Compiled by Cecila Cackley

This is a bi-monthly series keeping track of the book deals announced by Latinx writers and illustrators. The purpose of this series is to celebrate book deals by authors and illustrators in our community and to advocate for more of them. If you are an agent and you have a Latinx client who just announced a deal, you can let me know on Twitter, @citymousedc. If you are a Latinx author or illustrator writing for children or young adults, and you just got a book deal, send me a message and we will celebrate with you! And if I left anyone out here, please let me know! Here’s to many more wonderful books in the years to come.

 

March 5

Laura Schreiber at Disney-Hyperion has bought, in a two-book preempt, Daniel Aleman‘s debut YA novel Indivisible. The novel follows a Mexican-American teenage boy whose life is thrown into chaos after his parents, undocumented immigrants, are detained by ICE, leaving him to care for his young sister and fight for his family’s future. The book will publish in fall 2020. Author agent: Pete Knapp at Park & Fine Literary.

March 7

Nick Thomas, when at Scholastic/Levine, bought debut author Donna Barba Higuera‘s middle grade novel Lupe Wong Won’t Dance. When square dancing threatens 12-year-old baseball phenom Lupe’s guaranteed A in PE, she goes to extreme lengths to prevent the American tradition from taking place at her school, all while navigating the complexities of middle school friendships, gender biases, and her own bi-cultural identity. Publication is slated for 2020. Author agent: Allison Remcheck at Stimola Literary Studio.

 

Liza Baker at Scholastic has acquired, in a six-house auction, author Tami Charles‘s You Matter, a picture book celebrating children of color everywhere, and an affirmation of their worth and importance. You Matter will be illustrated by Bryan Collier (Martin’s Big Words); publication is scheduled for fall 2020. A second picture book, Aretha’s Voice, a biography of singer and civil rights activist Aretha Franklin, will follow. Author agent: Lara Perkins at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

March 12

None.

March 14

Trisha de Guzman at FSG has acquired world rights to Adrianna Cuevas‘s debut middle grade novel, Nestor’s Guide to Unpacking, about a Cuban-American boy named Nestor with a secret ability to speak to animals. Nestor and his mother move to New Haven, Tex., while his father is deployed in Afghanistan, where he must use his ability when the town is threatened by a tule vieja, a witch that transforms into animals. Publication is set for spring 2020. Author agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary.

 

Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has bought world rights to Jackie Azua Kramer‘s (The Green Umbrella) picture book, I Wish You Knew, about empathy in a diverse classroom of young students. Magdalena Mora will illustrate. Publication is planned for winter 2021. Illustrator agent: Steven Malk at Writers House.

March 19

Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has acquired world rights to Bye Land, Bye Sea, a bilingual picture book co-authored by Rodolfo Montalvo and René Spencer and illustrated by Montalvo, which tells the story of two children who meet on a deserted island and shows that friendship has no language barriers. The book is slated for winter 2021. Author agent: Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary & Media.

 

Louise May at Lee & Low has bought world rights to Monica Brown‘s Digging Up the Past: Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello, a bilingual picture book biography about the indigenous archaeologist considered the “father” of Peruvian archaeology. Peruvian-American illustrator Elisa Chavarri will provide the artwork. Publication is scheduled in 2020. Author agent: Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel at Full Circle Literary. Illustrator agent: Claire Easton at Painted Words.

March 21

Kristin Rens at HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray has acquired at auction Chantel Acevedo‘s middle grade debut, Muse Squad: The Cassandra Curse. The first book in a series, the story is centered on Callie Martinez, an 11-year old Cuban-American girl, who discovers she’s one of the nine muses of classical history when she accidentally turns her best friend into a pop star. A Latino International Book Award winner and finalist of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, Acevedo is published on the adult side by Europa Editions. Publication is planned for summer 2020. Author agent: Stéphanie Abou at Massie McQuilkin Literary Agents.

March 26

Alyssa Mito Pusey at Charlesbridge has bought world rights to Lia & Luís: More? Mais!, a picture book about siblings Lia and Luís, who love Brazilian snacks but argue over who has more, by Ana Crespo, illustrated by Giovana Medeiros. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020. Author agent: Deborah Warren at East/West Literary Agency. Illustrator agent: Amanda Hendon at Advocate Art.

March 28

None.

April 3

Holly West at Swoon Reads has bought Aiden Thomas‘s YA novel Cemetery Boys, pitched as The Outsiders meets The Road to El Dorado and Coco. A Latinx trans teen boy, hoping to release his cousin’s spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and ends up falling in love with him. Publication is set for spring 2020. Author agent: Jennifer March Soloway at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

April 9

Catherine Laudone at Simon & Schuster has acquired The Dream Weaver, an #OwnVoices Latinx middle grade debut by Reina Luz Alegre. In this coming-of-age story, 12-year-old Zoey navigates the tricky waters of friendship and family while searching for a way to save her grandfather’s bowling alley from closing. Publication is scheduled for summer 2020. Author agent: Rebecca Podos at Rees Literary Agency.

 

Nancy Inteli at HarperCollins has bought Planting Stories author Anika Aldamuy Denise‘s tentatively titled Rosita Rising, a biography of EGOT winner Rita Moreno. The book will be illustrated by Pura Belpré Honor-winning artist Leo Espinosa. Publication is set for summer 2021. Author agent: Emily van Beek at Folio Jr./Folio Literary Management.

April 11

Claire Stetzer at Bloomsbury has acquired, at auction, Lilliam Rivera‘s Pheus & Eury, a YA retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx. Pheus is a bachata-singing dreamer who falls in love with Eury, a girl who lost everything in Hurricane Maria and is haunted by the trauma—and by an evil spirit. Publication is scheduled for fall 2020. Author illustrator: Eddie Schneider at JABberwocky Literary Agency.

April 16

None.

April 18

Nancy Mercado at Dial has acquired author-illustrator Nomar Perez‘s debut picture book, Coqui in the City. In the semi-autobiographical story, a boy and his mother emigrate from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland, and discover the importance of welcoming new experiences, while still holding onto their memories and the culture from home. Publication is set for spring 2021. Author agent: Lori Nowicki at Painted Words.

 

Anne Hoppe at Clarion has bought world rights to the picture book Princess, Inc. by Jacob Sager Weinstein, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. When the king and queen are too busy with frills and sparkles to save the kingdom from a dragon, it’s up to the practical princess to roll up her sleeves and get the job done. Publication is set for fall 2020. Illustrator agent: Natascha Morris at BookEnds Literary Agency.

April 23

Kelsy Thompson at Flux has acquired Maria Ingrande Mora‘s debut LGBTQ+ YA fantasy novel, Fragile Remedy, pitched as The Walled City meets Never Let Me Go. A teen raised as donor tissue for the wealthy and now in hiding finds himself forced to choose between joining a nefarious organization with the means to prolong his life, or staying—and dying—with the boy he loves. Publication is planned for summer 2020. Author agent: Erica Bauman at Aevitas Creative Management.

April 25

Krestyna Lypen at Algonquin Young Readers has bought NBA longlisted author Samantha Mabry‘s new YA novel, Tigers, Not Daughters, loosely inspired by the story of King Lear and his daughters. Set in San Antonio, Tex., the novel follows the three Torres sisters, who are struggling to escape their tyrannical father’s claustrophobic world while dealing with the loss of their eldest sister; her troubling death continues to haunt—perhaps even literally—the loved ones left behind. Publication is scheduled for spring 2020. Author agent: Claire Anderson-Wheeler at Regal Hoffmann and Associates.

April 30

None.

 

Cecilia Cackley is a Mexican-American playwright and puppeteer based in Washington, DC. A longtime bookseller, she is currently the Children’s/YA buyer and event coordinator for East City Bookshop on Capitol Hill. Find out more about her art at www.ceciliacackley.com or follow her on Twitter @citymousedc