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In the News
 Federal Judge Rules Texas Book Ratings Law UnconstitutionalJudge Alan D. Albright of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ordered a permanent injunction against HB 900 on October 21 in Book People Inc. v. Wong, writing that the mandatory book rating law “compels speech, is void for vagueness, and is an unconstitutional prior restraint” on booksellers. more  Book News
 On the Eve of the U.S.’s 250th Birthday, Penguin Young Readers Celebrates the 50 StatesTrivia aficionados will enjoy the copious fun facts found in the pages of Who HQ: The Fifty States, a new middle grade series from Penguin Workshop that kicks off on November 4. To wit: California is home to the hottest place on Earth, Ohio boasts the first-ever pro baseball team, no location in Florida is more than 60 miles from a coast, and there’s a tasty origin tale behind the Philly cheesesteak. more
On the Scene
 On Tour with Peter H. Reynolds and Paul ReynoldsThis year marks the 16th anniversary of International Dot Day, a celebration inspired by author-illustrator Peter H. Reynolds's picture book The Dot, about a child who learns to unleash their creativity. Reynolds and his twin brother Paul, who have collaborated on books together, held several events to mark the occasion. Click through for highlights from their tour. more Four Questions
 Donna Barba HigueraNewbery Medalist Donna Barba Higuera retells the Aztec myth of creation, casting Xolotl, the dog-headed god of lighting, death, and misfortune, as the hero in her middle grade work Xolo, illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson. In a conversation with PW, Higuera reflected on how her personal experiences, love of mythology, and dedication to her late dog influenced the novel. Q: What did you hope to convey by telling this story from Xolo’s perspective? A: Xolo was known as this monstrosity, as this harbinger of chaos, and I thought, “Why did he get that title? How was he treated by the other gods?” I wondered if he had a complicated relationship with his brother, Quetzalcoatl. And I thought about my life, the loss I’ve endured, the family dynamics I’ve experienced, and wove those into this character’s story. If Xolo was just this black-and-white god character, how are readers going to empathize with him? more Out Next Week
 Hot Off the Press: Week of October 27 Among the books hitting shelves next week are a picture book tracing a mayoral candidate’s walk through his city, a graphic novel meditation on grief and letting go, a YA occult mystery about a god trapped in a manor, and more. more In Brief
 In Brief: October 23, 2025Recently a governor discussed her YA memoir, publishing staff and authors joined the New York Comic Con festivities, authors collaborated on a short tour, an international book fair hosted a children’s conference, and a museum welcomed an author-illustrator. more
Rights Report
 Andrew Karre at Dutton has acquired, in an exclusive submission, A Knife to the Throat, a YA novel by Guggenheim Fellow and APALA- and Minnesota Book Award-winning author Kao Kalia Yang (The Diamond Explorer), about Chai, a contemporary Hmong teen from Minnesota who lives with his brother's family, while down in their basement, his mother sews he knows not what, her life shrouded in shadows and stories. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028; Erin Murphy at Aevitas Creative Management sold world rights.   Alyson Day at HarperCollins has bought Dead End Daryl by Lambda Literary Award-winning K. Ancrum (Icarus; The Corruption of Hollis Brown). The YA sci-fi novel follows a teen boy who must team up with multiple younger versions of himself to fight back against his future adult self: a dangerous man who keeps traveling back in time to his youth in a misguided attempt to fix a disaster that ruined his life. Publication is set for fall 2027; Eric Smith at Neighborhood Literary sold world English rights.  Nicole Fiorica at McElderry Books has acquired Catching Feelings by Emily Charlotte (Heart Check), a YA romance in which the head of the spirit committee and the mysterious new football transfer agree to go to Homecoming together to avoid a real relationship, only for their carefully laid plans to fall apart when they start to develop feelings for each other. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Caryn Wiseman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency did the deal for world rights.  Krista Marino at Delacorte Press has bought Outside Voices by Adrienne Tooley, a horror-tinged thriller about a girl so desperate to prove that her younger sister is possessed by a demon that she returns to the desert where her sister went missing, only to find herself lost with no cell service or hope of rescue, and alone with the girl she's convinced is a monster. Publication is planned for summer 2027; Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret sold world English rights.  Kara Sargent at Simon Pulse has acquired Rachel Peterson's debut novel Killing Sadie, a YA thriller told from multiple POVs—some more reliable than others—in which two teens are murdered at a barn party and everyone is a suspect. Publication is scheduled for August 2026; Emily Sylvan Kim at Prospect Agency sold world rights.  Lauren Knowles at Page Street has bought Dreamweaver, the YA debut of Masquerade author O.O. Sangoyomi, a YA dark academia about two teens at an exclusive prep school drawn together by strange dreams, who team up to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the school's first Black female student, pitched as Ace of Spades meets Legendborn. Publication is slated for summer 2026; Claire Friedman at InkWell Management negotiated the two-book deal for world rights.  Chris Fernandez at Mad Cave has acquired Princess Nightmare, a YA fantasy graphic novel by Jadzia Axelrod (l.) (Hawkgirl: Once Upon a Galaxy) and Rye Hickman (Hey, Mary!), about a trans teen prophesied to become the Ruler of Darkness who runs away from home and falls in with a lovingly accepting goblin community that teaches her that what other people consider "dark" may not actually be something to run away from. Lauren Hitzhusen will edit; a publication date has not been set. Maeve MacLysaght at Aevitas Creative Management did the deal for world rights.  Susan Rich at Little, Brown has bought, in a six-house auction, Dashka Slater's (The 57 Bus; Accountable) first work of middle grade nonfiction, Wild Season: The True Story of a Remarkable Rabbit Rescue, about a community of kids and grownups in the Bay Area who work together to save four abandoned domestic bunnies, and capture media attention in the process. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Erin Murphy while at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for North American rights.  Wendy Loggia at Delacorte Press has acquired Almost True by Elly Swartz (Same Page), a contemporary middle grade novel with a twist about a guitar-playing girl who reinvents herself with the help of a stray dog and an unexpected friend after she loses everything when her brilliant, trailblazing mother turns out to be a fraud and a liar. Lydia Gregovic will edit; publication is slated for spring 2027. Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Agency negotiated the deal for world rights deal.  Andrea Colvin at Little, Brown Ink has bought Keen Street Pet Detectives by author-illustrator Andy Hirsch, a solve-along middle grade graphic novel series, in which the neighborhood's cleverest kid sleuths solve fur-covered mysteries and four-legged whodunits. Publication will begin in 2027; Janna Morishima at Janna Co. did the three-book deal for world rights.  Karen Nagel at Simon Spotlight has acquired world rights to Detective Fuego and the Case of the Booms by author-illustrator Diana Castillo, an illustrated chapter book about a dragon cursed to remain in human form and solve dragon-related cases around the kingdom to break her curse, aimed at fans of The Bad Guys. Saritza Hernández at Andrea Brown Literary Agency brokered the deal for publication in summer 2027.  Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook Press has acquired world rights to Caldecott Award-winning duo Philip Stead (l.) and Erin Stead's A School Day for Amos McGee, where Amos and his dear zoo animals go back to school. Publication is scheduled for spring 2028; Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management negotiated the deal.  Kate Farrell at Henry Holt has bought, at auction, When the Water Held Wings by Julie Leung (l.), illustrated by Hanna Cha, the duo behind the Caldecott Honor book The Truth About Dragons. This picture book follows three generations of a Chinese immigrant family living in San Diego Chinatown before it was demolished to make way for the World's Fair of 1915. Publication is planned for spring 2028; Wendi Gu at Hannigan Getzler Literary did the deal for world rights.  Caroline Abbey at Random House has acquired world rights to the picture book Hippopotamess by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (l.), illustrated by Michael Slack, in which a hippopotamus experiences the joy of both making and cleaning messes. Publication is slated for spring 2027; Rachel Orr at Prospect Agency represented the author, and Lori Nowicki at Painted Words represented the illustrator.  Patricia Ocampo while at Kids Can Press bought world rights to Danny, the First Day of School Dog by Kirsten Pendreigh (l.), illustrated by Amberlea Williams, a picture book about a boy who, anxious about starting kindergarten, decides to become a dog, since dogs don't go to school, which turns out to the perfect icebreaker for all the other kids. Yasemin Uçar will edit; publication is set for fall 2027. Natalie Lakosil at Looking Glass Literary & Media represented the author, and Tracy Marchini at Tracy Marchini Literary represented the illustrator.  Winsome Bingham and Wiley Blevins at Reycraft Books has acquired world English rights to There Are No Bad Guys in This Book by Rachel Shupin (l.), illustrated by Sergio Edwards. This book is about good stuff like rainbows, unicorns, and dump trucks, and definitely not about an unreliable narrator failing to keep a monster, a robber, and a witch from sneaking inside. Publication is scheduled for summer 2026; Marisa Cleveland at the Seymour Agency represented the author, and Karen Kaller at IllustrationX represented the illustrator.  Brett Duquette at Little Bee Books has bought world rights to The Kimchi Fridge by Tina Cho (l.), illustrated by Cindy Kang, in which a girl learns to make kimchi as her whole family gathers for kimjang, the Korean tradition of preparing and sharing large quantities of this delicious food. Publication is planned for fall 2026; Adria Goetz at KT Literary represented the author, and Sean McCarthy at Sean McCarthy Literary Agency represented the illustrator.  Melanie Romero at Lil' Libros has acquired world rights to Diana with an "ee" by Diana Serna Aguilera (l.) and Nancy Churnin (r.), the true story about the courageous walkout Diana Serna and her friends organized for Chicano rights at her Crystal City High School in Texas, to be illustrated by Sergio D. Robleto, with bilingual text. Publication is slated for fall 2027; Karen Grencik at Red Fox Literary represented the authors, and the illustrator represented himself. IN THE MEDIA
FEATURED REVIEWS
 There Is Not Usually a HoleDaisy Hirst. Candlewick, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-5014-5 Alice famously went down a rabbit hole; in this quirky picture book, orange feline Betsy, too, adventures underground. When an unexpected opening appears on a regular walk, Betsy says, “Let’s just go quietly aroun—,” clutching gator-like stuffie Philippa. Then a mysterious wail (“WAAAAAH! I can’t find you....”) echoes up from the hole, and a banana flies out. Betsy advocates for cautious watchfulness and heads off to fetch rice cakes for the vigil, but when the cat returns, Philippa has vanished. more  When I Redraw the WorldAudrey Vernick, illus. by Heather Fox. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-81128-3 Lying on their stomach, crayon in hand, a child contemplates literally redrawing the world in this hopeful picture book. They start out by addressing the really big issues: “When I redraw the world, no one will be hungry. And everyone will have a home. That seems important.” Heavy lifting done, the artist-narrator applies their talents to reimagining life’s finer details, creating a world in which anyone can press a button to experience beloved smells and sounds, anthropomorphized zoo animals are free to live where they like, and dogs of every hue will be found “everywhere.” more  SerendipityGabbie Benda. Holiday House, $24.99 hardcover (224p) ISBN 978-0-8234-5789-2; $14.99 paper ISBN 978-0-8234-6290-2 At a carnival a rickety fortune-telling machine informs middle schooler Serendipity that “bad luck will infect your soul.” The youth thinks nothing of it—until she wakes up with her first bad hair day ever and fumbles commitments for which she is underprepared. Desperate to inject luck back into her life, she connects with Evelina the Gr8, a mysterious girl who solves problems with magic spells in exchange for coveted trading cards. more  Gone ViralGary Soto, illus. by James Otis Smith. Clarion, $19.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-336087-7 Despite not knowing how to play instruments, friends Jason and Sean start a band called Gormax. The duo’s offbeat gigs—consisting of “gazing at the audience” and making “subtle body movements”—are an instant hit, particularly with officious sixth grader Chase, who becomes their agent and sends them on a world tour. Following a string of potentially career-ending incidents, Chase dispatches eighth grader Samantha and her multilingual cockatiel, Zep, to manage Gormax. But as they lose cultural relevance, Jason and Sean pine for their families. more  I Don’t Wish You WellJumata Emill. Delacorte, $19.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-81102-3 In January 2020, Deuce Beales, a closeted Black teen, purportedly killed four beloved Moss Pointe, La., football players in an alleged murder-suicide. Five years later, 18-year-old Pryce Cummings— a Moss Pointe native and closeted Black freshman journalism major at Whitmore University—stumbles upon a social media post proclaiming Deuce’s innocence. Pryce determines to investigate, hoping to turn the lead into a true-crime podcast that might secure him a summer internship and subsequently delay his return to his oppressive, sports-obsessed hometown. more |
October 23, 2025
 
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People Random House Children's Books has one retirement and one new hire. Rich Romano, executive VP, publishing operations, will be retiring at the end of this year. Karen Lo will be joining as VP, director of finance and business strategy on November 10; most recently she was senior director of finance for trade publishing at Scholastic.In Case You Missed It U.S. Book Bans Trouble Canadian Publishersmore more more | ||||
