Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 48

A Dream-Come-True Invitation

I was sampling veggie burgers in a Costco aisle yesterday when I decided to check my email. My phone uploaded a message from Jennifer Hart of HarperPerennial; here's part of what she wrote:

... I was wondering if you would be interested in writing the foreword to the new edition of Emily of Deep Valley. I'm thrilled to be bringing this one back especially as so many fans cite it as among their favorites of Maud Hart Lovelace's books. I also think it touches on so many interesting themes...

Why I Loved MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD

Here are ten reasons I'll be happy if this year's ALA's Printz Award goes to MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD by Francisco X. Stork:

10.  The story is classic bildungsroman.



9.  We get a Latino teen guy protagonist who isn't in a gang, on the streets, or primarily defined by cultural angst.

8.  We're intrigued and captivated by descriptions of music. (Stork even created a playlist to accompany the book for the New York Times' blog, Paper Cuts.)

7. We're given a stark, honest portrayal of...

Crossed Any Borders To Read?

During a recent Twitter #kidlitchat, I asked, "What's a recent Kid/YA book you've read featuring a protagonist of a different race than yours?" I thought I'd kick off another year on the Fire Escape by sharing the responses, some of which were new to me.



One caveat is that almost all of the responses came from white authors, partly because those of us who aren't white often cross racial/ethnic lines to read in English. It's the rule of reading for us rather than the exception. Also, I only i...

First, California. Next, My Winter Retreat.

I'm heading to Southern California today for CSLA's annual convention. I'll be presenting "Books Between Cultures" on Friday from 2:15-3:15, and then signing in the exhibit hall from 3:30 to 4:30. On Sunday, I'll be at the Author Brunch listening to Bruce Hale's speech and schmoozing with librarians. If you're there in real life, come find me, and I'll be sharing news from the conference virtually on twitter using hashtag #csla2009.



After that, I begin my winter retreat, backing away from th...

Thanksgiving From The Margins

Thanksgiving is my favorite North American holiday by far. It doesn't make new or poor Americans feel as left out as some of the other festival days. During winter break, why did the fat dude in red bring presents for everybody in my class except me?



Duck For Turkey Day, a new picture book from Albert Whitman & Co by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kathryn Mitter, tells the story of Tuyet, a Vietnamese-American girl who worries about eating duck on "Turkey Day." A chorus of classmates reas...

Wordle Your Brand

Not sure how to describe your blog's "brand" or "niche"? I do an occasional check on search terms or keywords using free tools like statcounter or google analytics. For fun, you can also create a wordle to get a quick snapshot of your blog's brand. Here's one generated for Books With Flair, for example:







Pretty much sums up what I'm up to over at that blog, right?

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

Could A Story Help This Happen?

I'm bullish on the power of story to inspire and revolutionize acts of justice and peace. So when I read about something as exciting as Bishop Desmond Tutu's simple yet powerful plan of universal birth registration, my mind begins to whirl around plot possibilities. A dystopian YA novel about teens with lost identities? A picture book featuring one of these children to show how important a birth certificate can be? As you watch the video below, what stories come to mind for you?

Come visit...

15 New YA Books Featuring Forgiveness

I put out a call for books published in 2009 that underline the theme of forgiveness, and received several responses in the YA category, listed below in alphabetical order by author's last name.



Thanks to everybody who contributed; if you don't see your suggestion, it's probably because the book wasn't released in 2009. Let me know if I've missed something.



I'm still collecting titles on the theme for tweens and kids, so feel free to add those in the comments, and don't forget to check the ...

Performance Evaluation 2009

What does a full-time not-famous author of Kid/YA books do for an (almost) living? Taking stock of 2009, here are a few work highlights:



Launched a new novel ( Secret Keeper , January 2009).



Organized Kids Heart Authors Day in February 2009.



Completed forty author visits in ten states.



Finished a novel ( Bamboo People , releasing Fall 2010).



Wrote an article for School Library Journal's April issue.



Wrote an original short story for Scholastic's Expert21 middle school textbook.



Wrote a ch...

Kid/YA Books About Forgiveness

My grandfather died a bitter man. He never recovered from the commandeering of our family jute farm in Bangladesh, hating that he'd had to resettle in Kolkata as a dependent, almost penniless old man.



Two generations removed from that loss, I have the freedom and distance to reflect on the shadow of unforgiveness in our family. I've shared the story of a meaningful visit I made to our ancestral property, when two white doves appeared out of nowhere to rest on the doorway of the house. (I wa...