Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 41

Ms. Porter's Second Grade Library Class versus Barnes and Noble Bookstores

Eight-year-olds can be fierce Davidic champions. For example, second-graders in Concord were mad because they couldn't find my books in most of the chain stores in Massachusetts. I was cc'ed as this letter went out to Barnes and Noble last week, and reprint it here with permission. Thanks, Ms. Porter's class!



June 2nd, 2010



Barnes and Noble Inc

122 Fifth Ave

New York, NY 10011



Dear Madam or Sir,



Mitali Perkins is a very good author. We think other customers would like to read her...

A PW Star for BAMBOO PEOPLE!

Quite a bit of Bollywood-esque celebratory jiggling going on in my study this morning, thanks to a starred review from Publishers Weekly for my forthcoming novel, Bamboo People . Here's a excerpt of the review:

"... Perkins seamlessly blends cultural, political, religious, and philosophical context into her story, which is distinguished by humor, astute insights into human nature, and memorable characters ... As Chiko and Tu Reh wrestle with prejudices of culture and class, Perkins delivers a ...

Faces on Covers: Tanita vs. Me at Hunger Mountain

The new issue of Vermont College's journal, Hunger Mountain , features flipside pieces from author Tanita S. Davis and myself.



Tanita's essay, Reflected Faces, is eloquent and extremely convincing.



I'm not so sure about mine, Teens Do Judge A Book By The Cover, but our shared goal was to get people talking and thinking about the issue. Weigh in with your comments and responses — some good ones are there already.



And don't miss these two articles:

Is my Character "Black Enough"? by editor...

My Speech and Slideshow at BookExpo America Children's Breakfast 2010

If you weren't there, BookExpo Cast has the 2010 Children's Breakfast at Book Expo America in entirety, including the other two speakers, Cory Doctorow and Richard Peck, and the Master of Ceremonies, Sarah Ferguson, but here's just my speech:





One note — they cut my white doves! Right after describing how angry I felt when I saw the grandson of the man who commandeered our ancestral property, I shared about how two white doves landed on the house. It was a clear symbol of forgiveness and...

First Reviews of BAMBOO PEOPLE

Here's a roundup of reviews of my forthcoming novel, Bamboo People, including this nice quote from Kirkus Reviews:

While Perkins doesn't sugarcoat her subject—coming of age in a brutal, fascistic society—this is a gentle story with a lot of heart, suitable for younger readers than the subject matter might suggest. It answers the question, "What is it like to be a child soldier?" clearly, but with hope. 

For new visitors to the Fire Escape, the book releases July 1, and is a Junior Library...

Save Five Lives For Burma

In Burma, $50 can save five lives — providing rice, a cooking pot, a machete, a lighter, and a plastic tarp to boys like Tu Reh, Chiko, and their families. 

After reading Bamboo People , if a classroom, scout troop, or book group wants to help, why not raise $50 through a bake sale, car wash, or other brilliant idea and send it to Partners World? After you raise the money and send it, write me (mitaliperk@yahoo.com) and I'll list you here along with other groups who participate.

Come visit...

Children's and YA Books about Refugees and Resettlement Camps

Children around the world seek refuge because of war, famine, persecution, and other horrors. Others are waiting in or forced to move to resettlement camps. Thanks to librarian Analine Johnson of Rodolfo Centeno Elementary School in Laredo, Texas and the child_lit listserv, here's a list of books illuminating their experiences, past and present, categorized by grade levels:



Lower Elementary



How Many Days To America? by Eve Bunting
So Far From The Sea by Eve Bunting
Rebekkah's Journey by...

Targeted Facebook Ads For Book Launches

With the release date of my forthcoming novel Bamboo People (Charlesbridge) only one month away, I've been tinkering with a Facebook ad that's showing some nice preliminary results. Here are a few steps in my virtual book launch using a combination of Facebook and Blogger:

Set up a site via blogger exclusively for the book and registered a domain name (bamboopeople.org). At the site, I provide an educator's guide generated by Charlesbridge, links to more about the situation in Burma,

BAMBOO PEOPLE at Reading is Fundamental

Carol H. Rasco, the CEO of Reading is Fundamental, graciously hosted me and my novel  Bamboo People  (Charlesbridge | July 1, 2010) on her blog for Memorial Day.



"I was transported to Burma and experienced the lives of two child soldiers and their families who are on opposite sides of the conflict there," Carol writes in her introduction to my post. "What an excellent book for all of us adults to read ourselves and then to discuss with children in the upper elementary grades, the target audien...

Children's Author Breakfast 2010 at BookExpo America

This morning I cleaned up dog poop in the yard, but 24 hours ago it was all glam and glitz at BEA's annual children's author breakfast. I was immensely nervous in the green room beforehand, so I clutched Richard Peck's hand for comfort.  It worked:





Cory Doctorow (For The Win), Richard Peck (Three Quarters Dead), and I had a chance to chat while waiting for Sarah, Duchess of York, to arrive:





The Duchess has been in the headlines this week (google it) and was hounded by paparazzi. It was wi...