Liepman Rights Selection Bologna 2016

LIEPMAN AG
Literary Agency
Asylstrasse 92 CH-8032 Zürich, +4143-2682380, [email protected], www.liepmanagency.com
Bologna / London 2016 : CHILDREN / YOUNG ADULTS
Contact: [email protected]
John David Anderson
•MS. BIXBY’S LAST DAY
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: HC / Walden Pond Press
June 2016
MIDDLE GRADE
A humorous novel about 3 boys, 1 teacher—and a day they’ll never forget.
John David Anderson, author of Sidekicked and The Dungeoneers, returns with a funny, heartwarming, and
heartbreaking contemporary story about three boys, one teacher, and a day none of them will ever forget.
Everyone knows there are different kinds of teachers. The boring ones, the mean ones, the ones who try too
hard, the ones who stopped trying long ago. The ones you’ll never remember, and the ones you want to forget.
Ms. Bixby is none of these. She’s the sort of teacher who makes you feel like school is somehow worthwhile.
Who recognizes something in you that sometimes you don’t even see in yourself. Who you never want to
disappoint. What Ms. Bixby is, is one of a kind.
Topher, Brand, and Steve know this better than anyone. And so when Ms. Bixby unexpectedly announces that
she won’t be able to finish the school year, they come up with a risky plan—more of a quest, really—to give Ms.
Bixby the last day she deserves. Through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what
Ms. Bixby means to each of them—and what the three of them mean to each other
“A story of that one teacher we all have who we’ll never forget, told with laugh-out-loud humor and oh, so much
heart.”, GORDON KORMAN
R.J Anderson
A LITTLE TASE OF POISON
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Atheneum
September 16
MIDDLE GRADE
The riveting companion to A Pocket Full of Murder.
Twelve-year-old Isaveth tries to take down the man who framed her father for murder in this lively follow-up to A
Pocket Full of Murder, which Kirkus Reviews called “thoroughly entertaining.” The city of Tarreton is powered by
magic, from simple tablets that light lamps to advanced Sagery that can murder a man from afar. Isaveth has a
talent for spellmaking, but as a girl from a poor neighborhood she never dreamed she could study at the most
exclusive magical school in the city. So when she’s offered a chance to attend, she eagerly accepts. The school
is wonderful, but old and new enemies confront Isaveth at every turn, and she begins to suspect her scholarship
Middle Gradeht be more a trap than a gift. Even her secret meetings with Esmond, her best friend and partner
in crime-solving, prove risky— especially once he hatches a plan to sneak her into the biggest society event of
the season. It’s their last chance to catch the corrupt politician who once framed her father for murder.
Anne Blankman
TRAITOR ANGELS
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
May 2016
400
YOUNG ADULTS
A romantic and exhilarating historical adventure that’s perfect for fans of Revolution and Code Name
Verity.
Tell the truth...and destroy the world.
The daughter of notorious poet John Milton, Elizabeth has never known her place in her shifting world—except
by her father’s side. By day she helps transcribe his latest masterpiece, the epic poem Paradise Lost, and by
night she learns languages and sword fighting. She suspects that he’s training her for a mission whose purpose
she cannot fathom.
Until one night the reason becomes clear: the king’s men arrive at her family’s country home to arrest her father.
Determined to save him, Elizabeth follows his one cryptic clue and journeys to Oxford, accompanied by her
father’s mysterious young houseguest, Antonio Viviani, a darkly handsome Italian scientist who surprises her at
every turn. Funny, brilliant, and passionate, Antonio seems just as determined to protect her father as she is—
but can she trust him with her heart?
When the two discover that Milton has planted an explosive secret in the halffinished Paradise Lost—a secret
the king and his aristocratic supporters are desperate to conceal—Elizabeth is faced with a devastating choice:
cling to the shelter of her old life or risk cracking the code, unleashing a secret that could save her father...and
tear apart the very fabric of society.
Anne Blankman is the acclaimed author of Prisoner of Night and Fog, which received a starred review and a
Flying Start from Publishers Weekly. When Anne was twelve, she read Anne Frank's diary and has been haunted
by World War II ever since. The idea for Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke came to her after she read about a
real-life unsolved street assassination from January 1933, which was the inspiration for Monika Junge's murder.
To research this book, she studied a wide range of sources, including biographies, memoirs, social histories,
psychological profiles, old maps, photographs, and video footage.
Teresa Breslin
CAGE FIGHTER
Client: Laura Cecil Literary Agency
Publisher: Random House UK
No Ms available
Young Adults
Blood. On his lips and in his mouth. That last punch split his cheek. Spinning him sideways to thud against
the metal bars of the Cage. And he knew he’d taken a cut. Blood has a stale taste. Brings back a memory.
Don’t think about that. Move. Fast. Kai straightens. Beyond the Cage winks the red light of the camera. The
fight would be on the Internet that evening. Would any one of his rotten family be watching? The blur of a
fist. Kai dodges. Too slow. A whack to the side of his helmet leaves him dizzy. Now Leo will come in to finish
him off. Gloves up. But there’s no one there. 10 runaway homeless teens are handpicked by The Fight Master
to compete in a cage fighting tournament. The fights are filmed and streamed to a fast-growing online
audience who bet on the results, and the teenagers are promised a cut of the profits. They must live, train
and fight in secrecy in a deserted network of London underground stations. With the final fight looming,
tensions between Kai and Leo grow as it becomes clear that not only are they being manipulated by the Fight
Master, but they have not all been honest with each other about who they are, and how they came to be
there.
Theresa’s debut novel won the Kathleen Fidler Award, and she went on to win the Carnegie Medal with
WHISPERS IN THE GRAVEYOUNG ADULTSRD, her remarkable story about a boy with dyslexia. Her work
has been sold in more than ten languages and dramatised for TV and radio, with her novel DIVIDED CITY
being adapted as a muscial and staged by Glasgow Citizens Theatre.
“Breslin’s ability to weave a well-researched, page turning plot around sympathetic, believable characters has
been displayed before in The Medici Seal and The Nostradamus Prophecy.”- The Times
“(Breslin’s) writing is expertly paced, never self-indulgent or pretentious” Linda Buckley-Archer, The Guardian
Anna Carey
THE MAKING OF MOLLIE
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O'Brien Press
Autumn 2016
288pp
MIDDLE GRADE
DUBLIN, 1912: My name is Mollie Carberry, and my life was rather dull until I discovered my big sister
Phyllis’ secret. She’s a suffragette, fighting for women’s rights!
Now my friend Nora and I have got involved in the movement too (well, we’re trying). But it’s not easy being a
rebel when you’ve got extremely annoying classmates, a saintly little sister and the worst big brother in the
history of the world...
ANNA CAREY is a freelance journalist from Dublin. She joined her first band when she was fifteen and went on
to sing and play with several bands over the next fifteen years. Her last band, El Diablo, released two albums
and toured all over the country. Anna is the bestselling author of the Rebecca series and winner of the Irish
Children’s Book of the Year.
Nicole Castroman
BLACKHEARTS
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2016
Ms available
Young Adults
A stunningly creative debut about the girl who captured Blackbeard’s heart—and set him on his path of
destruction.
A YOUNG ADULTS reimagining of the origins of history’s most famous pirate, Blackbeard.
When Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, returns home from a year at sea,
he finds his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, all
Teach wants is to return to the vast ocean he calls home. There's just one problem: he must convince his father
to let him leave and never come back.
Following the death of her parents, Anne Barrett is left penniless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life,
Anne takes a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks and Anne longs
to escape the confines of her now mundane life. How will she ever achieve her dream of sailing to Curaçao—
her mother’s birthplace—when she's trapped in England?
From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn together by a shared desire for
freedom, but kept apart by Teach’s father, their love is as passionate as it is forbidden. Faced with an impossible
choice, Teach and Anne must decide whether to chase their dreams and leave England forever--or follow their
hearts and stay together.
Nicole Castroman received her BA from Brigham Young University and has lived in Germany, Austria, and two
different places called Georgia. One is the country near the Black Sea; the other is the state of Georgia where
she currently lives with her husband and children. Blackhearts is her first novel.
Judi Curtin
TIME AFTER TIME
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
Autumn 2016
288pp
Middle Grade
This warm, funny and moving story launches the muchanticipated new series from bestselling author
Judi Curtin.
Molly and Beth are best friends with loads in common - including one big thing: they both live with just one
parent. Beth’s mum died when she was a baby, while Molly’s dad lives abroad. When the unthinkable happens
and Molly’s mum & Beth’s dad get together, the two families must learn to live together.
Then one day, when trying to avoid Molly’s mum in town, the girls stumble across a strange door, a door which
leads to... Thursday 26th July 1984 (which was when their parents were just 13 years old!).
Once they’ve got over the shock - and got used to seeing 1980s fashion and living without mobile phones! - Beth
is determined to track down the mum she’s never known.
JUDI CURTIN is the best-selling author of the ‘Alice and Megan’ series. She
is also the author of the smash-hit Eva series: Eva’s Journey, Eva’s Holiday, Leave it to Eva, Eva and the Hidden
Diary, and Only Eva. With Roisin Meaney she has written See If I Care. Judi has also written three adult novels,
Sorry, Walter, From Claire to Here and Almost Perfect.
Julia Durango
THE LEVELLER
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: HarperTeen, 2015
256
Ms available
Young Adults
Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents
in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy's latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue,
and romance.
Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a
virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies
languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy
to jump into the game and retrieve them. But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son
in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn't some lazy kid
looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes
the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is
holding him captive, and why? Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they've
encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is
virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?
Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic
storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nix'’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s trickedout virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end.
Julia Durango writes books for kids of all ages, including The Second Guard (Disney Hyperion 2015) and The
Leveller (HarperTeen 2015). She lives with her family in Ottawa, Illinois.
“First-time YOUNG ADULTS novelist Durango has a winner here, especially since the technological world
building is as engrossing as the novel’s game system. Readers will be pulled in and race to the adventurous
finish along with Nixy and friends.” – Booklist
“A fast-paced techno-thriller.” – Kirkus
“An entertaining adventure that is sure to find fans, especially among gamers.” - School Library Journal
Terry Farish
EITHER THE BEGINNING OR THE END WORLD
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books, 2015
196
Ms available
Young Adults
This stunning novel is a raw exploration of longing, trauma, and love.
This tale of first love features Sofie, the 16-year-old daughter of a Cambodian imMiddle Graderant and a Scottish
fisherman, and a young army medic back from Afghanistan, exploring themes of intergenerational trauma and
the imMiddle Graderant experience.
"I shouldn't see him," I tell Rosa. She watches me, excited. She's the party girl. She calls me driven. "I have to
see him," I say. "Are you looking for advice?" she asks. "No."
For sixteen years, it's been just Sofie and her rugged fisherman father. Sofie keeps the books for her dad's
business, works in their coastal New Hampshire town, runs cross-country, and daydreams with her friend Rosa.
Then she meets Luke, and the pull is as strong as the currents of the rushing Piscataqua River. But Luke - an
Army medic back from Afghanistan - is haunted by the ghosts of war. Knowing this, Sofie's dad orders her to
stay away; it may be the first time she has ever disobeyed him.
I became a tall Scottish-American girl my father's side who chanced to have Cambodian eyes.
When her father decides to take his boat south to find a better winter catch, he asks Sofie's estranged mother
and grandmother to stay with her. Sofie is furious, bitter at her mother's absence and unreliability. Now she's
forced to face her Cambodian roots through her grandmother's stories of the war-torn countryside, the ruthless
Khmer Rouge, and the hardships of imMiddle Graderant life?as well as heartbreaking acts of human devotion.
As Luke and Sofie navigate a forbidden landscape, they discover they both have their secrets, their scars, their
ghosts, their wars. Together, they are dangerous. Together, they need to choose if they're at the beginning or
the end.
“Farish’s writing is haunting. Beautifully written and briskly paced… An excellent choice for readers seeking a
less than neatly packaged love story or a glimpse into the complicated lineage of war-torn areas.” Starred
Review, School Library Journal
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Tim Floreen
TATTOO ATLAS
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
October 2016
Young Adults
The killer in me is the killer in you.
One year ago, Franklin Kettle committed a crime that no one will ever forget. Now he is the first subject in a new
program that is supposed to rehabilitate him. To make him normal. To make him suitable for society. Rem, who
saw Franklin’s horrific act first hand, isn’t so sure that this rehabilitation will work, even if his own mother
developed the treatment. It sounds too easy. Too good to be true. Is evil really something that can just be turned
off? But then…it seems to have worked. Suddenly, Franklin is…different. He’s sympathetic. He’s nice. And
suddenly, Rem finds himself getting to know Franklin and building a connection. When more news begins to
circulate about Rem’s mother’s new tech, criticizing its legitimacy, another of Rem’s friends is murdered at the
school. Now he has to wonder if Franklin really has changed, or if it’s all just an act. And, even more, he wonders
what exactly his mom is doing at her lab. If she can turn on Franklin’s sympathy with a switch…who’s to say she
just can’t turn it off? And if it is turned off, does that make Franklin a monster? Or just an experiment gone wrong?
“Smart, brave and utterly original.” —Amie Kaufman, on Willful Machines,
Gillian French
GRIT
Client: The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Spring 2017
Young Adults
Armed with her cowboy hat, Daisy Dukes, and SPF 50, Darcy Prentiss is a seventeen-year-old blueberry
harvester with a bad reputation. She wants to escape her hometown of Sasanoa, Maine; she wants to forget her
ex-bestie, who disappeared from the barrens last summer; and more than anything, she wants to keep the
devastating secret she shares with her cousin Nell buried forever. When a local beauty pageant and a love
triangle bring the truth of what happened last summer to light, Darcy will make her choice: be who everyone
says she is, or find the guts and GRIT to be herself.
Brian Gallagher
ARRIVALS. How long can a secret be kept?
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
2016
240pp
Middle Grade, Historical
New book by No. 1 bestseller One Good Turn for World Book Day 2016
When teenager Ciara Farrelly returns to the Ontario home of her dead grandfather, she uncovers a decades-old
mystery. Back in the hot summer of 1928, three kids had risked prejudice and punishment to stay friends - a
young Irish eMiddle Graderant, a talented artist from the First Nations Ojibwe tribe, and the son of a wealthy
steel magnate. But then a murder was committed, and Mike, Lucy and Wilson - determined to get at the truth
and see justice done – found they had to trust each other, not only with their secrets, but with their lives. Following
their story as it echoes through the years, Ciara finally discovers the shocking truth from a summer long ago.
BRIAN GALLAGHER is a fulltime Dublin-based writer whose plays and short stories have been produced in
Ireland, Britain and Canada. He has worked extensively in radio and television on dramas and documentaries.
Matt Griffin
A CAGE OF ROOTS / STORM WEAVER / WEB OF FIRE
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
256pp
Young Adults
There is magic beneath our feet, if we only know where to look... 2nd book: Ayla and her friends venture
deeper into the strange and ancient world of Fal, where Ayla’s newfound powers are greeted with fear and
trepidation, and the lines are blurred between friend and foe. Her uncles must bring Sean and Benvy home, to
their own time, but Finny will not leave Ayla’s side. As Ayla’s power grows, so does her insatiable hunger for
revenge, until even Finny feels afraid, wondering if he made the right choice. Then the battle spirals into war and
not everyone will fall on the same side...
Margaret Peterson Haddix
CHILDREN OF EXILE
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
September 2016
Young Adult
New Trilogy - A thrilling new trilogy from the bestselling author of The Missing and The Shadow Children
series.
Rosi must decide what she’s willing to risk to save her family—and maybe even all of humanity—in the thrilling
first novel of a brand-new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author, Margaret Peterson Haddix. For the
past twelve years, adults called “Freds” have raised Rosi, her younger brother Bobo, and the other children of
their town, saying it is too dangerous for them to stay with their parents, but now they are all being sent back.
Since Rosi is the oldest, all the younger kids are looking to her with questions she doesn’t have the answers to.
She’d always trusted the Freds completely, but now she’s not so sure. And their home is nothing like she’d
expected, like nothing the Freds had prepared them for. Will Rosi and the other kids be able to adjust to their
new reality?
Margaret Peterson Haddix
UNDER THEIR SKIN
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
January 2016
Middle Grade
A thrilling new series from the bestselling author who’s sold more than 15 million copies of her books
in the US!
From New York Times bestselling author Margaret Peterson Haddix comes the first book in a brand-new thrilling
series about twins who are on a quest to discover the secrets being kept by their new family.
Nick and Eryn’s mom is getting remarried, and the twelve-year-old twins are skeptical when she tells them their
lives won’t change much. Well, yes, they will have to move. And they will have a new stepfather, stepbrother,
and stepsister. But Mom tells them not to worry. They won’t ever have to meet their stepsiblings.
This news puzzles Nick and Eryn, so the twins set out on a mission to find out who these kids are—and why
they’re being kept hidden.
Kimberly Hood
PLAIN JANE
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press, 2016
Young Adults
YOUNG ADULTS BOOK PRIZE SHORTLISTED AUTHOR
At nearly 16, Jane has lived in the shadow of her little sister Emma’s cancer diagnosis for over three years. And
now, with her parents struggling to cope financially and emotionally, Jane’s life in her rural mining village is a
never-ending monotony of skipping school, long bus rides to the hospital, and hanging out with a boyfriend she
doesn’t even know why she’s with. Nobody really cares that her life is stuck in neutral. That is until she meets
Farley, an unlikely friend with irritatingly upbeat ideas, who, despite Jane’s attempts to avoid him, seems to show
up everywhere she is. Slowly, she begins to see what he can see in her - maybe he is right to think that life can
be better. When Emma’s doctors decide that the only hope for her recovery is a radical and life-altering
procedure, Jane can’t - she won’t - accept it. But why is she the only one prepared to fight?
E.K. Johnston
EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Dutton, 2016
Ms available
Young Adults
Veronica Mars meets William Shakespeare in E.K. Johnston’s latest brave and unforgettable heroine.
Hermione Winters is captain of her cheerleading team, and in tiny Palermo Heights, this doesn’t mean what you
think it means. At PHHS, the cheerleaders don’t cheer for the sports teams; they are the sports team—the pride
and joy of a tiny town. The team’s summer training camp is Hermione’s last and marks the beginning of the end
of…she’s not sure what. She does know this season could make her a legend. But during a camp party, someone
slips something in her drink. And it all goes black.
In every class, there’s a star cheerleader and pariah pregnant girl. They’re never supposed to be the same
person. Hermione struggles to regain the control she’s always had and faces a wrenching decision about how
to move on. The assault wasn’t the beginning of Hermione Winter’s story and she’s not going to let it be the end.
She won’t be anyone’s cautionary tale.
Sheba Karim
THAT THING WE CALL A HEART
Client: Ayesha Pande Literary
Publisher: Harper Teen, Spring 2017
Young Adults
Shabnam Qureshi is a sparky, imaginative Pakistani-American teen growing up in suburban New Jersey. In an
AP history class at her tony private school, Shabnam, in order to make herself more interesting, invents a tragic
family story set during the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. While her lie initially has the desired effect, it sets
of a painful series of events. To top it off, her best friend Maggie leaves for a backpacking trip across Europe,
leaving Shabnam to face the prospect of spending the summer before college moping around the house with
her well-meaning but overbearing mother and emotionally distant, awkward father. But things look up when she
meets the charismatic Marianne, who offers her a job selling pies at Andromeda’s Pie Shack. Not only does
Shabnam meet free-spirited, mysterious Jamie at the pie shack, over the course of the summer she begins to
bond with her father, who teaches her about Urdu poetry and a painful truth about Partition. Set against a
backdrop of Radiohead music and the evocative metaphors of Urdu poetry, THAT THING WE CALL A HEART
is an honest, moving story of a young woman's explorations of first love, sexuality, desire, self-worth, her
relationship with her parents, the importance of friendship, and what it means to be true.
Amie Kaufman Jay Kristoff
THE ANDROMEDA CYCLE
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Knopf
Fall 2018
Young Adults
Harry Potter meets Star Trek / The Breakfast Club does Starfleet Academy. Out of this world new series
by the international bestselling authors of ILLUMINAE A band of misfit and reject military cadets are thrown
together in a squad nobody wants to be a part of—least of all them. All known as troublemakers, except for the
golden boy whose fate it is to try and lead them, they have to learn to work together if they want to survive their
first assignment. Added to their number is a lone survivor from a spaceship thought to be lost two centuries ago,
now thrust into a time and place not her own. But her appearance isn’t a coincidence—it’s a harbinger of a much
larger battle to come. One that will decide the fate of all their species. The series will tackle all the issues of high
school— romance and relationships (sooooo many relationships —we have seven teenagers here folks), the
search for identity and acceptance, coming of age and learning to work as a team, all set against the backdrop
of a growing interstellar conflict which could destroy the known universe, and to which our characters will hold
the key for final victory. Readers will be able to identify themselves by species or by squad speciality, dividing
themselves into teams and clans as they explore this universe.
Celine Kiernan
RESONANCE
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
April 2015
464
Young Adults
What does it mean to be alive? What is it worth to stay alive?
Ireland, 1890: two ruthless immortals prowl the theatre district in search of food for their ‘Angel’. Ancient, pitiless
and caring for none but their own twisted family, they will stop at nothing to maintain their grip on life. A
seamstress, the young man who loves her and a penniless American magician soon find themselves imprisoned
in a snow-bound country estate, the latest additions to the family’s warped collection. Here, they are nothing but
food, nothing but entertainment, and soon they will be nothing at all. Far from their homes and fighting for
survival, Tina, Joe and Harry will come to understand that far more is at stake than their lives.
Celine Kiernan trained at the SullivanBluth Studios as a classical feature animator and has spent the majority of
her working life in the film business. She is also a freelance illustrator. She is author of the award-winning Into
the Grey and the fantasy Moorehawke Trilogy, which sold to over a dozen different territories worldwide and was
widely acclaimed. Born and raised in Dublin, she now lives in Virginia, Co. Cavan.
"a rich, dark and at times terrifying historical fantasy thriller." - Children’s Books Ireland Recommended
Reading Guide,
"the story is fantastic, everything that happens is bizarre and nothing is ever predictable. I let myself be swept
away by this amazing book and think it's a terrific read." - librarianlavender.com,
"Celine Kiernan blends the supernatural, sci-fi and romance to superb effect … compelling" - Sunday
Independent, SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
"A dark Gothic fantasy for older teens." - Irish Independent, IRISH INDEPENDENT
Jay Kristoff
LIFELIK3
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Knopf
A new trilogy from the bestselling co-author of Illuminae about a teen’s fight to survive in a world where
humans, cyborgs, and machines are engaged in a deadly battle for dominance, only to learn that her
own identity may be in question.
Sara B Larson
BRIGHT BURNS THE NIGHT & DARK BREAKS THE DAWN
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Scholastic
2 book deal
Graceling meets Swan Lake in this new duology from the author of the Defy trilogy that follows a young
queen, Evelayn, as she comes into her powers in controlling Light, fights to overcome a rival leader who
controls Dark, and attempts to bring together two warring kingdoms.
Eric Lindstrom
A TRAGIC KIND OF WONDERFUL
Client: The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc.
Publisher: Poppy/ Little Brown
December 2016
Young Adults
Frühers Buch NOT IF I SEE YOU FIRST kommt beo Carlsen
In the vein of It’s Kind of a Funny Story and All the Bright Places comes acaptivating, immersive
exploration of life with mental illness.
For sixteen-year-old Mel Hannigan, bipolar disorder makes life unpredictable. Her latest struggle is balancing
her growing feelings in a new relationship with her instinct to conceal her diagnosis by keeping everyone at arm's
length. But when a former friend confronts Mel with the truth about the way their relationship ended, deeply
buried secrets threaten to come out and upend her shaky equilibrium.
As the walls of Mel’s compartmentalized world crumble, she fears the worst —that no one will accept her if they
discover what she’s been hiding. But would her friends really abandon her if they learned the truth? More
importantly, can Mel bring herself to risk everything to find out?
I n A Tragic Kind of Wonderful, Eric Lindstrom, author of the critically acclaimed Not If I See You First, exaines
the fear that keeps us from exposing our true selves, and the courage it takes to be loved for who we really are.
Ching-Yen Liu
John Chiang
Ling-Hsing Huang
AXEL AND THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES
Client: THE GRAYHAWK AGENCY
Publisher: Yes Creative
2015
48
Picture book
*Official “Books From Taiwan” Selection (2016), English trnaslation available
The story is rather ingenious: it's basically the "sequel" to the Hans Christian Andersen tale, "The Emperor's
New Clothes". We find out that the kid who points out that he ain't wearing anything is actually a boy named
Axel, who has the habit of saying whatever is in his mind. He gets into trouble because of this, of course. All the
time.
Axel's one solace is his love for beetles. He not only keeps a bunch in his room but likes to draw pictures of
them. Stunningly detailed ones, I Middle Gradeht add. No one knows about these paintings except his art
teacher, until one day an accident makes the paintings public, and Axel's now famous beetle art draws the
attention of the Emperor......
this is a story about Asperger Syndrome. I think it's a really brilliant twist, using the Hans Christian Andersen
story to show the reader characteristics of Asperger Syndrome, without being didactic at all.
AXEL AND THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES won the biggest book award in Taiwan, the Open Book Award
(hosted by China Times newspaper). It's the collaboration between seasoned children's writer, Ching-Yen Liu
and professor John Chiang, who specializes in autism studies.
Even more noteworthy is that the artist, Ling-Hsing Huang, will be featured at the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition
this year. More of her works can be found here.
Yuming and Clare will have copies with them in Bologna. Copies will also be available at the Taiwan stand (via
Grace Chang, Rights Director of the Books From Taiwan program). I'd love to hear your thoughts on this project
as we really believe it has strong international appeal.
Natasha Mac a'Bhaird
HANNAH IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
Autumn 2016
240pp
Middle Grade
Früherer standalone MISSING ELLEN bei cbj
New Series for Aspiring Starlets Everywhere! The summer holidays are here, and Hannah is wishing she
could have gone to drama camp. Instead she’s going to end up being an unpaid babysitter to her younger
brothers and sisters. Then she meets Meg, who has just moved in next door, and together with friends Ruby
and Laura they decide to form Star Club - a drama club of their very own. But on the eve of their first show,
disaster strikes, and Hannah finds herself torn between Star Club and big sister duty. Meanwhile, something
very strange is going on with Meg, who seems to have a lot of secrets she’s not sharing. But whatever happens,
the show must go on!
Natasha Mac a'Bhaird
MEG'S SECRET
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
Spring 2017
240pp
Middle Grade
New Series for Aspiring Starlets Everywhere! Meg has a lot of new things to get used to – new house, new
school and new friends. Her mum is wrapped up in her new job, and her dad is off in America busy with his latest
project. Luckily, Meg has Star Club, where she and her friends are creating a new act for the school talent show.
But Meg has another secret that even her Star Club friends don’t know about. How long can she keep it hidden?
And what will happen if she can’t? NATASHA MAC A’BHAIRD is a freelance writer and editor, and author of
the bestselling wedding planning book, The Irish Bride’s Survival Guide. Her first children’s book, Olanna’s Big
Day, was included in the White Ravens Collection and won the Reading Association of Ireland Award. Her
critically acclaimed YOUNG ADULTS novel, Missing Ellen, was also chosen for the White Ravens.
Jane B. Mason
WITHOUT ANNETTE
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Scholastic
June 2016
Ms available
Young Adults
A stunning exploration of love, identity, and the paths we must forge when the ground shifts beneath
us.
Josie Little has been looking forward to moving halfway across the country to attend Brookwood Academy, a
prestigious boarding school, with her girlfriend, Annette, for ages. But underneath Brookwood’s picture-perfect
image lies a crippling sense of elitism that begins to tear the girls apart from the moment they arrive. While Josie
struggles to navigate her new life, Annette seems to fit in perfectly. But that acceptance comes with more than
a few strings. And consequently, Annette insists on keeping their relationship a secret.
At first, Josie agrees. But as Annette pushes her further and further away, Josie grows closer to Penn, a boy
whose friendship and romantic feelings for her tangle her already-unraveling relationship. When Annette’s need
for approval sets her on a devastating course for selfdestruction, Josie isn’t sure she can save her this time—or
if Annette even wants her to try.
From beloved author Jane B. Mason comes a stunning exploration of love, identity, and the paths we must forge
on our own when the ground shifts beneath us.
Alex Milway
THE MYTHICAL NINTH DIVISION SERIES:
Operation Robot Storm
Terror of the Deep
The Magma Conspiracy
The Alien Moon
Client: Laura Cecil Literary Agency
Publisher: Walker Books
Ms available
Middle Grade
Hilarious, action-packed stories, fully illustrated by Alex with comic strip pages to introduce each
chapter.
For 150 years a mysterious group of three heroic and resourceful Yetis has existed as a top-secret branch of
the British armed forces: The Mythical Ninth Division. Over the years, successive generations of Yetis have
worked to defend the world against the growing power of the Forces of Evil, pitting their strength and wits against
the Middle Gradeht of their enemies. The series is centred round his three fearless Yeti heroes: Albrecht,
Timonen, and Saar, but there are eight other Mythical divisions, which include Big Feet, Trolls, Mermen and
Minotaurs, all working together to protect us from the Forces of Evil.
Alex completed an art degree in Cheltenham, where he won the David Murray Landscape Award from the
RoYoung Adultsl Academy. He lives in London with his wife and two children. Alex burst on to the children’s
book scene with his highly original THE MOUSEHUNTER TRILOGY, published by Faber & Faber. He has gone
on to write and illustrate two series for Walker Books: THE MYTHICAL NINTH DIVISION (ages 7-11)
PIGSTICKS AND HAROLD (ages 5-7). PIGSTICKS AND HAROLD is currently in development for a television
series with Jam Media. Alex has just launched an exciting new scheme called ‘This Book is Funny’, aiming to
drive readers to lesser-known funny books. It will see libraries, schools and book shops create displays of funny
books, and mark these books with ‘This Book is Funny’ stickers and posters.
Rights Sold:
USA, Kane Miller
________________________________________________________________________________________
Claire Needell
THE WORD FOR YES
Client: The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc.
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Book, 2016
256
Young Adults
Claire Needell's first novel is touching and raw as it tackles the important topic of date rape and offers
an honest look at how the love and trust between family and friends can hold us together and tear us
apart.
After their parents’ divorce, Jan, Erika, and Melanie have to get used to the new world order: a father who’s
moved to another continent and a mother who throws herself into moving on. Jan, off at her first semester of
college, has plenty to worry about, including an outspoken roommate who’s kind of “out there” and an
increasingly depressed and troubled long-distance boyfriend. Her younger sisters, left at home and dealing with
all the pressures of life in high school, aren’t exactly close. Erika is serious and smart and feels uncomfortable
in crowds, though her beauty tends to attract attention. Melanie is socially savvy and just wants to go out with
friends—to concerts, to parties, wherever.
The gap between all three girls widens as each day passes. Then, at a party full of blurred lines and blurred
memories, everything changes. In the aftermath, Jan, Erika, and Melanie will have to work hard to reconnect
and help one another heal.
CLAIRE NEEDELL is a middle school teacher at a public school in New York City. She is the author of Nothing
Real Volumes 1 through 3, three short story collections published digitally under the HarperTeen Impulse imprint.
Claire also writes for the New York Times.
Henry H. Neff
IMPYRIUM
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Harper Collins
Spring 2016
Middle Grade
This timeless middle-grade fantasy trilogy leaves one thing for certain: Impyrium and readers will never
again be the same.
The story of Impyrium and the rich and imaginative world behind it is classic middlegrade adventure fantasy at
its finest.
The first book, The Last Faeregine, follows 12-year-old Hazel, a gifted sorceress and last of the fabled Faeregine
dynasty that has ruled Impyrium for 3,000 years, and Hob, a 13-year-old boy who abandons a life of mining in
the provinces for a chance to serve and spy in the capital. With Hazel determined to save her family from myriad
conspiracies, and Hob intent on undermining the dynasty's foundations, their unlikely friendship leaves one thing
for certain: Impyrium will never again be the same. Hazel Faeregine would like to trade places with you. She
would like to trade places with just about anyone. Life is complicated enough at twelve without being born a
Faeregine. The very name is synonymous with power, a dynasty of Divine Empresses that have ruled Impyrium
for over 3,000 years. Faeregine magic is strongest, their coffers deepest, and they alone possess the Lirlander
Seals and Otherland Gates, which allows them to control travel across this world...and even into others.
Whenever Faeregines enter a room, all eyes turn to them... Which is why Hazel would like to swap places.
Everyone expects a Faeregine to be beautiful and commanding, whereas Hazel is pale as milk, shy as a shadow,
and has no idea how powerful she is. One of her sisters wants nothing to do with her, much less children from
the other Great Houses. Hazel barely survived childbirth; how can she possibly survive the Impyrial court
brimming with schemes and intrigue?
In a perfect world, Hazel would slip away from Rowan’s shores and set sail for some distant land where she
Middle Gradeht become somebody anybody else. Naturally, she would invite Dame Racha to join her. The gruff
tutor had practically raised her and was the only one who believed in her potential. The vye even insisted that
Hazel had more of the Old Magic in her than both her sisters combined. It was very sweet, even if Hazel knew
it wasn’t true. When the two set sail, perhaps they would bring that Muirlander boy along. Racha would not
approve, but Hob was kind and funny and the gods knew Hazel would need at least one servant. She Middle
Gradeht despise roYoung Adultsl life, but even a reluctant Faeregine could not be expected to cook or wash her
own clothes. And despite his rough edges, Hob was capable and knew when to shut up. Yes, he could come
along too.
But of course this is all just a silly daydream. Hazel Faeregine is third in line for the Impyrial throne and isn’t
going anywhere—especially not when the Empress is growing frail, rival houses are conspiring, and assassins
are lurking in the palace. Hazel Middle Gradeht be a roYoung Adultsl afterthought, but she understands that the
dynasty is in danger and that her family’s survival requires the help of every Faeregine. Even the last of them.
Alan Nolan
CONOR'S CAVEMAN
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: The O'Brien Press, 2015
128
Children
Quirky, Pre-Historic Fun for 8yrs+
Life could be better for Conor. Class bully Damian is always teasing him about being small and having no friends
– when in fact Conor has the only friend he needs in Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Finch, the toughest girl in school.
But when Conor and Charlie accidentally uncover a prehistoric man who was flash-frozen in a block of ice, life
suddenly gets a bit too interesting!
Ogg turns out to be friendly, highly intelligent and logical, and his rugged physique and hands-on problem solving
make him a real favourite with Conor’s cooing teacher, Ms. Hannigan. But how long can Conor keep his huge,
hairy (and rather smelly) new ‘uncle’ a secret from his mum, his teachers and a gang of ruthless scientists?
Born in Dublin, Alan Nolan is a comics writer, graphic designer, artist and co-creator of the horror series Sancho.
He wrote and illustrated children’s graphic novels The Big Break Detectives Casebook, the four ‘Murder Can Be
Fatal’ titles, and Fintan’s Fifteen. He is the current Children’s Books Ireland Illustrator-in-Residence.
Joe O'Brien
LEGENDS LAIR. Where History Is Made
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O'Brien Press
June 2016
240pp
Middle Grade
Perfect for Young Sports Fans Charlie Stubbs has one passion in life – playing football. When his family moved
from Dublin to Manchester it was hard, but at least he was close to his favourite team. Manchester United. Now
twelve, a scout from Manchester United has been keeping a close eye on him! But then tragedy strikes. A hurried
move back to Dublin, his family dealing with a deep loss – and his football career stalled. Then Charlie discovers
that his grandfather was a great soccer player. He hears about The Legends’ Lair and he soon sets his sights
on organising one more tournament on the legendary football ground.
Sheila O'Flanagan
THE CRYSTAL RUN
Client: Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Ltd
Publisher: Hodder
May 2016
YA debut, a tightly-plotted brilliantly imagined world, in the vein of Suzanne Collins,
Philip Pullman, Corneila Funke and Susan Cooper.
16-year-old Joe is being chased by bullies from school when he runs through a portal into another world,
Carcassia. Here he meets Kaia, a Carcassian teenage girl, who is completing the final round of tests to become
a Runner. Every few months, three Runners are chosen for a dangerous mission, to place the power sources
that will secure the shield that protects Carcassia and keeps the enemy Kabanians at bay. Once they've achieved
their objective, a powerful toxin is released into their bodies and the Runner will die. No one is permitted to return
through the shield. Nobody can remain in the enemy territory.
Joe is sent on the next Run, accompanying Kaia. He is hoping he will find a way back to earth, much to Kaia's
annoyance; she is focused only on her goal.
Gradually, a delicate friendship develops between the two, and Joe wonders if he can save Kaia as well as
himself. But as they pursue their Run, Kaia and Joe come to question the histories they've been given, and the
ambition of their enemy. The Run suddenly becomes more dangerous than anyone could ever have imagined.
Sheila’s trademark heart-warming commercial novels have sold over 6 million copies worldwide. Sheila is
published by Headline in the UK and widely overseas.
THE CRYSTAL RUN started with a request from her teenage nephews, who wanted her to write something they
could enjoy. What has emerged is a hugely entertaining YA debut, a tightly plotted, brilliantly imagined
immersive world, much in the vein of Suzanne Collins, Philip Pullman, Cornelia Funke and Susan Cooper.
Ellen Potter
PIPER GREEN AND THE FAIRY TREE, Book #2: Too Much Good
Luck
Client: The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Inc.
Publisher: Knopf, 2015
128
Ms available
Children
Book two of Ellen Potter’s charming new illustrated early chapter book series set on an island off the
coast of Maine, where kids, lobster boats, and a hint of magic are part of everyday life.
As far as Piper Green is concerned, the day started out lucky:
• Lucky thing #1: Her mom is painting Piper’s bedroom her favorite color.
• Lucky thing #2: Piper found a perfect strawberry at breakfast.
• Lucky thing #3: Piper lost a tooth. And as everyone knows, tooth + tooth fairy = ka-ching!
There’s just one problem. According to her friend Jacob, too much good luck can sometimes equal bad luck.
And when Piper gets to school that day, Bad Luck is waiting for her. Will the Fairy Tree in Piper’s front Young
Adultsrd be enough to break her unlucky streak?
Ellen Potter is the acclaimed writer of the Olivia Kidney series (Philomel); Slob (Philomel, 2009); Pish Posh
(Philomel, 2006); The Kneebone Boy (Feiwel and Friends, 2011); The Humming Room (Feiwel and Friends,
2012); the Otis Dooda series (Feiwel and Friends, 2013); and has written a writer's guide for kids, Spilling Ink
(Roaring Brook Press 2010). Her work has been heralded as containing “dashes of Dahl, snippets of Snicket,
and heaps of Horvath” (Booklist). She and her family live in Maine.
"Skillfully blending humor, pathos, and warmth with an atmospheric setting, Potter has created an honest,
empathic slice-of-life story, laced with a touch of magic. Piper has a winning combination of stubbornness,
loYoung Adultslty, and independence, which Leng ably portrays in her loosely inked, gently humorous artwork."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review
"With its intriguing setting, sympathetic characters, and hint of magic, this new chapter-book series should charm
fledgling readers. --Kirkus Reviews
"Piper is brave and tough on the surface, and her sense of loss lies at the heart of the conflict. Written with humor
as well as pathos, the first-person text shows her confused emotions and her resiliency as well. An appealing
debut for the series." --Booklist
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Jeffrey Salane
JUSTICE
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Scholastic, 2015
288
Ms available
Young Adults
The fast-paced, action-packed sequel to LAWLESS.
No more teachers. No more crooks! M Freeman thought she had finally found a place where she belonged: the
Lawless School, where the children of master criminals trained to become master criminals themselves. She
took her studies seriously, never suspecting she was a pawn in a dangerous game. Now she knows the truth:
The forces of Lawless are after a weapon that threatens all life on earth. M and her crew are determined to stop
them - but they can't do it alone. And that means joining the Fulbright Academy.
In their ancient cops-and-robbers conflict with the Lawless School, the Fulbrights are supposed to be the good
guys. But the winding subterranean hallways of the academy hide many secrets. And all the clues lead to one
inescapable conclusion: It's time for M to take the law into her own hands.
Jeffrey Salane grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, but moved north to study in Massachusetts and New York
City. After spending many years playing in many bands, he now works as an editor and writer, and lives with his
family in Brooklyn.
Finalist for the 2014 Children's Choice Book Awards
An IRA-CBC Children's Choice 2014 Reading List selection
"Readers will be caught up in M's training and adventures and will read late into the night to find out what happens
next." – Booklist
Leah Scheier
YOUR VOICE IS ALL I HEAR!
Client: The Deborah Harris Agency
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2015
334
Ms available
Young Adults
YOUR VOICE IS ALL I HEAR is a contemporary issue YOUNG ADULTS romance and coming-of-age novel
about the difficult choices we sometimes have to make for love.
"I was the one he trusted. I was the one he loved, the only one who believed him, even when his own mother
had locked him up and thrown away the key. And now, I was going to pass down the white tiled hallway, knock
on his doctor's office door, slam his secret notebook on her desk and make her read it, make her understand
what he was hiding, make her see what only I had seen."
April won't let Jonah go without a fight. He's her boyfriend-her best friend. She'll do anything to keep him safe.
But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To
protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school.
How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters-and the ones in
his head?
Leah Scheier was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. As a child, she was inspired by her favorite authors, Arthur
Conan Doyle, Lloyd Alexander, and C.S. Lewis to dream up tales of adventure and romance. Now grown up
with daughters of her own, Leah works as a pediatrician and continues to create new stories.
“[A]n intense portrait of the unpredictability of schizophrenia and the toll it takes on those close to those who
have it.” – Publisher's Weekly
Corabel Shofner
PIECES OF LOVE
Client: Maria Carvainis Agency Inc.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
2017
Upper MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULTS
An upper Middle Grade novel with strong crossover potential. This darkly comic, contemporary tale
explores survival, trust and second chances and will appeal to fans of ‘child-alone-in-the-world’ novels
such as THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE by David Wroblewski and THE BEAR by Claire Cameron.
Twelve-year-old Ruby Clyde Henderson’s life suddenly and irrevocably changes the day her mother’s boyfriend
holds up a convenience store. When “The Catfish” is shot and killed, and Ruby’s mother is wrongly arrested for
assisting with the crime, Ruby finds herself suddenly very much alone. Terrified of ending up in an orphanage,
Ruby uses her wits to elude the police and makes her way to Austin, Texas in hopes of persuading her estranged
Aunt Eleanor to help. In a world of adults who have failed her, she needs to find someone to trust—and someone
who will love and protect her. Corabel Shofner graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia
University with a degree in English literature, and was in the top ten percent of her class at Vanderbilt University
School of Law. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Habersham Review, Hawai’i Review, Sou’wester,
South Carolina Review, South Dakota Review, and Xavier Review. She is a member of the Nashville Writer’s
Alliance, the Nashville Writer’s Meet-up, the Knoxville Writer’s Guild, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators.
Phillipp Simpson
MINOTAUR
Client: Susan Schulman Literary Agency LLC
Publisher: Month9Books, 2015
278
Ms available
Young Adults
MINOTAUR is a thrilling reinterpretation of the classic Minotaur myth. In it, Ovid, drunken Roman poet
to the stars, arrives on Crete looking to write an epic adventure about Greek hero Theseus.
By chance, or perhaps design, he meets Asterion who promises to reveal what really happened in the labyrinth.
From his boyhood on Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather, Minos, his adventures with his friend Theseus
and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra, Asterion slowly reveals a story too incredible to be real – that he
is actually the terrifying Minotaur of myth we all know.
Struggling under the weight of thousand-year-old memories, the Minotaur spins a tale like no other, and Ovid,
may finally be on to the greatest story he has ever told.
Phillip W. Simpson is the author of many novels, chapter books and other stories for children. His publishers
include Macmillan, Penguin, Pearson, Cengage, Raintree and Oxford University Press. His first young adult
novel, Rapture (Rapture Trilogy #1), was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards for best Youth novel in 2012.
Simpson is also a teacher with a vast knowledge of ancient history. He has a BA in Ancient History and
Archaeology, his Masters (Hons) in Archaeology from the University of Auckland and a Post Grad diploma in
Museum Studies, and has partially completed his doctorate in Archaeology.
"VERDICT Lovers of mythology will enjoy this coming-of-age adventure and be surprised by the believable, "true
story" of the Minotaur."— School Library Journal
Nic Stone
DEAR MARTIN
Client: The Deborah Harris Agency
Publisher: Crown
January 2017
Justyce McAllister is a good kid. Fourth in his class, captain of the debate team and one of only a handful of
African-American students at his prestigious prep-school. But none of that prevents him from being falsely
accused of a crime and kept in handcuffs for hours. He decides to write a series of letters to Dr. MLK and make
an attempt at living according to his teachings. But when his best friend Manny is shot by an off-duty police
officer, everything Justyce believed about "The King's Way" is called into question.
Mary Taranta
UNTIL OUR BLOOD RUNS CLEAN
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books, 2017
Partial Ms available
Young Adults Bought in a 2-Book Deal.
This debut YOUNG ADULTS, set in a world where magic is poisoned and using it can be torturous—or
dangerously addicting—is a fantastical House of Cards.
J. D. Vaughn
THE SECOND GUARD
Client: Adams Literary
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
April 2015
432
Ms available
In the peaceful realm of Tequende, all second-born children at the age of fifteen must journey to the Alcazar to
fulfill the mandate of the Oath of Guilds. There they train to earn a place among the queen's legendary Second
Guard, or work as indentured servants.
Talimendra has always wanted to join the Guard, but there are dark rumors in the queendom that she may not
be ready for. Rumors that whisper of greed, traitors, and war.
There is very little time and too many unanswered questions, but one thing is for certain: if there is a traitor
among the Second Guard, then everyone-including the queen-is in grave danger.
J. D. Vaughn is the pen name of Julia Durango and Tracie Vaughn who are also writing partners. Julia is a
former school librarian from Illinois and a winner of the Golden Kite Award. Tracie, a high school English teacher
from Ohio, received critical acclaim and the Schneider Family Book Award. Together they share a love of travel,
reading, chicken biscuits and the teenagers who call them Mom.
"A carefully crafted and empowering coming-of-age tale that adds welcome diversity to the fantasy shelves." –
Kirkus
"This is a promising start to an innovative fantasy series." – Publishers Weekly
Victor Watson
OPERATION BLACKOUT
Client: Laura Cecil Literary Agency
Publisher: Catnip
October 2015
272
Young Adults
Konrad Friedmann is forced by the Gestapo to go on a dangerous mission to save his family from being shot.
They reckon a child saboteur will go unnoticed, and as Konrad is half English and bilingual, he’s the perfect
candidate.
Hannah is left without family or home in the London blitz. After a terrifying encounter with a stranger during a
night time raid, she decides to leave London. On impulse she boards a train to Great Deeping in eastern England.
Little does she know that she has knowledge that will put her in great danger.
Hannah and Konrad’s paths will cross in this tense thriller involving enemy sabotage, treachery and counter
espionage.
Victor Watson spent much of his professional life teaching children’s literature at Cambridge University. He has
reviewed many children’s books, and edited and co-edited several academic works on aspects of children’s
literature from the eighteenth century to the present day. He is the editor of The Cambridge Guide to Children’s
Books in English, and has been a Trustee and Chairman of Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s
Books in Newcastle. When writing his own books, Victor has found that his early memories of a wartime
childhood in the East Anglian fens are a rich source of narrative material. PARADISE BARN, the first book in
the Paradise Barn series, was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award for Outstanding First Novel and his book
EVERYONE A STRANGER won the children’s category at the East Anglian Award.
William Butler Yeats
Noreen Doody Shona Shirley MacDonald
THE MOON SPUN ROUND
Client: The O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher: O' Brien Press
Autumn 2016
64pp
MIDDLE GRADE
Bringing the spirit and beauty of Yeats’ writing to a new young readership!
William Butler Yeats was born in 1865, the son of the artist John Butler Yeats. He was to become one of the
twentieth century’s greatest poets in the English language and in 1923 was awarded the Nobel Prize ‘for his
always inspiring poetry’. In The Moon Spun Round Yeats scholar Noreen Doody has selected some of his mostloved poems and stories which appeal to all ages. She also opens the door for us to other magical and haunting
works by Ireland’s master writer. Including unpublished work, this gorgeous book draws on Yeat’s preoccupation
with magic, fairy lore, place, family and childhood. A mystical and magical tone that pervades the collection will
enthrall younger readers. Dr. Noreen Doody is an expert on the work of W.B. Yeats and Oscar Wilde. She
currently teaches on the MA programme in Children’s Literature at Dublin City University. She has been a
teacher for many years and delights in introducing children and adults to Ireland’s rich heritage of poetry, prose
and drama. Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, Shona Shirley MacDonald is currently based in Co. Waterford,
Ireland. She studied at Edinburgh School of Art and has worked on illustration projects for comics, poetry, short
stories, murals, textile design and concept art.