Recent Book Deals

A sample of recent deals, as reported in Publishers Marketplace. This list is by no means exhaustive!
Subscribers to PubMarketplace can view older and more in-depth deal listings here.

YA Noir

Edgar Award winner and Stonewall Honor author James Klise's I'LL TAKE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE, a noir set in Chicago in the summer of 1934, in which a queer teen's naive get-rich-quick scheme leads to deadly criminal consequences, to Algonquin Young Readers, for publication in 2023.

Author-Illustrator Picture Book

Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator Sergio Ruzzier's BIANCA AND THE BUTTERFLY, about a young polar bear who befriends a butterfly and encounters new experiences, to  Harper Children's, for publication in winter 2025.

Illustrated YA 

Author-illustrator Phoebe Wahl's PHOEBE'S DIARY, an illustrated novel in journal format based on the author's own teenage diaries, illuminating the glorious turmoil and ecstasy of adolescence, woven with themes of body and sex positivity, sold at auction to Little, Brown Children's.

Funny Picture Book

HOW TO READ A STORY author Kate Messner's A VERY SCARY STORY (BY TERRIFYING KITTEN), which follows an extremely fierce and teeny-tiny kitten who really wants to scare you, illustrated by MacKenzie Haley, to Farrar, Straus Children's, for publication in spring 2023.

Intense Young Adult

Morris Award finalist Stephanie Oakes's THE MEADOWS, pitched as a YA THE HANDMAIDS TALE meets NEVER LET ME GO, centering around a queer girl who has pretended to "reform" following years in a government-sanctioned conversion therapy center, but can't forget the girl she left behind, and so resolves to find her, to Dial.

Based on a True Story

Hannah Moushabeck's HOMELAND: MY FATHER DREAMS OF PALESTINE, in which, at bedtime, a father tells his daughters the story of his last day in his homeland of Palestine, a home to which they have never been able to return, illustrated by Reem Madooh, to Chronicle Children's, for publication in spring 2023

Graphic Nonfiction

YALSA Nonfiction Award Winner Don Brown's THE CHASED, true stories of Jewish children, separated from their parents, who escaped Europe during the Holocaust, to Clarion, for publication in spring 2023

YA Graphic Novel Debut

Danish cartoonist Jam Aden's LOVE, MISHA, pitched as "A Goofy Movie meets Spirited Away," about a non-binary teen and their mother who, during a contentious road trip, take a wrong turn that lands them in the Realm of the Spirits; there they are surrounded by trickster spirits who aren't so keen on human trespassers, with no obvious way out, to First Second, for publication in Spring 2025.

Middle Grade Contemporary

Lindsey Leavitt's NORTH OF SUPERNOVA, which follows a 12-year-old Virgo who devotes her summer to learning astrology, fortune-telling, and crystals so she can bust up her new blended family and take control of her destiny, to Godwin Books in a two-book deal.

Middle Grade Contemporary

Schneider Family Award Honoree Sarah Kapit's SECOND CHANCE SUMMER, in which ex-best friends unexpectedly attend the same theatre camp and major drama ensues, to Holt Children's, in an exclusive submission.

Middle Grade Nonfiction

Environmental educator Nancy Castaldo's HUDSON RIVERKEEPER, which explores both New York's great river itself, and the people who do the vital work to maintain and protect it; part of the Books for a Better Earth program, to Holiday House, for publication in spring 2024.

Middle Grade Historical

DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE author Diane Zahler's WILD BIRD, about a medieval girl who is the sole survivor of a plague that wiped out her Norwegian village; she is rescued by a young sailor but the pair is kicked off the ship by superstitious crew, so they must make the long journey to Britain together over land, relying on one another and forging a new kind of family with the travelers they meet along the way, to Roaring Brook Press.

More Comedy from an Author-Illustrator

TWO MANY BIRDS author-illustrator Cindy Derby's BLURP'S BOOK OF MANNERS, about a sentient paint blob who desperately needs some etiquette lessons, to Roaring Brook Press, in an exclusive submission, for publication in fall 2022