Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 53

Honing the Craft on the Cape

I'm taking a class taught by Deborah Kovacs, author of more than 30 books and editorial director at Walden Media. I'll be back on the Fire Escape on Wednesday. In the meantime, enjoy reading this article in Publisher's Weekly about our Twitter Book Parties.

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

How To Launch a Book Virtually: Q & A with Grace Lin

These days, even award-winning authors in our industry must invest time and energy to market a new book.

Last month, author and illustrator Grace Lin (WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON / Little Brown) tried some new strategies to launch her book online. I asked Grace a few questions about the experience, hoping that other authors and illustrators might glean a few ideas for their own virtual efforts.

Why did you decide to launch your book online?

This book, in particular, is really important to me

YA Historical Fiction about India and the Indian Diaspora

Editor and author Sandhya Nankani writes a brilliant article in the August issue of Multicultural Review about five new young adult novels covering the history of India and Indians in the diaspora:
Anila's Journey by Mary Finn (late 18th century) / Candlewick
Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth (1920s, the rise of Gandhi) / Hyperion
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman (1940s, India's Independence) / Penguin
Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (1970s, ethnic cleansing in Uganda) / Front Street
Secr

Mitali of Green Gables

As an oft-displaced child, I borrowed roots from my favorite authors, and L.M. Montgomery's novels made Prince Edward Island feel like home to me. Just got back from a recent sojourn to "Avonlea," Montgomery's pseudonym for her beloved Cavendish, and savored a few of her books all over again.

the shoreline

rainbow valley


shining waters


birch trees in the haunted woods


mrs. lynde's house?


L. M. Montgomery


the view from Lucy's room


anne's room in green gables


ice cream at green gables

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Representing Kid Lit

Who shall be our next National Ambassador for Young People's Literature? Vote in my sidebar for the names most commonly suggested on Read Roger, the blog of Roger Sutton, editor-in-chief of the Horn Book.

Mr. Sutton was invited to help choose a successor for the current ambassador, Jon Scieszka. In a nutshell, the selection committee wants a person like this:

An author or illustrator of fiction or nonfiction books

U.S. citizen, living in the U.S.

Excellent and facile communicator

Dynamic and engagin

Teens Between Cultures 2009 Writing Contests

ANNOUNCING THE RESULTS OF THE 7th Annual
FIRE ESCAPE TEENS BETWEEN CULTURES WRITING CONTESTS!

POETRY Winners

PROSE Winners
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who entered, and to the winners!

Special thanks to twitter buddies Ellen Hopkins and E. Kristin Anderson,
who helped me get unstuck in judging the poetry.

Come visit me on the Fire Escape!

Children of War in the Congo

I'm launching a new series on the Fire Escape about children growing up with war, hoping to showcase books that inform, illuminate, and inspire us to get involved.

We start with the Congo. Listen to Bahati's story in the video, remembering that he's fourteen.

I couldn't find any children's or YA fiction set in the country (apart from the controversial TINTIN IN THE CONGO), perhaps because of the extent of brutality and terror experienced by Congolese children. My recommendation is a recent non-f

Meet Neesha Meminger and Sheba Karim!

BEYOND GOSSIP GIRLS
An Evening with Young Adult Authors
Neesha Meminger and Sheba Karim

Wednesday, July 29th, 7pm

Books and films for young adults have exploded onto the scene recently with the success of the Twilight series, Gossip Girl, Harry Potter, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. How do teens of color fare amidst this explosion? What is it like to try to publish works with multicultural characters or characters of color in an industry clamoring for the next Twilight?

Join SAWCC for

YA Books, Xenophobia, and Global Poverty

It was a typical suburban corner bake sale fundraiser on a sunny summer afternoon, so I stopped to do my part.

"We're heading to India in 2010 to work at an orphanage," a cheerful high-schooler said as she handed me a packet of brownies.

Just the kind of girl who might read my books, I thought. "I actually wrote a novel about that," I said, forking over the cash. "It's called Monsoon Summer."

She took a step back. "No way. No way."

"I did. It's set in Indian orphanage."

"I read that book four times,"

Take Me Away, Fiction

If you can't afford a lavish vacation this summer, here's a list of books that make you forget where you are by creating a great sense of place. I haven't read all of these, so don't quote me as your travel agent -- they came in response to my call for YA/Kid novels that turn us into armchair travelers with their mastery of setting. Feel free to suggest other fairly new titles/authors/places in the comments.

Real Places
LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY / Gary D. Schmidt / coastal MaineTHE YE