Pablo Cartaya & Miguel Díaz Rivas Throw An MG Curveball Graphic Novel

Curveball is Pablo Cartaya‘s graphic novel debut, drawn by Miguel Díaz Rivas, a middle-grade contemporary story that “stars 12-year-old Elena Rueda, whose whole identity is baseball—until she embarks on a summer without it. Through a season without scoreboards, Elena finds not just herself but also a new sense of belonging in friendship and family—and learns what it really means to play”.

Rachel Stark at Disney-Hyperion has bought world rights to Curveball, to be published in May 2024. Pablo Cartaya’s agent Jessica Regel at Helm Literary, and Miguel Diaz Rivas’ agent Atlanta Japp at Advocate Art negotiated the deal.

Pablo Cartaya appeared in Will & Grace as Fernando, ws Ricky Martin;s music video body double and dubbed Spanish voiceovers for South Park, but is best known as a novelist, including  The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, Each Tiny Spark, and the upcoming climate dystopia The Last Beekeeper. He has won the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award Honor, 2019 ALSC Notable Book, 2018 American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honor, and was a 2018 Audie Award Finalist, and 2018 E.B. White Read Aloud Book Award Finalist.

Miguel Díaz Riva is a comic book artist and illustrator, including the FGTeeV graphic novel series, and adaptations of Jack And The Beanstalk, Red Riding Hood,

Hyperion Books was founded in 1990 from scratch with no backlist under Disney’s then-C.E.O. Michael Eisner and Robert S. Miller. Hyperion’s strategy was to not purchase backlists, but to go after newer or lesser-known authors and to “capitalize on Disney talent and products.” The Disney Publishing Group was incorporated in January 1992. In April 1999, Hyperion Books was transferred to Disney’s ABC Group. In June 2013, Hachette announced that it would acquire Hyperion from Disney. Hyperion’s books related to existing Disney–ABC Television Group properties and young adult titles joined the Disney-Hyperion imprint at Disney Publishing Worldwide.