Elizabeth Stranahan
Random House Books for Young Readers - Penguin Random House
My Manuscript Wish List®
YOUNG ADULT:
- High-concept Contemporary
- Voice-driven novels featuring teens with intelligence and agency (treats teens seriously)
- Challenges readers to life’s big questions (first love, first loss, and finding your place in the world)
- Boarding School Whodunits
- Murder mysteries, scavenger hunts, or after-hours antics that also have something to say about life for teens today
- Urban Fantasy or Sci-Fi with Grounded Characters
- Fantasy and sci-fi worlds strongly rooted in character over plot
- Quick-witted banter is a must
MIDDLE GRADE:
- Contemporary
- Perennial coming-of-age classics that feel at once fresh and timeless
- Modern-day adventures that allow readers to solve puzzles, giggle at puns, and solve clues alongside the protagonists.
- Mysteries & Ghosts
- Age-appropriate thrillers and stay-up-all-night scares
- Coming-of-age stories with a touch of the macabre; think Wednesday Adams for the MG reader
- Commercial Nonfiction
- Books that blend learning with humor; approaches curriculum staples from a new perspective
PICTURE BOOKS:
- Larger than Life Characters
- Memorable protagonists infused with kid-logic that leads to understandable but misguided and humorous results
- Core teaching of common kid lessons in patience, sharing, understanding, etc.
- Series Potential
- Worlds and characters who can become household favorites
- Community Recognition
- Titles that celebrate the larger networks that champion children such as multi-generational families, teachers, coaches, neighbors, and more
Fun facts about me:
- Former Division I gymnast
- Jeopardy enthusiast
- Getting lost professional
Submission Guidelines
RH-BFYR is only accepting agented manuscripts at this time.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Contemporary Young Adult, Middle Grade Contemporary, Middle Grade Humor, Speculative Middle Grade, Young Adult
I’d like the next…
book that makes you laugh and then three pages later makes you cry. A book that you try not to race through because you wanted to savor every word. A book that would’ve made you pull out quotes and turn them into signs as a teen.
My favorites include…
BOOKS:
- (YA) House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, Looking for Alaska by John Green, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
- (MG) The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen, Tumble by Celia C. Pérez
- (Pic. Bks.) Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, art by Peter Brown, Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
TV/MOVIES:
- The Sex Lives of College Girls
- Fleabag
- The Babysitters Club Netflix reboot
- Booksmart
