MIDDLE GRADE:
- #OwnVoices magical realism, reimagined folk tales, and sweeping, character-driven adventures
- Literary, contemporary stories about tween female friendship and the ins and outs of tweendom (if that’s a word)

PICTURE BOOKS: thoughtful, uplifting pbs that make me want to cry and also read to every child I know.

i can’t believe i forgot to say—in these most autumnal of falls, i’d love to acquire a #middlegrade or #graphicnovel with strong “over the garden wall” vibes 💀🍁🌕

This entire vibe #MSWL
twitter.com/kalidraws/stat…

Oh, and always romance of course—all kinds! #MSWL

On this #MSWL Day, I’m aiming high: Agents, I would be absolutely over the moon to get a modern-day Phantom Tollbooth. Adventure, innocence, sophistication, and my god the wordplay. My inbox awaits the next Lands Beyond.

#mswl also memoir/narrative nonfic that braids together research with personal experience. Kind of like 'The Crane Wife' essay, but a book, meets LAB GIRL. Extra points if it's about marine life because we all kind of wanted to be marine biologists when we were younger didnt we?

All ages: Female friendship, gender subversion, Southern Gothics, wordplay and puns, under-explored chapters in history, Jewish characters beyond WWII/shtetl, economic #diversity, genre blends, stories set in the deep South, rural America, and the Southwest. That's my #MSWL.

YA: Form-challenging fiction of all genres, thrillers and twists, stories set outside the U.S., big-world fantasies with settings that feel truly new & original, contemporary stories that explore themes like identity, code-switching, and female rage, young (12up) YA. #MSWL

MG (young or mature, w/or w/o illustrations, traditional or graphic novels): adventure plots, fantasy drawing from mythologies outside the Western and/or white canon, classics rebooted, LGBTQIA+ fantasy & magic realism, explorations of subcultures, hidden history. #MSWL

Picture books: illustrator-driven projects that are high-concept and/or highly detailed; concept or platform-driven stories with a commercial hook that resonate with my core values of inclusion, empowerment, and making the world a better place. #MSWL

For the first time in my editorial career, I'm building a list entirely from scratch (at @SimonKIDS). So agents, here is a thread of my #MSWL, though if you want to try me with something totally different from this list, that's okay too!

another age old #mswl that I cannot believe has not been written yet: PLEASE send me a novelization of Frida Kahlo's life by a Mexican woman writer

Happy #MSWL day! Agents, I'm currently acquiring middle grade, YA, and picture books. My page on the #MSWL site gives a pretty good sense of the kinds of projects I'm looking for, but here's a few other things I'd love to see in my inbox right now.

Honestly gimmie anything that’s as ridiculous, funny, and charming as Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency #MSWL

Women who aren't what you expect, who have strong or indelible (not necessarily likable) voices. Again, in lit fic or commercial women's fiction; also YA and MG. #MSWL

Dipping briefly into #MSWL day on behalf of Amy Berkower. We'd love to see vivid and precise portraits of a small town that's off the expected track. So many novels are set in Manhattan or the Bay Area. Wld love lit fic that brings an unexpected location to life.

It may seem like I only like really dark stuff, but my favorite kind of horror is ultimately hopeful. I want to see people face their fears and win. Make impossible choices and survive. Rescue each other and rescue themselves. #MSWL

Not my usual genre, but how cool would this be? A Robin Hoodesque reclaiming of works from colonial powers #mswl twitter.com/SAChakrabooks/…

I acquire YA nonfiction on proposal: overview, chapter description/outline, sample chapter. #mswl #ManuscriptWishList