Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 8

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR Buzz, Parties, Book Tour, and Virtual Visit Giveaway!

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR (9/12/17 from Macmillan | FSG) has received some exciting responses, with a shout-out from  Bustle , ★ starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Horn Book , School Library Journal , and  Booklist , and  praise  from Teen Vogue. EW  picked  it as one of the most anticipated young adult novels of 2017. Yay! Celebrate with me, friends.


PRE-ORDER IT NOW! YIPPEE!

Read an excerpt.
Download the discussion guide.


You Bring The Distant Near  | Macmillan FSG | YA/Adult


★ "An unforgettable novel that spans decades and continents as it moves among three generations of Indian women, some new immigrants to the U.S., all struggling to bridge cultures ... Perkins’s vibrantly written exploration of a family in transition is saturated with romance, humor, and meaningful reflections on patriotism, blended cultures, and carving one’s own path. " — Publishers Weekly starred review 
★ "Full of sisterhood, diversity, and complex, strong women, this book will speak to readers as they will undoubtedly find a kindred spirit in at least one of the Das women." — Booklist starred  review  

★ "An ambitious narrative that illuminates past and present, departure and reunion, women and family." — Horn Book starred review


★  "This stunning book about immigration and cultural assimilation is a must-purchase for teen and new adult collections." — School Library Journal starred review

The fully fleshed characters and complex family dynamics provide a vibrant background for exploration of multigenerational adaptation to a diverse America and of the familial and romantic love that nourishes their new roots. — Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"This ambitious multigenerational story of finding identity and acceptance is inspired by the author’s own experience as the youngest of three sisters who arrived in the United States in the 1970s. The exquisite narrative journeys across time and geography — from Ghana to London to Harlem — and crosses borders of love, faith, and culture."—  Teen Vogue


"Features inspiring South Asian girl and women protagonists grappling with love, faith, and culture, as well as the intersections among their personal, communal, and national histories ... lushly drawn and emotionally resonant. ―  Kirkus


Book Launch Parties!
You're invited to an East Coast  book launch party  on 9/24 at 2 p.m. at  Newtonville Books  in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and a West Coast  book launch party  on 10/1 at 2 p.m. at  Mrs. Dalloway's Books  in Berkeley, California. Rumor has it that we might enjoy a brief Kathak dance demo and maybe even learn a few steps at both events.

Fierce Reads Book Tour!
Macmillan is sending three other authors and me on tour for a week October 3-8, 2017. The other authors are:
JENNIFER MATHIEU, author of  Moxie , the story of an unlikely teenager who starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texan high school.ANNA-MARIE MCLEMORE, author of  Wild Beauty , a spellbinding tale of two characters who are drawn together by fate—and pulled apart by reality.CALEB ROEHRIG, debut author of  Last Seen Leaving , a powerful mystery about a boy who must uncover the truth about his missing girlfriend—and himself.Come and see us if you're anywhere near these great destinations! 

Grandmother-Granddaughter Book Club Virtual Visit Giveaway!
I'm inviting bookstores, libraries, PTOs, and schools to launch a GRANDMOTHER-GRANDDAUGHTER BOOK CLUB to read this multi-generational novel. My hope is that the novel is sweet enough for sharing but deep enough for bonding.
I'm giving away THREE free virtual visits to a bookstore, library, or school, during which I'll visit your grandmother-granddaughter book club to chat, laugh, and answer questions. Email me for a discussion guide and to enter the giveaway.
You Bring the Distant Near | Songs for the Novel

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR Pre-Pub Buzz, Parties, Book Tour, and Virtual Visit Giveaway!

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR releases 9/12/17 from Macmillan | FSG. It's getting some nice early buzz, with a shout-out from  Bustle , ★ starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and  Booklist , and  praise  from Teen Vogue. EW  picked  it as one of the most anticipated young adult novels of 2017. Yay! Celebrate with me, friends.


PRE-ORDER IT NOW! YIPPEE!
Book Launch Parties!

You're invited to an East Coast  book launch party  on 9/24 at 2 p.m. at Newtonville Books in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and a West Coast  book launch party  on 10/1 at 2 p.m. at  Mrs. Dalloway's Books  in Berkeley, California. Rumor has it that we might enjoy a brief Kathak dance demo and maybe even learn a few steps at both events.

Read an excerpt.


You Bring The Distant Near  | Macmillan FSG | YA/Adult


Fierce Reads Book Tour!
Macmillan is sending three other authors and me on tour for a week October 3-8, 2017. The other authors are:
JENNIFER MATHIEU, author of  Moxie , the story of an unlikely teenager who starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texan high school.ANNA-MARIE MCLEMORE, author of  Wild Beauty , a spellbinding tale of two characters who are drawn together by fate—and pulled apart by reality.CALEB ROEHRIG, debut author of  Last Seen Leaving , a powerful mystery about a boy who must uncover the truth about his missing girlfriend—and himself.Come and see us if you're anywhere near these great destinations! 

Grandmother-Granddaughter Book Club Virtual Visit Giveaway!
I'm inviting bookstores, libraries, PTOs, and schools to launch a GRANDMOTHER-GRANDDAUGHTER BOOK CLUB to read this multi-generational novel. My hope is that the novel is sweet enough for sharing but deep enough for bonding.
I'm giving away THREE free virtual visits to a bookstore, library, or school, during which I'll visit your grandmother-granddaughter book club to chat, laugh, and answer questions. Email me for a discussion guide and to enter the giveaway.
You Bring the Distant Near | Songs for the Novel

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR Pre-Pub Buzz, Parties, and Virtual Visit Giveaway!

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR releases 9/12/17 from Macmillan | FSG. It's getting some nice early buzz, with a shout-out from  Bustle , ★ starred reviews from  Publishers Weekly  and  Booklist , and  praise  from Teen Vogue. EW  picked  it as one of the most anticipated young adult novels of 2017. Yay! Celebrate with me, friends.


PRE-ORDER IT NOW! YIPPEE!
Grandmother-Granddaughter Book Club Virtual Visit Giveaway!

I'm inviting bookstores, libraries, PTOs, and schools to launch a GRANDMOTHER-GRANDDAUGHTER BOOK CLUB to read this multi-generational novel. My hope is that the novel is sweet enough for sharing but deep enough for bonding.

I'm giving away THREE free virtual visits to a bookstore, library, or school, during which I'll visit your grandmother-granddaughter book club to chat, laugh, and answer questions. Email me for a discussion guide and to enter the giveaway.

In Real Life Book Launch Parties!

You're invited to an East Coast  book launch party  on 9/24 at 2 p.m. at Newtonville Books in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, and a West Coast  book launch party  on 10/1 at 2 p.m. at  Mrs. Dalloway's Books  in Berkeley, California. Rumor has it that we might enjoy a brief Kathak dance demo and maybe even learn a few steps at both events.

Read an excerpt.


You Bring The Distant Near  | Macmillan FSG | YA/Adult

Happy Paperback Launch, TIGER BOY!

To celebrate the paperback release of TIGER BOY (Charlesbridge | 6/6), the Avid Reader (apt name for an indie, right?) in Davis, California is hosting an event . You're invited to join us if you're in the Sacramento Valley area.

The Avid Reader is excited to welcome Mitali Perkins for a reading, discussion, and signing of her fast-paced and well researched chapter book, “Tiger Boy” on Saturday, June 17th at 1:00 p.m. 

In a starred review, the School Library Journal writes, “Sure to encourage vital conversations among children, this is a fine addition to libraries and classrooms seeking to diversify collections.” 

When a tiger cub escapes from a nature reserve near Neel’s island village, the rangers and villagers hurry to find her before the cub’s anxious mother follows suit and endangers them all. Mr. Gupta, a rich newcomer to the island, is also searching—he wants to sell the cub’s body parts on the black market. Neel and his sister, Rupa, resolve to find the cub first and bring her back to the reserve where she belongs. The hunt for the cub interrupts Neel’s preparations for an exam to win a prestigious scholarship at a boarding school far from home. Neel doesn’t mind—he dreads the exam and would rather stay on his beloved island in the Sunderbans of West Bengal with his family and friends. But through his encounter with the cub, Neil learns that sometimes you have to take risks to preserve what you love. And sometimes you have to sacrifice the present for the chance to improve the future.

Event date: Saturday, June 17, 2017, 1-2 p.m.

The Avid Reader
617 2nd Street
Davis, CA 95616

I'm a FUNNY GIRL, no matter what my kids say

"A collection of uproarious stories, rollicking comics, rib-tickling wit, and more,
from 25 of today’s funniest female writers for kids."


Happy Book Birthday to Betsy Bird , editor of FUNNY GIRL (Penguin Random House, 5/9/17) and to all 24 of the other contributors. Here we are, as imagined by author and artist  Amy Ignatow :

Note my tiny, regal body. I am revealed as the Queen of Snaildom.
Praise for FUNNY GIRL :

* “Stellar. . . . Will surely appeal to a wide audience. ”– Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Certain to fit the bill for just about any child looking for a good laugh or 20.”– Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Timely . . . girl-power humor for the middle-grade set.”– The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Hilarious and heartfelt, this won’t only appeal to future funny girls and boys, it’ll inspire them.”–Booklist

Cheering for a real RICKSHAW GIRL

My book RICKSHAW GIRL is about a fictional girl who defies gender roles to try and make money for her family. A friend recently sent me a link to this portrayal of the brave and beautiful Sumi Begum, a young woman who pedals the streets of Dhaka pulling a rickshaw to provide for her family. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring.

DIVESTMENT: A Good Friday Poem

From time to time, I've posted poems about Good Friday, like this one , and this one . Here is this year's offering.

DIVESTMENT: A Good Friday Poem

By Mitali Perkins

Who speaks, I wonder?

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Who can request this—as nails tear bones and flesh—but Divinity?

The emptying begins.

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Enough Power still to Promise.

Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. Some Strength left to Shepherd.

But Kairos is slipping away. He's divesting. Next comes the ancient question of Humanity, the wail of those trapped in chains of chronology.

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

I thirst. Oh! It's the primal cry of a Child, the Sick, the Old, anyone too weak to sate this need unaided.

It is finished. In one fading moment, the thunder of God and whisper of Man co-utter parallel declarations.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. The frightening freedom of faith, breathed by faint and feeble voice.

Now all is silence. He is crushed by powerless me, drained of Divinity, driven to dust only by this: his quest to liberate and rule with me.

And so I try to speak.

Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR Exclusive Cover Reveal!

Thanks to Bustle for a lovely review and exclusive cover reveal of my forthcoming novel, YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR (Macmillan FSG | 9/17).

"Perkins' new YA novel isn't just an exploration of family, but a tracing of its transformation as it crosses oceans and borderlines. 'You Bring the Distant Near' captures the immigrant experience for one Indian-American family with humor and heart. Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, this elegant YA novel explores sisterhood, first loves, friendship, and the inheritance of culture — for better or worse."

A Poem: Four Men at Mule Creek State Prison

Four Men at Mule Creek State Prison
By Mitali Perkins
He puts on his bifocals and opens the family Bible. For two hours, he reads verses of hope to her in quiet Tagalog. A handkerchief, embroidered by hands buried far away, receives her tears.
She sprints across the room at the sight of him. He scoops her up and she kisses his clean-shaven cheek two dozen times. Her beribboned braids hide his tattoo as he bends to long-kiss her mother on the mouth. You’re given two times to touch — one twenty-second hug at first sight and one more before the last. But the Christmas tree is tinseled. A guard chews a microwaved cheeseburger from the vending machine and looks the other way.
His ponytail is graying. Their two chairs sandwich his like white toast on ham. Her ancient eyes memorize the silent features; his father’s are hidden behind one age-spotted hand. Who will be his bread when they are gone?

Our man is an orphan at twenty-two. His mother died in a fire last year, after her thirty-sixth birthday. He asks for a book on how to write cursive. I get out in twenty-thirty-two, he says. Abuela wants me out of Oakland. I'll need a signature of my own.

A Poem: Manhood at Mule Creek State Prison

Manhood at Mule Creek State Prison
By Mitali Perkins
He puts on his bifocals and opens the family Bible. For two hours, he reads verses of hope to her in quiet Tagalog. A handkerchief, embroidered by hands buried far away, receives her tears.
She sprints across the room at the sight of him. He scoops her up and she kisses his clean-shaven cheek two dozen times. Her beribboned braids hide his tattoo as he bends to long-kiss her mother on the mouth. You’re given two times to touch — one twenty-second hug at first sight and one more before the last. But the Christmas tree is tinseled. A guard chews a microwaved cheeseburger from the vending machine and looks the other way.
His ponytail is graying. Their two chairs sandwich his like white toast on ham. Her ancient eyes memorize the silent features; his father’s are hidden behind one age-spotted hand. Who will be his bread when they are gone?

Our man is an orphan at twenty-two. His mother died in a fire last year, after her thirty-sixth birthday. He asks for a book on how to write cursive. I get out in twenty-thirty-two, he says. Abuela wants me out of Oakland. I'll need a signature of my own.