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There's nothing I like more than a massive link roundup late on a Tuesday night. Okay, maybe that's the glass of wine talking, or the ginormous backlog of items I've accumulated in my "stuff to blog" e-mail folder. Either way, hope you enjoy. Some... Read the rest of this post

I'm doing a quick post tonight because I'm not sure I'll be home long enough tomorrow to get to blog at all, let alone write. So, here are a few quick picks for your Sunday:Little Willow has put together another great booklist--stories told in diary... Read the rest of this post

Boy, have I collected some links. I've been so busy lately--what with travel and Thanksgiving and getting caught up--that all I've had time to do was shove them into a (virtual) folder for later posting. Well, later is now, guys. Firstly, I wanted... Read the rest of this post

Congrats to the following:

Children's: Middle grade
Laura Rennert's EMMA: The Extra-Ordinary Princess, a fish-out-of-water story about a Princess from a family with long royal lineage whose first year at the Princess Academy is NOT going so well and who seems set to fail the all important Princess Tests, to Stephanie Lurie at Dutton, by Andrea Brown at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World).
[email protected]

Danette Haworth's debut VIOLET RAINES ALMOST GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, about a vivacious eleven-year-old whose life changes drastically when a new girl moves to her backwoods Florida town, to Stacy Cantor at Walker, on an exclusive submission, for publication in Fall 2008, by Ted Malawer at Firebrand Literary. [email protected]

Children's: Picture book
Alice McGinty's DARWIN, to Ann Rider at Houghton Mifflin Children's, for publication in 2009 -- to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, by Steven Chudney at The Chudney Agency.

Children's: Young Adult
NYT bestselling author of CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY and I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU Ally Carter's next Gallagher Girls novel and the first book in a new YA series pitched as Ocean's 11 meets Veronica Mars, about a girl from a family of high-end conmen who must choose between leaving the family business or saving her art thief father by pulling one last heist, again to Donna Bray at Hyperion Children's, in a major deal, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency (NA).
UK & Translation: [email protected]
Asian: [email protected]

Four young adult novels based on the "anti-cool" Emily the Strange character, currently a brand of clothing and accessories, already spun off into a Dark Horse Comics line, graphic novels from Chronicle and an upcoming film from Fox, written by Emily the Strange creator Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner, to Anne Hoppe at Harper Children's.

Carrie Ryan's THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, about an isolated village generations after the zombie apocalypse where a 16-year-old struggles with the town's religious order until the village walls are breached and the only chance of survival is to escape into the forest beyond, to Krista Marino at Delacorte, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Edgar award nominated author of the Spy Goddess seres (and Harper sales manager) Michael Spradlin's THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR trilogy, about an orphan and knight apprentice on his quest to discover his true identity while retrieving the Holy Grail and bringing it back to England. beginning with THE KEEPER OF THE GRAIL, to Timothy Travaglini at Putnam Children's, in a pre-empt, for publication starting in September 2008, by Steven Chudney at The Chudney Agency.

Rights sold to Rocco in Brazil; Oettinger/Klopp in Germany; Damm in Sweden; Patakis in Greece; Piemme in Italy; and WSOY in Finland.

Courtney Summers's CRACKED UP TO BE, in which the popular girl decides to quit being popular and find herself but her friends work hard to stop her making "a big mistake," to Sara Goodman at St. Martin's, by Amy Tipton at FinePrint Literary Management (World English).

NYPL's 2007 Books for the Teen Age honoree and author of the forthcoming YA novel TAKE ME THERE, Susane Colasanti's next YA books, to Anne Gunton at Viking Children's, in a two-book deal, by Gillian MacKenzie of the Gillian MacKenzie Agency (world). [email protected]

Chris Bradford's YOUNG SAMURAI: THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR, a story of courage conquering fear, friendship overcoming self-doubt and perseverance winning through in the face of adversity, to Donna Bray at Hyperion Children's, in a significant deal, by Charlie Viney at Mulcahy & Viney (US).
[email protected]

Richelle Mead's untitled third novel in the VAMPIRE ACADEMY series, about two best friends at a secret boarding school for vampire royalty, to Jessica Rothenberg at Razorbill, by Jim McCarthy at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World English). [email protected]

From Publishers Weekly:

"Jessica Rothenberg at Razorbill has bought Robert Paul Weston's Zorgamazoo, a debut middle-grade novel in rhyme, about a runaway girl and a Zorgle, who set out to find and free all the missing creatures of Zorgamazoo. Agent was Jackie Kaiser at Westwood Creative Artists."

It couldn't have been easy to write that much rhyme. Kudos to the author!

I noticed there are several debut novels included in this week's list. How encouraging!

Children's: Fantasy
Carrie Jones's NEED, an unusual fantasy with a bent of magical realism, to Michelle Nagler at Bloomsbury, in a two book deal, for publication in 2009, by Edward Necarsulmer IV at McIntosh & Otis.

Children's: Middle grade
Erica Perl's OJ THE LAZY DOG, the story of an 11-year-old girl and her eccentric grandfather's unconventional plan to convince her parents to get a dog, to Gretchen Hirsch at Harcourt, in a pre-empt, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2009, by Carrie Hannigan at Russell & Volkening (World English).

Lisa Railsback's debut novel, NOONIE'S MASTERPIECE IN PURPLE, about a future world-famous artist and current 10-year old who is coming out of her blue period into her purple period, in which she must contend with her aunt, uncle, and cousin with whom she lives and beat out a perfect girl in the school's art contest, to Victoria Rock at Chronicle, by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House.
[email protected]

LOST IT author Kristen Tracy's debut middle grade, CAMILLE MCPHEE FELL UNDER THE BUS, in which a near-death experience triggers a series of unfortunate events in babysitting, at school, and at home, where her parents can't seem to get along, to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte, in a two-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (NA).

Children's: Picture book
Author of THE LONG GONE LONESOME HISTORY OF COUNTRY MUSIC Bret Bertholf's next picture book on the history of fashion, to Jennifer Hunt at Little, Brown Children's, for publication in Fall 2009, by Jennifer Unter at RLR Associates (NA).

Rachel Rodriguez's untitled book on Antoni Gaudi, a follow-up Through Georgia's Eyes, this whimsical journey through Gaudi's work reveals the way his sources of inspiration and idiosyncratic way of looking at the world found expression in his architecture, to Reka Simonsen at Holt, for publication in Fall 2009, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World).

Children's: Young Adult
Sarah Ockler's debut TWENTY BOY SUMMER, pitched as in the tradition of Ann Brashares and Sarah Dessen, following a sixteen-year-old girl with a life-shattering secret as she navigates the unfamiliar landscape of changing friendships, burgeoning sexuality, loss, and the meaning of true love, to Jennifer Hunt at Little, Brown, for six figures, in a pre-empt, for two books, by Ted Malawer at Firebrand Literary.
[email protected]

Scott Loring Sanders' second YA thriller, GRAY BABY, about a 15-year-old boy who witnesses the abduction of his neighbor, who then plays a dangerous cat and mouse game with the kidnapper, to Julia Richardson at Houghton Mifflin, in a nice deal, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group (NA).

Dream Factory co-author Heather Hepler's THE CUPCAKE QUEEN, about a big-city girl who unexpectedly finds herself in a quirky, small beach town, again to Stephanie Owens Lurie at Dutton Children's, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at Regal Literary (world).

Susie Day's SERAFINA67 *urgently requires life*, a My So-Called Life-style girl's-eye-view of the ins and outs of high school, written entirely in blog form, to David Levithan and Rachel Griffiths at Scholastic, in a two-book deal, for publication in summer 2008, by Tracey Adams and Josh Adams at Adams Literary, on behalf of Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates.
[email protected]

Creator of YA Books Central, Kimberly Pauley's SUCKS TO BE ME: THE ALL-TRUE CONFESSIONS OF MINA HAMILTON, TEEN VAMPIRE (MAYBE), about a teen girl who must decide whether or not to follow in her family's vampiric footsteps, to Nina Hess at Mirrorstone, for publication in Fall 2008.

Alex McAulay's SHELTER ME, set during the blitz of London in 1941, a 16-year old girl is sent to a secluded boarding school in rural Wales, yet she learns that the school hides some terrible secrets and flees with three other girls for a harrowing journey in their attempt to get back home to London, to Megan McKeever at MTV Books, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2008, by David Dunton at Harvey Klinger (NA).

Janet MacLeod's WAITING TO SCORE, in which a high school hockey star encounters problems both on and off the rink, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, for publication in spring 2008, in a nice deal, by Kathy Green at the Kathryn Green Literary Agency (world).

UK Children's
British Airways pilot Rob Stevens's THE MAPMAKER'S APPRENTICE, a fantasy-adventures series about Walter Stamp and his twelve year old nephew, Hugo Bailey, both mapmakers, whose job it is to map the blurred edges of the world just beyond the fringes of civilization where the known and unknown meet, to Emma Young at Macmillan, in a two-book deal, by Julia Churchill.

Take note of #3!

Children's: Middle grade
Joni Sensel's FARWALKER, in which two twelve year olds set out on a quest to uncover the mystery of a telling dart and find a long lost treasure, to Julie Romeis at Bloomsbury Children's, in a nice deal, by Jennifer Jaeger at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
[email protected]

Patricia Hermes's fourth book in the EMMA DILEMMA series, to Margery Cuyler at Marshall Cavendish, by Edward Necarsulmer IV at McIntosh & Otis (NA).

Cynthea Liu's PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, about a Chinese girl who moves with her family into a small town and has to confront the ghost of a girl who used to live in her house, to Karen Chaplin at Putnam, in association with Nicole Kasprzak, in a two-book deal, at auction, by Jennifer Jaeger at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
[email protected]

Children's: Picture book
Martin's Big Words and John's Secret Dreams author Doreen Rappaport's FREDERICK DOUGLASS, the eighth book in her children's picture biography series, again to Donna Bray at Hyperion Children's, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2009, by Faith Hamlin at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates (world). [email protected]

Jin Pyn Lee's THE ELEPHANT AND THE TREE, originally published in Singapore by the National Book Development Council of Singapore, a tale of enduring friendship and a lesson about humankind's influence on the environment and nature, to Kelli Chipponeri at Running Press Children's, in a nice deal, for publication in Spring 2009 (Earth Day), by Kelly Sonnack at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency (world English).

Author/illustrator Andy McGuire's debut RAINY DAY GAMES, a child's imaginary tour of Noah's animals playing games to while away the rain-soaked days, to Nick Harrison and Jean Christen at Harvest House, by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Agency (World).

Children's: Young Adult
Wendy Corsi Staub's two more paranormal suspense novels in her LILY DALE series, to Emily Easton at Walker, by Laura Blake Peterson at Curtis Brown (World English).

Anna Levine's FREE FALL, about an eighteen-year-old who, with months to her military service in Israel, struggles to assert her independence as she discovers new friendships and falls in love for the first time, to Virginia Duncan at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio. [email protected]

 

Via AmoXcalli comes the sad news that Madeleine L'Engle has died at the age of 88.A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by 26 publishers, a reminder to all of us not to give up. At age 12 or so, I went to my local children's bookstore and waited for ages... Read the rest of this post

Looks like a big week in kidlitland. Yay!

Children's: Middle grade
Torrey Maldonado's SECRET SATURDAYS, a poignant look into one twelve-year-old's struggles with being male and adolescent, poor and fatherless, in one of New York's most dangerous neighborhoods, to Stacey Barney at Putnam, by Charlotte Sheedy (World).

Nancy Viau's debut SAMANTHA HANSEN HAS ROCKS IN HER HEAD, about a mad-for-science girl eagerly looking forward to a Grand Canyon family trip -- that is, if she can ignore her irritating sister and figure out how she's "just like her dad" who recently died, to Tamar Brazis at Amulet, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House  (world).

Children's: Picture book
Author of A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL and the forthcoming, UP CLOSE: ELLA FITZGERALD, Tanya Lee Stone's SANDY'S CIRCUS, a picturebook biography of Alexander Calder, to be illustrated by Boris Kulikov, featuring the dynamic, moveable, miniature circus he created from found materials and performed in New York and Paris in the 1920s, setting the art world on fire, to Catherine Frank at Viking Penguin by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.
[email protected]

Children's: Young Adult
Jennifer Lynn Barnes's SCIENCE, THE APOCALYPSE, AND ME, series in which a girl gets a visit from her future self and discovers that the ultimate fate of the world is inexorably tied to her ability to master high school science, to Krista Marino at Random House Children's, in a good deal, in four-book deal, by Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown (NA). [email protected]

Barnes and Noble Discover author Susan Shaw's ONE OF THE SURVIVORS, in which a teen and his best friend are haunted by the deaths of their history classmates in a mysterious school fire, to Lisa Cheng at Margaret K. McElderry Books, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group (NA).
[email protected]

Tom Hazuka's LAST CHANCE FOR FIRST, coming-of-age novel of a smart high school soccer star, his friends, his family, and his town, to Nancy Hammerslough at Brown Barn Books.
[email protected]

Regina Scott's LA PETITE FOUR, about a spirited sixteen-year-old whose glamorous coming-out season is nearly thwarted by a couple of charming, irksome suitors, to Jessica Rothenberg at Razorbill, by Emily Sylvan Kim at Prospect Agency (World English).
[email protected].

Delia Cleveland's debut HOT GIRL IN KATE'S WORLD, how a 14-year-old girl rising from the cracks of Brooklyn through the foster-care system develops a conflicted friendship with a new girl who "dresses all fresh, but acts a hot mess," to Kia Du Pree at St. Martin's Children's, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House.

Pamela Keyes's THE JUMBEE, a modern-day retelling of The Phantom of the Opera in which a teen acting phenom moves to a Caribbean Island where a film scout reportedly resides, but finds herself guide herself in a love triangle with a local teen and her acting coach, who is always hidden backstage, to Alisha Niehaus at Dial Children's, by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House (NA).
[email protected]

Sports Illustrated Kids editor Michael Northrop's debut GENTLEMEN, in which a group of teens suspect their English teacher is responsible for their friend's disappearance and must navigate a maze of fraying friendships, violence, assorted clues, and Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment to learn the truth, to Anamika Bhatnagar and David Levithan at Scholastic, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).
[email protected]

British music blogger, Abby Mcdonald's debut YA, SOPHOMORE SWITCH, about a  control-freak Oxford student and a California party-girl who wind up swapping places for a semester abroad program -- leaving tabloid gossip, hot film geeks and vengeful professors in their wake, to Liz Bicknell at Candlewick, in a very nice deal, with simultaneous publication at Walker UK, by Rosemary Stimola at Stimola Literary Studio.
[email protected]

Leigh Brescia's ONE WISH, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, by Alison Picard (NA). [email protected]

Mark Fink's MY BEST WORST SUMMER and STEPPING UP, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, by Alison Picard (NA).
[email protected]

Ann Gonzalez's SHH, SHH, SHH, the story of a 14-year-old girl with a schizophrenic mother, to Westside Books, by Regina Brooks.

UK Children's
Dawn Finch's THE BROTHERHOOD OF SHADES, a secret organization of talented spirits monitor the lives of the living and step in to help when charlatans, elemental forces or evil spirits threaten to disrupt the order of things, to Scott Pack at The Friday Project.

M G Harris's multi-volume action adventure series The Joshua Files, pitched as Mayan myths meet the X Files, beginning with INVISIBLE CITY, to Elaine McQuade at Scholastic UK, in a two-book deal, for six figures, for publication beginning in February 2008, by Peter Cox at Redhammer (world).

Children's: Fantasy
R.J. Anderson's KNIFE, about a fierce young faery who must save her people while fighting to keep secret her forbidden friendship with a human, and WAYFARER, to Catherine Onder at Harper, by Josh Adams and Tracey Adams at Adams Literary (US). [email protected]

Children's: Middle grade
Marianne Musgrove's THE WORRY TREE, a gently humorous story of a girl who worries too much and the animals in an imaginary tree who take care of her problems, to Laura Godwin at Holt, by Catherine Drayton at Inkwell Management, on behalf of Random House Australia (NA).

DO-OVER and THE RIGHT-UNDER CLUB author Christine Deriso's TALIATALK, in which eleven-year-old Talia Farrow turns the tables on her mom, a local celebrity who spills Talia's most embarrassing secrets on her television show, when she lands a spot on her school's broadcast/podcast, the Oddcast, along with a RIGHT-UNDER CLUB sequel, again to Michelle Poploff at Delacorte, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (NA). [email protected]

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer's RIVER PALACE, set in the 1850s about a runaway boy who finds excitement and adventure aboard a floating circus barge, to Melanie Cecka at Bloomsbury Children's, in a nice deal, by Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary  (World English).
[email protected]

Children's: Picture book
Urban Babies Wear Black author Michelle Colman's ECO BABIES WEAR GREEN, again to Nicole Geiger at Tricycle Press, in a nice deal, by Alyssa Eisner Henkin at Trident Media Group (world).

Paper engineer Sam Ita's FRANKENSTEIN, pop-up book/graphic novel hybrid, to Pamela Horn at Sterling, in a four-book deal, by Josh Adams and Tracey Adams at Adams Literary (World).
[email protected]

Christine Fagan-Tricarico's COCK-A-DOODLE-DANCE!, in which a dreary barnyard perks up when the animals catch boogie fever, to Jean Feiwel at Feiwel & Friends, by Susanna Einstein at LJK Literary Management (World).

Alan Katz's STALLING, about a boy who finds every excuse not to go to bed, and SILLY DILLY CAMP SONGS, another volume in his Silly Dilly Songs series, to Emma Dryden at Margaret K. McElderry Books, by Josh Adams and Tracey Adams at Adams Literary (World).
[email protected]

Children's: Young Adult
Clea Hantman's 30 DAYS TO MEETING, MAKING, AND MAINTAINING SASSY SIDEKICKS AND BFFS, a guide for tweens and teens to help them find and nurture great friendships, the follow-up to the forthcoming publication 30 Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call a Boyfriend, again to Krista Marino at Delacorte, by Rebecca Sherman at Writers House (NA).
[email protected]

Cecil Castellucci's ODD DUCK, about two very quirky outsider ducks who realize they're truly birds of a feather and become fast friends, to Deborah Noyes Wayshak at Candlewick, in a nice deal, in a three-book deal, by Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary (World).
[email protected]

Heather Swain's ME, MY ELF AND I, a fish-out-of-water story pitched as Mean Girls meets Elf, about an elf who moves to Brooklyn and runs afoul of the popular clique at her performing arts high school, to Jennifer Bonnell at Puffin, in a two-book deal, by Stephanie Kip Rostan at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (World).

Michael Wenberg's untitled novel, set in 1969, the story of an African American girl whose father is MIA in Viet Nam and, forced to spend the summer the irascible grandmother she's never met, and she discovers an unexpected musical talent -- and several important family secrets, to Evelyn Fazio at Westside Books, by Peter Rubie of Peter Rubie Literary Agency.

UK Children's
Vanessa Curtis's ZELAH GREEN, QUEEN OF CLEAN, the humorous and heart-warming story of a 14-year-old girl fighting Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with courage and humour at the same time as finding her vanished father, to Leah Thaxton at Egmont UK, in a nice deal, by Peter Buckman at The Ampersand Agency (World).
[email protected]

According to PM:

Children's: Middle grade
Ann Martin's next three books in MAIN STREET, latest series about two orphaned sisters living in a new town, to David Levithan at Scholastic, in a good deal, by Amy Berkower at Writers House (world English).

Ingrid Law's debut novel SAVVY, about a family that has harbored for generations a magical secret: their thirteenth birthdays bring the emergence of a supernatural power -- their "savvy" (one can make it rain for days; another can create furious gusts of winds) -- and the adventures of a twelve-year-old member on the eve of her birthday as a tragic accident befalls the family, to Lauri Hornik at Dial, with Alisha Niehaus editing, and Micheal Flaherty at Walden Media for their joint venture, in a pre-empt, for two books, for publication beginning in May 2008, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (NA).

Separately, film rights to Walden Media, by Kassie Evashevski at UTA, on behalf of Writers House. German rights to Carlsen, in a pre-empt, by Thomas Schlueck Agency, on behalf of Writers House.

Children's: Picture book
Morris Hill's FELIX AND HIS BABY SISTER, about sibling jealousy, to Emily Easton at Walker, by Alice Tasman at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Children's: Young Adult
Jennifer Echols's BOY IN BLUE, about a 17-year-old who avoids prosecution for a high school stunt by spending her spring break on night patrol with the 19-year-old rookie cop who arrested her, to Jennifer Heddle at MTV Books, by Caren Johnson at Caren Johnson Literary Agency (world English). [email protected]

Chris Barton's collection of profiles of real-life impostors ranging from charlatans to survivors, to Nancy Mercado at Dial, by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.