Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 5

HOME IS IN BETWEEN gets a star in PW!

What a great way to kick off a new year of writing — by reading a starred review  from Publisher's Weekly for my picture book, Home is in Between , illustrated by Lavanya Naidu . (Feel free to pre-order the book here.)

★"Animation-style characters by Naidu (Susie Will Not Speak) reflect emotion clearly, while straightforward writing by Perkins (Between Us and Abuela) shows how Shanti learns to appreciate aspects of her new life while keeping people and elements from her old one close to her heart." 

Want to NaNoWriMo with me?

I owe the first draft of my forthcoming middle-grade novel, Thanks To You, Pandita Paul, to my editor at Macmillan/FSG, Grace Kendall, by December 1st. Will I make this deadline? You might be shaking your head in disbelief at the thought. I certainly have been. Thankfully, November is National Novel Writing Month , which means I have the support of a community of other desperate but determined writers. Sign up here to join us if you, too, want to write like the wind this month. Here's a practical tip from me to help us get going. 

2020 South Asia Book Award Presentations

Join us for the 2020 South Asia Book Award presentations. Mine is on October 29th at 7 p.m. ET. Register here .

2020 Américas Award Ceremony

My sluggish brain! I can't believe I forgot to say thank you to the Between Us and Abuela team. I AM A VIDEOT! Please add this to my 3-minute speech if you listen to it: "A thousand thanks to illustrator Sara Palacios, editor Grace Kendall, the folks at Macmillan Books, and my agent, Laura Rennert!" 
Thank you, Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs , for this beautiful award, to the Library of Congress for the support, and congratulations to all the honorees and winners. 
 

Last Chance to Win a Copy of FORWARD ME BACK TO YOU!

Only a few hours left to enter the Goodreads giveaway of 25 copies of FORWARD ME BACK TO YOU. The paperback releases today! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

FORWARD ME BACK TO YOU Paperback Giveaway

Macmillan is giving away 25 copies of the paperback version of Forward Me Back To You, my YA novel about hope, healing, and friendship set in Boston and Kolkata. Enter here to win one: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

HOME IS IN BETWEEN Cover Reveal!

Thanks to Travis Jonker for hosting the cover reveal of HOME IS IN BETWEEN , my picture book releasing 2.23.21 from Macmillan Children's Books , illustrated by the brilliant Lavanya Naidu. You'll also find out more about the book's premise and Lavanya's thoughtful design. Here's an excerpt of my interview with Travis:

"The space between cultures doesn’t have to be a barrier; for children who grow up there, it can become a threshold of gratitude to celebrate the best of many worlds. I hope readers make themselves at home in Shanti’s story. Her name in Bangla means 'peace.'"

FORWARD ME BACK TO YOU wins South Asia Book Award!

Some good news to fuel my flagging call to write in the midst of tumultuous times: my young adult novel, FORWARD ME BACK TO YOU , published by Macmillan FSG, has won the 2020  South Asia Book Award ! Below is a video of me reading the first chapter.

BETWEEN US AND ABUELA wins the 2020 Américas Award!

I'm thrilled to announce that my picture book collaboration with illustrator Sara Palacios, BETWEEN US AND ABUELA , published by Macmillan FSG, has won the 2020 Américas Award ! Congratulations to the winners and honorees!

Mitali Perkins reads YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR

Set up a youtube channel where I plan to upload videos of myself reading the first chapters of my novels. I'm lonely over there, with only a handful of subscribers, so come and join me ! Everything's weirdly mirror imaged for now, but I'm rying to figure it out.