Novelists writing MG and YA with clever, fun, and mindbending stories, set in schools or historically Black communities, or mysteries with a Westing Game flavor.
Jennifer Mattson has been with Andrea Brown Literary Agency for more than a decade. She began her career in children's publishing immediately after college, including five years as an editor at Dutton Children's Books and five years as a Books for Youth reviewer with Booklist magazine. She represents all audiences and genres from picture books through young adult fiction.
Please query via QueryManager link exclusively: https://QueryMe.Online/JenniferMattson Fiction: Picture books through young adult across all genres Non-Fiction: Occasionally considers impeccably researched nonfiction projects What I'm Looking For: - MG characters with smarts, vulnerability, optimism, and messy mistakes - YA that's not too heavy, problem-driven, with clear and clever structure and/or hook - Mindbending, not-too-techie science fiction and fantasy - Grounded fantasy set in compelling locations - A book set in and among a middle or high school mariachi program - A fun romcom set in a historically Black vacation community on Martha's Vineyard (like Oak Bluffs) - Tightly constructed mysteries with a Westing Game flavor - Picture book dummies from author-illustrators Send projects that share: - The childhood emotional truths of Janae Marks's From the Desk of Zoe Washington, Victoria Jamieson's Roller Girl, or Beverly Cleary's Ramona - The instantly book-talkable premises of Neal Shusterman's Scythe or Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running Out of Time - The rich, character-driven, high-stakes storytelling of Angeline Boulley's The Firekeeper's Daughter - The fresh perspective on a historical moment of Vera Hiranandani's The Night Diary or Julie Berry's The Lovely War - The genre-sampling exuberance of Silvia Morena-García's Mexican Gothic - The accessible, controlled invention of Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl - The lingering strangeness of Stuart Turton's The 7-1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - The MG or YA version of supernatural thriller like Hervé le Tellier's The Anomaly
Last verified: March 31, 2026
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