Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 43

Wheeee! Here I go!

I'll be sporadic in posting the next few weeks as I'll be in four different states. Here's my schedule:

4/9: Alderwood Middle School, Lynwood, WA 

4/10-11: SCBWI WWA Regional Conference, Seattle, WA 

4/16: Proctor School, Topsfield, MA 

4/20: South Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, CA 

4/26: International Reading Assocation Conference, Chicago, IL 

4/27: SECRET KEEPER paperback release

I'll be sending photos and blips via Twitter if you follow me there. Also, to celebrate the paper...

A List of YA Novels that Battle Bullying

Here's a list of 26 classic and current YA novels recommended in response to yesterday's call for books about bullying in school, alphabetized by author last name. Scroll down to find out more about the titles in the widget below the list. As always, feel free to add more suggestions in the comments.

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill Alexander
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Names Will Never Hurt Me by Jaimie Adoff
Blubber by Judy Blume
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
The Truth about the...

Teen Bullying, Adult Hypocrisy, and Seeking Books that Slam Slander

"Bullying is so much worse now than when I was a kid."



"Must be because of the internet and cellphones."



I overhear parking lot conversations like these between parents, and my blood boils a bit. I don't like adult hypocrisy when we talk about teen culture. Yes, gossip and slander are endemic and brutal in high school, but it's no surprise given that our entire culture seems to bond by trash-talking and celebrity-bashing. There's something in us that relishes tearing down as a way to gain p...

Good Friday For The Foreigner: A Poem

So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. (Source: The Gospel According to Matthew).

Good Friday For The Foreignerby Mitali Perkins

The news spreads through our tents and shacks like birdsong:We have some soil.

It's strewn with shards of ceramic,broken bits of pots and cups,clay of no use or value.I'll pick them up, clean the ground with my hands,and make a holy place.I'll water the dirt with my tears.

Who paid for it?

The piles of...

Anisha Battles For Her School Librarian

A couple of years ago I visited Haggerty School in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the invitation of librarian Karen Kosko and met Anisha (left). Like many communities around our country, Cambridge is debating the relative value of school librarians given tight budgets. With Anisha's permission, I'm delighted to share her thoughts on the matter (emphasis mine.)



My name is Anisha N. I am an eighth grader in the Cambridge Public Schools. Thank you for giving me a chance to speak. I am concerned ...

In Which My Book Goes on Tour Without Me

On this rainy day in Boston, I'm loving being at home in my yoga pants and flip-flops. The best part is knowing that my novel Bamboo People is heading out on tour, thanks to my innovative friend Vivian Mahoney (otherwise known as blogger Hip Writer Mama.)



Here are the details according to Vivian:

BAMBOO PEOPLE ARC Road Trip!!

COMMENT here and include what U.S. state you live in—no addresses please, just your state.
FIVE (5) people will be selected to participate in the BAMBOO PEOPLE ARC...

A Call for Best YA of the Decade

From Joan Kaywell, Membership Secretary for the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE (ALAN):

TOP YA PICKS FROM THIS DECADE 1999-2009



Hi Fellow YA Lovers,



Every decade, Dr. Ted Hipple would ask YA enthusiasts what their favorite YA books were for the last decade. He would compile the list and publish the results in THE ALAN REVIEW. Given that he was my mentor, I figured I'd follow the tradition. So, here's my request:



Please e-mail me at kaywell@usf.edu your response to...

Talk About A Power Lunch

Seventeen students from King Middle School in Portland, Maine traveled with two teachers and their fabulous librarian, Kelley McDaniel, to lunch with me today at a Burmese restaurant in Boston.  What a memory! I love my job.



My first stop was my ever-generous publisher Charlesbridge, where Donna Spurlock gave me books to give as gifts to the kids.

YoMa ("mountain") Burmese restaurant is owned by a Shan man who came to Boston in 1993 after receiving political asylum for his role in the...

5 Indie Kid/YA Booksellers on Twitter

For those unconvinced about Twitter, why not see it as a place to listen to passionate aficionados of children's and YA books on the front lines—booksellers and librarians?



Here, for example, are five independent booksellers who specialize in Kid/YA books and share a wealth of information and excellent perspective with the rest of us:

Bunches of Grapes Books, Martha's Vineyard, MA 
Flying Pig Books, Shelburne, VT
Hooray For Books, Alexandria, VA
Red Balloon Books, St. Paul, MN 
Voracious...

An Editor Goes Cliff Jumping: The Story of Tu Books

As a social media aficionado, I watched and cheered as unemployed editor Stacy Whitman broadcast her vision of publishing excellent multicultural science fiction and fantasy YA novels. She set up a blog, rallied us for startup funds through a Kickstarter campaign, and spread the news artfully through Twitter and Facebook.



It didn't take long for publisher Lee and Low to notice how much support Stacy was garnering. A few weeks ago, we got this good news:

Lee and Low Books, the respected...