set for January 2018; Ayanna Coleman at Quill Shift Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights. Paula Wiseman at S&S/Wiseman has bought world rights to Peek-A-Who author Nina Laden's (l.) Yellow Kayak, which tells the adventure of a child at sea in a kayak, inspired by the archetypal hero's journey. Melissa Castrillon will illustrate; publication is slated for spring 2018. Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency represented the author, and the illustrator represented herself. Barb McNally and Heather Hughes at Sleeping Bear Press have acquired world rights to Kindergarrrten Bus, a picture book by Mike Ornstein (l.) about a rough and tough pirate bus driver, who experiences the same anxiety that many children feel on their first day of school. Kevin M. Barry will illustrate; publication is planned for fall 2018. Anna Olswanger at Olswanger Literary represented the author, and the artist was unagented. Tamar Mays at HarperCollins has bought world rights to Susan Eaddy's (l.) picture book, Eenie Meenie Halloweenie, to be illustrated by Lucy Fleming. Halloween offers a crafty girl the chance to get creative and dress up as her favorite animal companions. But how can she possibly choose? Publication is scheduled for summer 2020; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the author, and Arabella Stein at Bright USA represented the illustrator. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From the Guardian:]( Burglars steal Harry Potter prequel that was written on a postcard. [Click here]( [From Circa:]( A Colorado school district has pulled Thirteen Reasons Why from its library's shelves. [Click here]( [From the Daily News-Miner:]( Read on the Fly connects kids and books at Alaska airports. [Click here]( [From NPR:]( YA Fiction Uses Myths to Keep Traditional Storytelling Alive. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( "I'm Nearing the End of Bedtime Reading with My Daughter and It’s Breaking My Heart." [Click here]( [From BuzzFeed:]( 17 Aussie YA Books Everyone Should Read at Least Once. [Click here]( [From the Telegraph:]( J.K. Rowling tells fans not to buy stolen £25K Harry Potter prequel. [Click here]( [From NPR:]( Amandla Stenberg 'Infiltrates' Teen Romance World in Everything, Everything. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Digging to the Roots of Maurice Sendak's Vision. [Click here]( [From BuzzFeed:]( 26 YA Authors on Diverse Representation in Publishing. [Click here]( [From Entertainment Weekly:]( Cinnamon illustrator explains how she brought Neil Gaiman's story to life. [Click here]( [From Deadline Hollywood:]( Chaos Walking movie to debut at Cannes Film Festival. [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Elizabeth Bluemle [Getting to Diverse: Pitfalls and Potholes Along the Way]( Tackling touchy issues, plus a question about the diversity database. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [90-Second Newbery, Asheville-Style]( Reporting on Asheville’s first 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. [more »]( Meghan Dietsche Goel [Minding the Gaps!]( Going graphic with the Reading Without Walls Challenge. [more »]( Kenny Brechner [Of Mermaids and Purrmaids]( Reading Without Walls Week continues with an exploration of early chapter books for girls. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [The Teacher's Pet]( Anica Mrose Rissi, illus. by Zachariah OHora. Disney-Hyperion, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-4847-4364-5 As a teacher, Mr. Stricter has a lot of good qualities, but animal identification isn’t one of them. A class science project—hatching tadpoles—ends with all but one of them being released into the wild; the one the class keeps as a pet, named Bruno, grows into a hippo. [more]( [Here Comes Teacher Cat]( Deborah Underwood, illus. by Claudia Rueda. Dial, $16.99 (88p) ISBN 978-0-399-53905-3 When Ms. Melba has to go to the doctor, the star of Here Comes the Easter Cat and its sequels reluctantly agrees to be a substitute teacher at Kitty School. Underwood and Rueda maintain the droll narration and spare visual humor of the previous books as Cat guides eager kittens through music, building time, and art. [more]( [Buddy and Earl Go to School]( Maureen Fergus, illus. by Carey Sookocheff. Groundwood (PGW, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-55498-927-0 It’s a nightmare scenario: Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog show up at school, but the other students completely ignore them. “What do you think their problem is, Buddy?” asks Earl. “I think their problem is that they are only toys,” replies Buddy. [more]( [A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices]( Sally Derby, illus. by Mika Song. Charlesbridge, $16.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-58089-730-3 Through 24 sensitive poems, Derby presents six students’ perspectives before, during, and after the first day of school. The children represent different grades and their perspectives, voices, and concerns are realistically varied. [more]( [Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls]( Beth McMullen. Aladdin, $16.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9020-7 With summer winding down, Abby is looking ahead to seventh grade. Then a surprise letter announcing her acceptance to the Smith School for Children turns Abby’s world upside down. After arriving at the school, she learns that it has an undercover element. [more]( May 16, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [Cyclone by Doreen Cronin]( [win an ARC of Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Book 2)]( PeopleKate O'Sullivan has been promoted to senior executive editor at HMH Books for Young Readers; previously she was executive editor. Allison Vroegop and Lily Kessinger have been promoted to editorial associates; they were editorial assistants. Allison Moore has joined Bloomsbury Children's Books as editor; she was previously associate editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. In the Winners' Circle The New-York Historical Society has announced the winner of its 2017 Children's History Book Prize: author Ann E. Burg for her novel Unbound (Scholastic Press, 2016). The prize is given annually to the best fiction or nonfiction American history book, for middle grade readers ages 9–12. The winner of the inaugural New Americans Children's History Book Prize has also been announced: Firoozeh Dumas for It Ain't So Awful, Falafel (Clarion, 2016). The award recognizes the best American history book for middle grade readers ages 9–12, which addresses the history, issues, and personal stories of immigrants in the United States. For more information, [click here](. Summer Reads See our picks for the best summer books for children and teens of all ages and interests. [more]( Sneak Previews Have you checked out our Fall 2017 Sneak Previews? Take a look ahead at some of the bigger titles for children and teens due out next season, [in our exclusive roundup](. Bestsellers [Children's Frontlist Fiction]( #1 The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan. [Click here]( [Picture Books]( #1 Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss. [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. [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](. For additional assistance, contact us by email or at the address below. Publishers Weekly, 71 West 23 St. #1608 New York, NY 10010 Phone 212-377-5500 Copyright 2017, PWxyz LLC Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( To view back issues of Children's Bookshelf, [click here](. 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