Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 46

A Short Valentine's Day Twitter YA Love Story

He was sick of trudging to school through the snow behind her. Why couldn't he have the guts to say something? @mitaliperkins



He thought of tossing a snowball, but that wasn't the right sentiment. He couldn't whistle. Then they passed the big oak tree. @loganberrybooks

She paused at the old tree. He stopped, thinking he might say something. Then she bent down and began to dig under a root. @AudryT



He watched her long, pale fingers thrust deep into the forest mulch and held his breath.&nbsp...

Stuff To Know About Shen's Books: A Chat With Editor Renee Ting

I had the good fortune to meet Renee Ting, president and publisher of Shen's Books, at the California School Library Association Convention last fall and she graciously agreed to join me on the Fire Escape. Here's Shen's vision statement:

Shen's Books  is a publisher of multicultural children's literature that emphasizes cultural diversity and tolerance, with a focus on introducing children to the cultures of Asia. Through books, we can share a world a stories, building greater understanding...

2010 Notable Books For A Global Society

Each year the Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association selects 25 outstanding trade books published the year before enhancing student understanding of people and cultures throughout the world. Winning titles include fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written for students in grades K-12. I'm thrilled that Secret Keeper is on this list in such good company!

Ajmera, Maya. Faith. Written by Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, and Cynthia Pon...

An Accurate Definition of "Push"

Last week we discovered that for some white teens, it takes "push" from a gatekeeper to read a book featuring a main character who isn't white. No surprise there, right?



Does that mean we sit back and wait a few decades until young North Americans move beyond the primacy of racial self-identification?



Not if we believe that good stories are for all readers.



Not if we notice that with a bit of push, white teens are buying books about teens who aren't white.



Why put the onus on parents...

Spirit of PaperTigers Project

As a big fan of PaperTigers, I'm delighted to share the news about the recently launched Spirit of PaperTigers Project, an initiative to promote literacy and books that encourage empathy and understanding.



The Project will select a set of books , donate them to schools and libraries in areas of need, and report responses of children from all around the globe. (For details on how to get a set, visit the PaperTigers site.)



The 2010 Book Set is fantastic. Check it out:





First Come the Zebra

THE WAGER by Mitali Perkins

I wrote an original short story for Scholastic's Expert21 Program, and they commissioned my mother, Madhusree Bose, to draw alpana art for the page background design. Having secured permission to share the first two pages with you, I'm proud to introduce THE WAGER, a story about how the Grameen Bank has changed lives in Bangladesh through the power of microcredit.



The Wager by Mitali Perkins

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

A Chat with Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Author of 8TH GRADE SUPERZERO

I'm delighted to welcome the author of one of my favorite recent reads, 8TH GRADE SUPERZERO, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, better known in the kidlitosphere as Gbemi.



Pour yourself a cup of tea and join us as we find out more about the author (who is lighting up the Fire Escape with her beautiful smile, no?) and her funny, inspiring middle-grade book featuring an unforgettable guy protagonist.



Describe Gbemi at age fourteen.

Yikes! Trying to set a record for number of after-school activit...

Faces and YA Book Covers: A Proposal

After taking a poll, issuing this call, and listening to various comments here and there, I've come up with three hypotheses about covers for children's and teen books.





Hypothesis #1



It doesn't make much of a difference in sales or circulation when characters of color grace the covers of children's picture books and middle grade novels. 



Why? Perhaps because typically adults buy and borrow these books. Another possibility is that developmentally, children (vs. teens) aren't looking to id...

PoC Faces on Book Covers: Poll Results

138 librarians and booksellers responded to my unscientific but informative poll last week, and here are the results:

25% said, "A Kid/YA book with a brown, black, or Asian face on the cover is RARELY bought or borrowed by white kids unless I push it."



37% said, "A Kid/YA book with a brown, black, or Asian face on the cover  is SOMETIMES bought or borrowed by white kids unless I push it.



38% said, "A Kid/YA book with a brown, black, or Asian face on the cover circulates or sells THE SAME...

YA Covers that FLY off Shelves

Librarians and booksellers weighed in on my call for great covers on books featuring protagonists of color. According to the experts, pictured below are several jackets popular with teens in many different kinds of communities (scroll down to see the cover art.)



Please note I'm not making any statement on the literary quality of these books (in fact, they differ quite a bit in writing style and substance), just their popularity based on the covers. Does anything strike you about the covers? ...