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Super Happy Book Birthday to SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS books 5 and 6!

Congratulations to Marcie Colleen on the publication of the fifth and sixth books in the SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS series!

The Super Happy Party Bears are back in this silly chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals.

In BAT TO THE BONE, the bat-only punk rock band “Flying Blind” has a dedicated following of other nocturnal music lovers. Their screechy sound really meshes with sonar hearing. While on tour to expand its fan base, Flying Blind stops at the Grumpy Woods for a midnight show. Soon tons of rock fans are keeping everyone awake at night! But when the bears start jamming with the band, its sound changes, driving away the crowd. This time it’s Opal Owl who saves the day―and returns some peace and quiet to the woods.

With music, … [more]

Announcing a deal! HOPE IN THE HOLLER by Lisa Lewis Tyre

I’m so happy to share that Lisa Lewis Tyre’s MG novel HOPE IN THE HOLLER, has sold in a two book deal to Nancy Paulsen at Nancy Paulsen Books / PRH!

HOPE IN THE HOLLER is the poignant – and funny – story of a girl trying to be brave and find her place in the world after she’s sent to live with scheming relatives.

Right before Wavie’s mother died, she gave Wavie a list of instructions to help her find her way in life, including this one: Be brave, Wavie B! You got as much right to a good life as anybody, so find it! But little did Wavie’s mom know that events would conspire to bring Wavie back to Conley Hollow, the Appalachian hometown her mother tried to leave behind. Now Wavie’s back … [more]

Announcing a deal! GHOSTS OF ORDINARY OBJECTS by Angie Smibert

I’m delighted to share that Angie Smibert’s MG historical fiction novel GHOSTS OF ORDINARY OBJECTS, has sold in a three book deal to Rebecca Davis at Boyds Mills!

Sometimes the hardest story to love is your own.

Set in a Southern Virginia coal mining town in 1942, GHOSTS OF ORDINARY OBJECTS: BONE’S GIFT introduces us to twelve year old Bone Phillips, who can see the stories in ordinary objects—and she doesn’t much like it. It’s her family Gift, as her Mamaw calls it. In a jelly jar, fiddle or even a butter yellow sweater, Bone sees tales of loss, grief, love and hope. But these aren’t the stories Bone likes to tell. She’d much rather spin yarns of gypsies or talking animals. Bone’s Mama had the Gift too, but Bone doesn’t know much about … [more]

Announcing a Deal: BABY LOVES SCIENCE! 5 & 6 coming next year

I’m delighted to share that the next books in the BABY LOVES SCIENCE! series by Ruth Spiro will be published next year by Charlesbridge. Topics this time are Gravity and Coding, and I can’t wait to see how Ruth makes the magic happen again: her ability to explain complex scientific principles in 75 words or less never ceases to amaze and delight me! We’re so lucky to have a wonderful team working on these books — illustrator Irene Chan’s sweet and colorful artwork brings the books to life, and the whole group at Charlesbridge, especially editor Alyssa Pusey, couldn’t be better to work with.

Can’t wait to see covers for these, and in the meantime, enjoy the first four below!

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Happy Publication Day to SONG OF THE CURRENT by Sarah Tolcser!

Happy publication day to Sarah Tolcser – her thrilling, immersive new YA fantasy is out today!

SONG OF THE CURRENT is Sarah Tolcser’s debut novel. Set in a vividly imagined world, with action expertly balanced against building romantic tension, it features a fabulous heroine – Caro is fiery, headstrong, resourceful; longing to feel at home in her own skin, but determined to find happiness on her own terms.

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. Her father is a wherryman, as was her grandmother. All Caro needs is for the river god to whisper her name, and her fate is sealed. But at seventeen, Caro may be too late.

So when pirates burn ships and her father is arrested, Caro volunteers to transport mysterious cargo in exchange for his release. Secretly, Caro hopes that by … [more]

Happy Publication Day to JUNIPER LEMON’S HAPPINESS INDEX!

Well, May 30th – you’re a lucky day!  This is the day that Julie Israel’s debut YA novel, JUNIPER LEMON’S HAPPINESS INDEX is out there in the world!

Funny, warm, and moving, Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index is a contemporary YA novel about loss, how deeply we can know others, and making our own happiness; perfect for fans of Sara Zarr and Jandy Nelson’s The Sky Is Everywhere.

Sixty-five days after the death of her older sister, sixteen-year-old Juniper Lemon discovers the break-up letter addressed to “You” Camilla wrote the day she died. Juni is shocked—she knew nothing of this You, and now the gaping hole in her life that was her sister feels that much bigger. She’s determined to uncover the identity of You and deliver the letter. Maybe that would help fill … [more]

Happy Pub Day to Jessixa Bagley’s Laundry Day!

Can I crow for a minute? Today marks the pub day of Jessixa Bagley’s 3rd picture book! Laundry Day tells the story of Tic and Tac, two badger brothers with a penchant for getting into trouble. It’s playful, it’s fun, it’s funny, and you’ll want to pick it up and read it again and again. But as they used to say on Reading Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for it! Laundry Day is a JLG selection and has earned two starred reviews.

“Gorgeous, detailed watercolor illustrations highlight each page and truly bring this tale to life. VERDICT A must-buy for any library, this simple but joyful book will be a hit whether read one-on-one or shared with a group.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“Bagley, who dealt with more somber … [more]

Hello from my new roost!

Hello from my new roost, Upstart Crow Literary! I’ve been wracking my brain for some hawk-crow-bird related jokes and can’t come up with any, but it all does seem fitting, doesn’t it? I’m delighted to join the very fine group here, and for my first post, wanted to talk about the kinds of projects I’m looking for. For more about my tastes and my background, please read on.

I represent books for children: picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult, along with some non-fiction for children and teens too. First, and most important, I’m looking for books that make me feel something. Grab me by the heart and don’t let go! … [more]

Happy Publication Day to Jacqueline West

Today is the official publication day of Jacqueline West’s riveting YA novel, DREAMERS OFTEN LIE. Jacqueline is author of the NYT bestselling middle grade series, The Books of Elsewhere, and DREAMERS is her first foray into the YA genre, and she’s done a smashing job of it, too.

“Engrossing . . . A dizzying new twist on one of the Bard’s most famous plays.”

DreamersOftenLie_cv copyDREAMERS is Black Swan meets Shakespeare–a twisty, enthralling story of one girl’s brush with madness:

After a skiing accident that fractures her skull, Jaye is left with a splitting headache and strong delusions. Jaye must keep these delusions secret from her family, doctors, and everyone at school in order to keep her starring part in the school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream — even though visions of Shakespeare and … [more]

Andrew Brumbach, The Eye of Midnight, and getting “the call”

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Upstart Crow client Andrew Brumbach over at the Literary Rambles blog, where we discussed the release of his debut novel, THE EYE OF MIDNIGHT the harrowing submissions process, and the joy of getting “the call”. Pop over the blog for the full interview, and do be sure to put THE EYE OF MIDNIGHT on your “to read” list today!

The Eye of Midnight

 

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