The Most Anticipated Children's and YA Books for Fall

[PW Children's Bookshelf: Breaking children's and YA publishing news, author interviews, bestsellers lists and reviews.] [This Is Just a Test ]( In the Spotlight [The Most Anticipated Children’s and YA Books of Fall 2017]( Presenting a selection of eagerly awaited books for young readers due out in the coming season, drawn from our recent Fall Children’s Announcements Issue. [more]( In the News [HarperCollins to Partner with Wattpad for YA Titles]( HarperCollins Children’s Books has announced a new collaboration with Wattpad, in an effort to cultivate new voices in teen fiction. [more]( [Penguin Announces Custom Art Collection]( Penguin Young Readers has teamed up with Framebridge, a custom framing company, to create wall art and home decor out of children's book illustrations through the launch of Penguin Print House. [more]( [Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moïra Fowley-Doyle]( On the Scene [New Kids', YA Comics Initiatives at Comic-Con]( Children’s comics, particularly graphic novels, continue to be one of the fastest growing sectors of the industry, and they were well represented at Comic-Con International: San Diego, which took place July 19–23. [more]( Q & A [William Ritter]( High school English teacher William Ritter never expected his short story experiment about an eccentric paranormal detective named Jackaby to become his first published novel. Ritter has published three Jackaby books, with the fourth and final installment, The Dire King, due out next month. Ritter spoke with PW about representing different mythologies in literature and the ways in which his work as a teacher affects his storytelling. Q: How did the original short story emerge? A: I was having one of those “those who can’t teach, do” moments. I was right out of a teaching job that I loved, which had focused on mythology and writing. I had been working with a science teacher, planning a class that combined a crime scene investigation course with a mythology course. Then a budget cut happened and, as a new teacher, I was first to go. [more]( [Tales From Adventureland: The Keymaster’s Quest]( Out Next Week [Hot Off the Presses: Week of July 31, 2017]( Hitting shelves next week are a picture book about an odd-looking dog, a middle grade novel in which a sixth grader starts a reading club, and a YA novel in verse about a son breaking his family’s disturbing cycles. [more]( In Brief [In Brief: July 27, 2017]( This week, Jarrett J. Krosoczka meets Supergirl (and her brother); Laurie Forest and Gregory Scott Katsoulis cross paths with Wonder Woman; Nnedi Okorafor doodles; Anica Mrose Rissi returns to her childhood library; Maria Gianferrari is joined by therapy dogs for her book launch; and Maggie Hall visits her old stomping grounds. [more]( SPONSORED [PW KidsCast: Listen Now]( Dan Santat, Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Philip C. Stead, Matthew Cordell, Kwame Alexander, Maggie Stiefvater, Jewell Parker Rhodes – 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! - [National Sales Manager - The Quarto Group - Seattle](. - [Managing Editor - The University of Alabama Press - Tuscaloosa](. - [General Manager - The J. Paul Getty Trust - Los Angeles](. - [Director of Marketing and Sales - University of Washington Press - Seatte](. - [Editor Shambhala - Shambhala Publications - Boulder](. Rights Report Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has acquired Hungry Hearts, an anthology from Elsie Chapman (l.) and Caroline Tung Richmond, in which a group of bestselling and award-winning authors, including Dhonielle Clayton, Ellen Oh, Sara Farizan, Sandhya Menon, and more, dives into the intersection of family, culture, and food in the lives of teens in a series of interconnected short stories. Publication is scheduled for summer 2019; Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman and Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret handled the deal for world English rights for Chapman and Richmond, respectively. Daniel Ehrenhaft at Soho Teen has bought 2017 Pushcart Prize-winner Kendra Fortmeyer's debut YA novel, Hole in the Middle, pitched as The Fault in Our Stars meets Aimee Bender, in which a teenage girl who's spent her life concealing the eerie hole in her torso confronts a world obsessed with body image, internet celebrity, and unlikely love stories. Publication is set for fall 2018; Molly Ker Hawn at the Bent Agency negotiated the deal for North American rights. Stephanie Pitts at Putnam has acquired at auction Jennifer Dugan's debut YA novel, Hot Dog Girl. Pitched as Adventureland crossed with a gender-muddled Clueless, the story follows a lovesick teen and her schemes to win the heart of her crush at an amusement park summer job—all while dressed as a hot dog. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Brooks Sherman at Janklow & Nesbit Associates brokered the two-book deal for world English rights. Rage Kindelsperger at Quarto has bought world English rights for Ignite Your Spark author Patricia Wooster's Create Your Me Movement, a guided journal for teen girls that takes the framework of a social movement and asks the reader to use it to support a very important cause—themselves—to inspire positive change within. Publication is slated for August 2018; Clelia Gore at Martin Literary Management brokered the deal. Cassandra Pelham at Graphix and Scholastic Press has acquired world rights to two debut graphic novels, both winners of the Get Published by Graphix contest. The first, Manu, is a middle-grade graphic novel by author-illustrator Kelly Fernandez (l.). The story follows Manu and her best friend Josefina, who live in a magical school for girls. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020. The second is Trespassers by Breena Bard, a contemporary middle-grade graphic novel of family, friendship, a summer lake house, and a local mystery. Publication is planned for spring 2020. Alessandra Balzer at Balzer + Bray has preempted, in a two-book deal, Shayla Shines, a debut by Lisa Ramée. The middle-grade novel is about a girl who has to negotiate a new school, shifting friendships, and the feeling she is "not black enough." Publication is slated for winter 2019, with a second, untitled novel to follow; Brenda Bowen at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates negotiated the deal for world rights. Alison Deering at Capstone has bought Krista Van Dolzer's middle grade novel Earth to Dad. The story follows an 11-year-old boy who spends his days waiting for transmissions from his Mars-colonizing dad until the daughter of a dead astronaut moves in across the street and he risks missing a transmission for a shot at real friendship. Publication is planned for fall 2018; Brent Taylor at Triada US Literary Agency sold world English rights. Christy Ottaviano at Macmillan/Ottaviano has acquired Welcome to County 109!, a picture book series by Ethan Long, the Geisel-Award winning creator of Up, Tall and High! The series is pitched as a graphic twist on Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy World. The first book is scheduled for 2019, with the second following in 2020; Paul Rodeen at Rodeen Literary Management negotiated the deal for world rights. Melissa Manlove at Chronicle has bought, in a two-book deal, Deborah Underwood's (l.) Reading Beauty, in which a book and papercut stand in for the spindle and prick of the finger from the original tale of Sleeping Beauty. Meg Hunt will illustrate; publication is set for fall 2019. Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency represented Underwood, and Scott Hull at Scott Hull Associates represented Hunt in the deal for world rights. Dana Chidiac at Dial has acquired Breanna J. McDaniel's debut picture book, Hands Up, illustrated by Shane Evans. The story captures a black girl in a series of everyday moments—reaching for a hug, dancing, raising a hand in class—and culminates in a moment when she raises her hands in resistance at a protest march. Publication is planned for summer 2019; Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary represented the author, and the illustrator represented himself. Asia Citro at the Innovation Press has bought Elise Gravel's You Can Be, a board book based on her e-book Artsy Boys and Smelly Girls. The book encourages boys and girls to embrace their true selves in all of their unique, silly, and sometimes smelly ways. Publication is slated for fall 2018; Lori Nowicki at Painted Words negotiated the deal for world English rights. To see all of this week's deals, [click here](. IN THE MEDIA [From Entertainment Weekly:]( John Green opens up about living with OCD in a new video. [Click here]( [From the New York Times:]( Minecraft: The Island Blurs the Line Between Fiction and Gaming. [Click here]( [From the Bookseller:]( Following public support, Iranian children's illustrator Ehsan Abdollahi granted visa to enter U.K. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( 33 Picture Books Featuring Black Female Protagonists. [Click here]( [From 100 Scope Notes:]( The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children's Books of 2017. [Click here]( [From Book Riot:]( Why, as a Parent, I'm Finally Starting to Read YA. [Click here]( [From NPR:]( Kwame Alexander on Getting Kids Interested in Poetry. [Click here]( [From Literary Hub:]( The History of the Bendable, Durable, Chewable Board Book. [Click here]( [From the Forward:]( In Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Final Exhibit, the Mundane Mixes with the Monumental. [Click here]( [From BuzzFeed:]( 30 Feminist Children's Books That Every Child Should Read. [Click here]( [From Brightly:]( That Feeling When You Re-Read Books from Childhood as an Adult. [Click here]( [From the Mary Sue:]( Why Does Netflix's Friends from College Hate YA So Much? [Click here]( SHELFTALKER Kenny Brechner [‘Critical Creativity’]( Why keep it in the classroom? [more »]( Cynthia Compton [Finding Time to Read]( The question, for a bookseller, is not WHAT to read, but WHEN. [more »]( Elizabeth Bluemle [The Wild Bunch(es)]( A banner three days at the bookstore. [more »]( Leslie Hawkins [These Platforms Three]( Leslie looks at the difference in audiences reached by her bookstore on three social media platforms. [more »]( FEATURED REVIEWS [The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way)]( Patrick McDonnell. Little, Brown, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-316-50246-7 McDonnell follows the misadventures of the eponymous red cat, who dashes out the front door of his home, only to be set upon by an alligator, bear, chicken, and dragon. The book is wordless, other than capital and lowercase letters that correspond to each new character or event, creating a guessing game for readers in the process. [more]( [The Antlered Ship]( Dashka Slater, illus. by Eric Fan and Terry Fan. Beach Lane, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4814-5160-4 Marco, a fox, thirsts to know everything: “Why don’t trees ever talk? How deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea?” When a ship appears off the coast of Marco’s forest, he embarks on a nautical adventure in hopes of locating foxes who can answer his questions. [more]( [The Dam Keeper]( Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsuma. First Second, $19.99 (160p) ISBN 978-1-62672-426-6 Kondo and Tsutsuma expand on the world of their Oscar-nominated animated short film of the same name, about a young pig who keeps his town safe from a terrifying black fog. The school-age pig is essentially tethered to the dam that protects Sunrise Valley; designed by his late father, the dam’s windmill requires regular winding, isolating the already-lonely pig, who also fears becoming “crazy” like his father. [more]( [Slider]( Pete Hautman. Candlewick, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7636-9070-0 Incoming high school freshman David Miller's chief talent is the ability to eat an entire pizza in under five minutes. When an accidental charge to his mother’s credit card puts him $2,000 in the hole, David attempts to earn the money back by winning the Super Pigorino Bowl, a pizza-eating contest. [more]( [The Glass Town Game]( Catherynne M. Valente. S&S/McElderry, $17.99 (544p) ISBN 978-1-4814-7696-6 Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and Branwell Brontë are grieving the deaths of two older sisters and dreading the day when Charlotte and Emily are forced to go off to school. As Branwell and Anne accompany them to the carriage, a detour leads them to escape to their imaginary land of Glass Town, which turns out to be even wilder and more bizarre than they ever dreamed. [more]( TALES FROM THE SLUSH PILE [SEE ALL]( July 27, 2017 E-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( [This Is Just a Test ]( [Click'd by Tamara Ireland Stone]( [New York Rights Fair 2018]( People Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has one new hire and one promotion. Anna Prendella has joined as assistant editor; she was formerly an editorial assistant at HarperCollins Children's Books. Kheryn Callender has been promoted to associate editor, from assistant editor. Random House Children's Books has two promotions. Shay Brown has been promoted to production coordinator, from production assistant. Alice Rahaeuser has been promoted to production supervisor, from production associate. Nicole Otto has been promoted to assistant editor at Imprint, part of the Macmillan Children's Book Group; she was previously editorial assistant. Mark Your Calendar The Carrie Secrist Gallery in Chicago is hosting an interactive exhibit inspired by the late author Amy Krouse Rosenthal's vision of a new kind of beauty salon: a place where artists, authors, musicians, and other creators would gather to share their work. Amy Krouse Rosenthal: A Beauty Salon will run through August 12. For more information, [click here](. In Case You Missed It [If Children's Authors Ruled the World]( [more]( [Children's Publishers on Meeting Their Idols]( [more]( [Jack Gantos Shares Life Stories and Tips for Young Writers]( [more]( [Q & A with Ellen Oh]( [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. 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