Wishlist

Since 1953, Farrar, Straus, Giroux Books for Young Readers has published acclaimed books for children and teens such as Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time series, Louis Sachar’s Holes, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, and more. I am proud to continue in their tradition of publishing children’s books of great literary merit. I acquire across all age ranges, and am looking for picture books, middle grade, young adult, and select narrative nonfiction.

What I am looking to publish: Diverse and inclusive books that capture the complexities of children’s lives and reflect the experiences that have been traditionally underrepresented in publishing. I strive to publish books with broad perspectives from BIPOC creators that represent the intersectionality their identities. Genre-wise, I am most drawn to realistic, speculative, and magical realistic stories with ties to current events and conversations in the world.

In young adult, I love genre-crossing, pulse-pounding concepts paired with elegant literary prose—I’m a sucker for a genre story that zeroes in on important issues of our time. My favorite middle grade novels interweave themes of identity, deep emotion, a slash of humor, and uplifting messages. And in picture books, I value a unique point of view, sparse prose, and distinctive art.

I am not the right editor for books with sexual violence (including assault, coercion, and stalking), self-harm, suicide or suicidal ideation, major character death, cults, WW2 stories, disordered eating, bedtime stories, chapter books, early readers, or board book originals.

Specific areas of interest: Diaspora; colorism; found families; immigration; gender; consent; toxic masculinity; intersectional feminism; socioeconomic disparity; LGBTQ+ issues; historical footnotes of the global south; homonacionalism; queer Muslim stories; criticizing Islamophobia; trans, sapphic, and polyamorous romance; and subcultures. 

In young adult, I am hungry for QTPOC romance with spice; high-concept, intersectional thrillers, mysteries, or horror with deep character studies; speculative novels that tackle current events with allegory; well-written horror stories that play with the genre’s tropes. Above all, I’m looking for propulsive, high-stakes stories that elevate their genre (particularly mystery, romance, horror, and thrillers). I love camp, self-aware and meta humor, surrealism, and cheesy nods to tropes!

I would love a middle grade gentle contemporary novel about a queer-identifying young person; historical fiction focused on historical footnotes in the Global South; a tightly plotted, pacey mystery with an original hook; and gentle, contemplative stories with a touch of magical realism.

In picture books, I’m looking for contemplative, insightful and beautifully illustrated projects that tackle hardhitting topics with gentleness—especially a pro-Palestinian book that tackles it with tact and a kid-friendly POV; humorous, offbeat stories with larger-than-life characters and vibrant art; joyful family stories; commercial stories with strong seasonal tie-ins (such as Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, graduation, summer break, back to school, various holidays).

Please note that unless we connect through a conference or Twitter pitch contest like #DVPit, I only review agented submissions.