Undated 2022 New Releases

Untitled by Daska Slater (Viking)
Joy Peskin has acquired, in an exclusive submission, The 57 Bus author Dashka Slater's new work of YA nonfiction. In the as-yet-untitled book, Slater will explore hate crimes and free speech through events that unfolded at one high school (and the community surrounding it) when a group of students created a racist social media account, with lasting repercussions for both the account's followers and its targets. Publication is planned for winter 2022; Erin Murphy at Erin Murphy Literary Agency brokered the deal for world rights.

Ghettostan by Humayun Khan (Penguin Teen Canada) - think this is likely an old title for The Other Side of the Court and will be deleted in time.
Lynne Missen at Penguin Teen Canada has acquired North American rights to the tentatively titled Ghettostan by debut author Humayun Khan, in which the main character, Fawad, a teen boy living in Toronto, comes of age with one eye on basketball and the other on the affluent neighborhood across the street. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Stacey Kondla at the Rights Factory negotiated the deal.

All the Way by Kelly Oxford (Delacorte)
Krista Marino at Delacorte has acquired, at auction, screenwriter-director Kelly Oxford's (Pink Skies Ahead) YA debut All the Way, pitched as Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Booksmart, plus a second, standalone novel. After learning that their classmate, who recently passed away in a parasailing accident, died a virgin, Riley and her friends vow to lose their virginities before the same fate can befall them. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Erin Malone at William Morris Endeavor negotiated the deal for North American rights.

Untitled by Jasjyot Singh Hans (Levine Querido)
Nick Thomas at Levine Querido has acquired world rights to a YA graphic novel memoir from Jasjyot Singh Hans, as yet untitled. This debut follows the artist's life from New Delhi to Baltimore, including growing up Sikh, learning how to catch a cricket ball and not die, learning to love his body, becoming an artist, family traditions while watching TV soaps, coming out, his loving and only the tiniest bit suffocating parents, immigrating to the U.S., navigating dating apps, and more. Publication is planned for spring 2022; the author represented himself.

Untitled by Desmond Hall (Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)
"The story of two teens in difficult circumstances who are connected by a mysterious death and a race against time with $500K on the line."

The Champions of Breakfast by Reed Black (Penguin Teen)
Penguin Teen on Twitter: "Yes please!!! Pitched as Nimona meets Candyland in this YA graphic novel from Reed Black, The Champions of Breakfast is perfect for foodie pun lovers!

No releases currently scheduled.

 

  

ADHD Alien by Pina Varnel (Dial)
Lauri Hornik at Dial has acquired, at auction, world English rights to ADHD Alien by author-illustrator Pina Varnel. The debut YA graphic novel, based on Varnel's successful webcomic of the same name, follows a girl with ADHD during the pivotal summer when she gets diagnosed and finally makes sense of her challenges. Publication is scheduled for summer 2022; Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary negotiated the deal.

Untitled by Jennifer Moffett (Atheneum)
Alex Borbolla at Atheneum has bought an untitled YA thriller by Jennifer Moffett (Those Who Prey). Pitched as I Killed Zoe Spanos meets Bone Gap, the novel follows a reluctant teen psychic and an aspiring journalist as they search for the connection between a missing girl and the supernatural events upending their small Ozark town. Publication is planned for summer 2022; Shannon Hassan at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency handled the deal for world rights.
 

No releases currently scheduled.


 

Property of No State by George M. Johnson (Little, Brown) - YA non-fiction.
Alexandra Hightower at Little, Brown has bought, in a preempt, Property of No State, a YA narrative nonfiction project by George M. Johnson (All Boys Aren’t Blue) written as a series of letters from Johnson to Black historical figures who were enslaved. It will relate America's history of enslavement with the present, the strides made since, and the power of Black creativity and imagination in the journey towards equity and freedom. Publication is tentatively set for fall 2022; Patrice Caldwell at New Leaf Literary & Media did the two-book, six-figure deal for North American rights.

Bone Quake by C.M. Surrisi (Chicago Review Press) - YA Non-fiction
Jerome Pohlen at Chicago Review Press has bought Bone Quake by C.M. Surrisi, a YA nonfiction book that details the events leading to the discovery that the bones entombed in Viking warrior grave Bj581 were in fact female, and examines the fallout from that discovery and its impact on archaeologists' and historians' study of gender roles in ancient societies. Publication is slated for fall 2022; Kelly Dyksterhouse at Raven Quill Literary negotiated the deal for world rights.




 

Like Lightning by Katharyn Blair (Penguin)
Harper Madison is a Good Girl. A Church Girl. It’s all she’s ever known. Well, almost. There was a blip.

Two years before, she made a mistake: skinny-dipping with Nathaniel Bennett at Church Camp and getting caught by a camp counselor. It threw her already heartsick family into a tailspin, and left a mark on her. Despite the meetings, and the prayers, and the fact that Nathaniel Bennett moved away weeks after they got back – she felt like it was a mistake that would never wash off.

It took a long time for Harper to get her footing, but it’s under control, now. She’s playing by the rules and flying under the radar. When her Aunt Penelope announces that their church was selected to host their state-wide Purity Ball, Harper knows there are more eyes on her than ever, and she’ll be safe as long as she leans into the identity she’s carefully constructed.

But that carefully constructed identity is put to the test when Nathaniel Bennett comes back to town, drudging up the memories of the incident in Harper – and in everyone else. When they’re paired together for a project at the theater they both love, Harper knows that avoiding Nathaniel is about as futile as stopping the resurrected gossip about that night.

A reluctant partnership quickly becomes a rekindled friendship, and Harper simply resolves to prove to herself that she’s different, now. Better. Not prone to “falling”, like she was, before. Harper is going to do this performance with Nathaniel, and she’s going to prove to herself (and everyone whispering about her behind her back) that whatever was broken in her before is fixed, now. Then, she’s going to take the Purity Pledge at the Ball in front of the whole church. Finally, her dad and her aunt might not look at her and see that mistake. Finally, she might feel okay, again.

But the best laid plans of hormonal teenagers often go astray.

It’s not long before Harper’s life splits: in one reality, she’s a good girl, helping plan the purity ball with her aunt. In the other, she’s falling in love with the one boy she shouldn’t want while pushing, redefining, and erasing all her old boundaries. As her carefully-constructed identity falls away, Harper is left to find out who she really is, and she discovers that love is always more powerful than shame.

It turns out she might not be the Good Girl, after all, and that might be the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

You Had Me At Hello World by Rona Wang (Simon Pulse) - dated February 2022, but did not publish at this time. This title may not release due to a plagerism controversy.
Jennifer Ung at Simon Pulse has acquired, in a six-figure auction, MIT student and Her Campus 22 Under 22 honoree Rona Wang's debut novel, You Had Me at Hello World. The YA rom-com follows a Chinese-American teen who is invited to a coding competition at MIT, where she teams up with a cute tech industry prodigy to work on an app to help immigrants connect and put down roots. Publication is slated for spring 2022; Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management brokered the two-book deal for world rights. 

Lovely Recipe by Myra Rose (Random House Graphic)
Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has bought, in an exclusive submission, world rights to Myra Rose's debut YA graphic novel, Lovely Recipe. Sofia is determined to learn how to cook her late grandmother's recipes so that she can bring her family together for a giant dinner like they used to have. But the only person with the skill to show her how is Anna Marie, an unapproachable classmate. Sofia's feelings are... complicated. Publication is set for 2022; the author was unagented.

Game Changers by Mary Kenney (Running Press)
Britny Brooks at Running Press has acquired Game Changers by video game writer Mary Kenney (Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales). The debut YA nonfiction book shines a light on more than two dozen women and genderqueer people who built the video game industry, and their often overlooked contributions to the world of gaming. Publication is slated for 2022; Eric Smith at P.S. Literary did the deal for world rights.

Volta by Dorian Christo and Andy Roblez-Valdez (First Second)
Kiara Valdez at First Second has bought world rights to Volta by Dorian Christo (l.) and Andy Robles-Valdez. The YA graphic novel features the intertwined fates of Luciano Vega, a small-town musician who moves to the city to make it big; and Orpheus Apolonio, a once-renowned violinist who, after a tragic accident, became a recluse and is plagued with mysterious premonitions. Publication is planned for 2022; the authors represented themselves.  

Check Your Texts by Aatamaja Pandya (Random House Graphic)
Whitney Leopard at Random House Graphic has bought Aatmaja Pandya's YA graphic novel Check Your Texts. The suspenseful story follows Yooni as she searches for her missing best friend after they've disappeared in the woods. When a mysterious doll appears, things take a turn for the paranormal, and Yooni finds herself getting messages from the beyond. Publication is scheduled for 2022; Jennifer Linnan at Linnan Literary Management sold world rights.

Dearest Daughter by Emily Erdos (First Second)
Robyn Chapman at First Second has acquired world rights to Emily Erdos's YA graphic memoir titled Dearest Daughter, a story about a 14-year-old girl who has grown up without a father and grapples with the fact that he took his own life. Publication is slated for 2022; the author was unagented.

Tomorrow y Mañana by Monica Gomez-Hira (HarperTeen) - originally dated June 2022.
"...Finds Ariana feeling liberated by playing the lead in her school’s gender-blind production of Hamlet."

Flirting With Fate #2 by J.C. Cervantes (Razorbill)

The Notorious Virtues #3 by Alwyn Hamilton (Viking)

Jay's Gay Agenda #2 by Jason June (HarperTeen)

Simone Breaks All The Rules #2 by Debbie Rigaud (Scholastic)

A Court of Miracles #3 by Kester Grant (Knopf)