Young Adult Nonfiction: THE BEAUTY EMANCIPATION
Author of the forthcoming THE GLAM WORLD TOUR Rachel Werner's THE BEAUTY EMANCIPATION, an exploration of the history of the beauty industry and the racial prejudice baked within, illustrated by Celi Godfried, to Emily Settle at Feiwel and Friends, for publication in winter 2026, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world).
Picture Book: THE GLAM WORLD TOUR
Author of MOVING AND GROOVING TO FILLMORE'S BEAT Rachel Werner's THE GLAM WORLD TOUR, which celebrates the magical variation of beauty norms around the world, illustrated by Octavia Ink, to Christianne Jones at Capstone, for publication January 1, 2025, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary for the author and James McGowan at Bookends Literary for the illustrator (world).
Picture Book: JAMES FINDS THE BEAT
Author of SARAH RISING Ty Chapman's JAMES FINDS THE BEAT, about a boy whose anxiety steals his words but who finds them again through rap, illustrated by Anastasia Magloire Williams, to Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit, with Alison Behnke editing, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary for the author, and by Alexandra Gehringer at The Bright Group for the illustrator (world).
Thriller: THE DEPARTMENT
Jacqueline Faber's THE DEPARTMENT, in which we follow a university student as a dark obsession leads to her murder, and a professor as he examines his past traumas, as well as those of his colleagues, to try and figure out who may have taken their own obsession a step too far, to Pat Gussin at Oceanview, for publication in February 2025, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world English).
Nonfiction Picture Book: STOKES
Author of LOOKING FOR HAPPY Ty Chapman and author of WHERE WE COME FROM John Coy's STOKES: THE BRIEF CAREER OF THE NBA'S FIRST BLACK SUPERSTAR, a biography of a remarkable basketball player and how the NBA community rallied around him after a life-changing injury, illustrated by Lonnie Olivierre, to Carol Hinz at Lerner Publishing, for publication in October 2024, by Savannah Brooks while at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for Chapman, Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Literary Agency for Coy, and Tamara Shannon at Shannon Associates for the illustrator (world).
Young Adult: THE LOST SOULS OF BENZAITEN
Kelly Murashige's THE LOST SOULS OF BENZAITEN, in which a 17-year-old, unable to speak following a traumatic friendship breakup, prays to the Japanese goddess Benzaiten for one thing—to become a vacuum cleaner robot—and accidentally invokes the deity, who then makes it her mission to show her that life is worth living, to Alexa Wejko at Soho Teen, in a two-book deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world).
Women’s Fiction: AGAIN
Jaclyn Youhana Garver's AGAIN, following an Iranian American as she encounters her first love as a teenager, meets her husband as a 20-something, and then, when fate brings her first love back into her life once more a decade later, after her husband has fallen into a coma, and shows that every love leaves a lasting mark, to Chantelle Aimee Osman at Lake Union Publishing, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world).
Young Adult: ALL THE TRUTH I CAN STAND
Mason Stokes's debut ALL THE TRUTH I CAN STAND, a coming-of-age novel that parallels the tragic murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998, in which a gay teen and a college journalist search for the truth of what happened to their friend and wrestle with what it means to have found it, to Thalia Leaf at Calkins Creek, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world English).
Middle Grade Nonfiction: GLOW & GROW: A BROWN GIRL'S POSITIVE BODY GUIDE
Founder of The Little Book Project WI and a teaching artist for Hugo House, Lighthouse Writer' Workshop, and The Loft Literary Center Rachel Werner's GLOW & GROW: A BROWN GIRL'S POSITIVE BODY GUIDE, a food-conscious and body positivity book for female-identifying BIPOC tweens and teens, to Deidra Purvis at Free Spirit, in a nice deal, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at KT Literary Agency (world).
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: THESE DEATHLESS SHORES
P.H. Low's THESE DEATHLESS SHORES, which follows a former Lost Boy still suffering aftereffects from the magic dust of her childhood as she returns to Neverland one last time to face off against Peter on her own terms, to Brit Hvide at Orbit, for publication in early 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world English).
Picture Book: A JOURNEY OF POKNI'S GIFTS
Coauthor of STRONGER THAN Stacy Wells (Choctaw)'s A JOURNEY OF POKNI'S GIFTS, which follows a young Choctaw girl as she and her mom ride the train back to visit her grandmother—pokni—and the ancestral culture and playful whimsy that accompany them, introducing the conversation of land rights, illustrated by Madie Goodnight (Chickasaw), to Rosemary Brosnan at Heartdrum, with Cynthia Leitich Smith editing, for publication in summer 2026, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary for the author, and Studio Goodwin Sturges for the illustrator (world).
Young Adult: MEET ME IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION
Rita Feinstein's MEET ME IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION, a novel-in-verse that follows a college freshman as she encounters pushback to her anti-science, New-Age beliefs for the first time and falls heavily into disinformation as a way to cope with her newfound doubt and the separation from her best friend, to Tamara Grasty at Page Street, for publication in winter 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary (world English).
Picture Book: SATURDAY MORNING AT THE 'SHOP
Keenan Jones's SATURDAY MORNING AT THE 'SHOP, which follows a young boy who spends the day at his local barbershop and discovers the many important roles the 'Shop plays as a space for Black culture and community, illustrated by Ken Daley, to Danielle Collins at Beach Lane Books, for publication in fall 2024, by Savannah Brooks at kt literary for the author, and by Christy Ewers at The CAT Agency for the illustrator (world).
Nonfiction Picture Book: MOVING AND GROOVING TO FILLMORE’S BEAT
Rachel Werner's MOVING AND GROOVING TO FILLMORE'S BEAT, which explores how the inclusivity, music, and culture of San Francisco's Fillmore District brought communities together, illustrated by Jerrard Polk, to Christianne Jones at Capstone, for publication in fall 2023, by Savannah Brooks while at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for the author, and by Claire Easton Morance at Painted Words for the illustrator (world).
Picture Book: STRONGER THAN
NYT bestselling author Nikki Grimes and Choctaw Nation member Stacy Wells's STRONGER THAN, about a Black Choctaw boy who lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and struggles with nightmares but finds strength in the example and history of his ancestors, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, to Rosemary Brosnan at Heartdrum, with Cynthia Leitich Smith editing, for publication in summer 2025, by Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown for Grimes and Savannah Brooks at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for Wells, and by Jeff Dwyer at Dwyer & O'Grady for Lewis.
Picture Book: LOOKING FOR HAPPY
Author of the forthcoming SARAH RISING Ty Chapman's LOOKING FOR HAPPY, an empowering book about a Black boy who can't seem to shake his sad mood, no matter how hard he tries, until an unexpected encounter brings a smile to his face and a dance to his feet, illustrated by Keenon Ferrell, to Naomi Krueger at Beaming Books, for publication in May 2023, by Savannah Brooks at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for the author, and by Amy Milligan at Illo Agency for the illustrator (world). Rights: linda@defliterary.com
Picture Book: MIGUEL MUST FIGHT!
Jamie Ofelia's MIGUEL MUST FIGHT!, a bilingual picture book about challenging social norms, finding common ground with family, and embracing the arts, illustrated by Sara Palacios, to Esther Cajahuaringa at Little, Brown Children's, for publication in summer 2024, by Savannah Brooks at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for the author, and by Kendra Marcus and Minju Chang at Bookstop Literary for the illustrator.
Picture Books: EVERYONE LOVES LUNCHTIME BUT ZIA and EVERYONE LOVES CAREER DAY BUT ZIA
Jenny Liao's EVERYONE LOVES LUNCHTIME BUT ZIA, in which a Chinese American girl learns to appreciate her heritage when she brings the foods of her culture to school, illustrated by Dream Chen, to Karen Smith at Knopf Children's, in a two-book deal, for publication in spring 2023, by Savannah Brooks at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for the author, and by Nicole Tugeau at Tugeau 2 for the illustrator (world).
Picture Book: SARAH RISING
Minneapolis-based poet, puppeteer, and playwright Ty Chapman's SARAH RISING, pitched as inspired by the Minneapolis Uprising after the killing of George Floyd, following a young Black girl as she attends her first protest and realizes she has the power to protect what and whom she loves, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley, to Jill Braithwaite at Beaming Books, with Naomi Krueger editing, for publication in May 2022, by Savannah Brooks at Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency for the author (world).