Mitali Perkins's Blog

 You're invited! Please come if you're in the San Francisco Bay, Boulder, or Boston areas!

Excited to share the cover for THE GOLDEN NECKLACE: A DARJEELING TEA MYSTERY, my novel for upper elementary readers releasing October 7, 2025 from Charlesbridge. This beauty was designed by illustrator Maithili Joshi, and will be shimmering with gold foil touches in the final book.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Set within a tea plantation in Darjeeling, 7-10-year-old readers are transported across the world to a politically and culturally rich setting, following our brave heroine, Sona.

Sona, a 12-year-old Nepali girl, has struck up a friendship with Tara, the niece of the greedy tea plantation manager who has promised Tara’s hand in marriage in order to get his hands on her inheritance of precious jewelry. Then Tara’s golden necklace goes missing. The search is on for the culprit, and Sona must use all her wits in order to prove it wasn’t her beloved brother, Samiran Daju, who stole it.

I'm excited to share the beautiful book design of JUST MAKING: A GUIDE FOR COMPASSIONATE CREATIVES, coming May 5, 2025 from Broadleaf Books. This nonfiction guide for adults who want to persevere in creativity is available for pre-order now.

 

You're invited, Bay Area friends! On September 23, 2024 at 4 o'clock in the afternoon at Rakestraw Books in Danville, California, I'll be reading aloud my newest picture book, a collaboration with Naveen Selvanathan from Macmillan Books called BETWEEN MY HANDS. Samosas and sweets will be served! Find out more here, and if you can't make the event but want a personalized copy, order one before the event via Rakestraw Books at 925-837-7337 and I'll sign it before they mail it out.

Here I am trying to imitate the hairstyle Naveen gave Maya in the book. Did I succeed?

The reviews coming in for the book are so encouraging!

"Perkins conveys a meaningful message. She seamlessly interweaves multiple storylines in just a few words, telling a layered tale using simple, child-friendly language, aided by Selvanathan’s vibrant, detailed illustrations...Proof that even the smallest hands can wield giant power." —Kirkus

"This charming book will have children holding love in their hands; a must-have for any social-­emotional collection." —School Library Journal

"Selvanathan's illustrations of Maya's multicultural urban home and community have a sturdy solidity and are suffused with a golden warmth projected onto the brightly colored scenes...A beautiful book that readers will relate to and think about." —Booklist

Isn’t she the cutest? I’m delighted to introduce you to Maya and her quest to be useful in a big world. Thanks to Naveen Selvanathan for the incredible artwork and to the team at Macmillan FSG.  BETWEEN MY HANDS is coming 9/17/24 but you may pre-order it now.

My first novel about an eighth-grader, The Sunita Experiment , came out three decades before my newest novel about an eighth-grader, Hope in the Valley.

My publishers over at Macmillan asked me to film a video about my hopes for my new novel, so here it is.

 

My newest literary offering, HOLY NIGHT AND LITTLE STAR, is a picture book for the upcoming Christmas season. Illustrated by the marvelous Khoa Le, the book tells the story of a small star who likes to twinkle quietly above the horizon for newborn lambs. One night, when Maker invites her to join a glorious galactic dance in an event that will change history, Little Star has to muster her courage to accept the invitation.

If you'd like a personalized copy of this book (perfect Christmas present!), I'll be at three bookstores this fall, so feel free to order over the phone and I'll sign when I'm there. Also, if you're anywhere near Franklin, Tennessee, Boulder, Colorado (an event for my novel, HOPE IN THE VALLEY, but copies of the picture book will be on hand), or La Cañada Flintridge, California (a joint event with the brilliant Nikki Grimes, author of LULLABY FOR A KING), please join me in person! It would be a delight to see you.

Thursday, October 5, 2023, 3-5 p.m. | Tennessee reading and signing | Landmark Booksellers | 114 East Main Street, Franklin, TN 37064 | 615-791-6400

Sunday, October 8, 2023, 4 p.m. | Colorado signing and conversation with author Claudia Mills | Boulder Bookstore | 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, Colorado | 303-447-2074

Saturday, November 25, 2023, 11 a.m.. | Southern California reading and signing | Flintridge Bookstore | 858 Foothill Blvd. La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 | 818-790-0717

Goodreads is giving away 20 copies of HOPE IN THE VALLEY. Enter here .

I've attended Calvin's Festival of Faith and Writing several times and have always left feeling validated and renewed in a (1) commitment to furthering justice through the arts, (2) deep love of words and story, and (3) belief in a creative, wondrous, and mysterious God. That's why I'm delighted to announce that I'll be the inaugural Writer-in-Residence this fall in the English Department at Calvin University, teaching a course on creative writing as well as participating in various learning opportunities throughout the month. The press release is below. Hope to see you in person, Michigan friends!

Calvin University's Distinguished Writer-in-Residence Program

The inaugural Distinguished Writer-in-Residence is National Book Award finalist, Mitali Perkins.

The 2023-2024 academic year brings the launch of an exciting new initiative in the Calvin University English department: a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence program.

Long dreamed of by the department, the Distinguished Writer-in-Residence program “invites exceptional and celebrated authors into our vibrant community, providing students, faculty, and staff unique opportunities to learn from and forge relationships with top-tier literary talents,” according to Provost Noah Toly who encouraged the development of the program.

Each September, a different world-class writer will come to Calvin to teach a creative writing intensive course, to interact with the campus community, and to give lectures both on campus and off. The writer will also be featured at the Festival of Faith & Writing, the signature event of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing.

Unparalleled access

Jennifer Holberg, chair of the English department, noted that the department is delighted to have this opportunity to welcome not only prestigious writers to Calvin, but to increase the diversity of voices. “We’ll be looking for writers who are border-crossers, who help us continue to expand our notion of the rich story of God’s creation.”

Benita Wolters-Fredlund, academic dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, added “I am especially excited about the fact that, through this program, a typical Calvin creative writing student will have access to four renowned, experienced, and well-connected Christian writers during their time at Calvin. Alongside the biennial Festival of Faith and Writing, this program helps make Calvin distinctive among its peers in offering students access to nationally recognized writers.”

Leading off

The inaugural Distinguished Writer-in-Residence is National Book Award finalist, Mitali Perkins. Born in Kolkata, India, Perkins lived as a child in Ghana, Cameroon, England, and Mexico before her parents settled in California. After studying political science at Stanford and public policy at U.C. Berkeley, she taught in middle school, high school, and college. She and her husband are widely traveled and now reside in the East Bay area of San Francisco.

She is the author of many picture books and novels for young readers, including ones published by Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Candlewick, Little Brown, and Macmillan Children's Books. She’s also written a nonfiction book for adults about children's literature, “Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children's Novels to Refresh our Tired Souls.” Her novel “You Bring the Distant Near” was nominated for a National Book Award, and her novel “Rickshaw Girl” was adapted into a film by Sleeperwave Productions. Her latest book, “Hope in the Valley” has received multiple starred reviews in leading publications.

Community events

Mitali Perkins will be giving two free lectures, open to the public. All are welcome, including children ages 9 and above.

JUST CREATIVITY: How to Keep Making Beauty in a Distressed World

Tuesday, September 12 @ 7 p.m.Covenant Fine Arts Center Recital Hall at Calvin University

BOOKS AS WINDOWS AND MIRRORS: Rickshaw Girl and Tiger Boy

Tuesday, September 19 @ 7 p.m.Center for Community Transformation (1530 Madison SE, GR 49507)

For more information, contact the Calvin Department of English: english@calvin.edu or 616.526.3645.

Launch Party at Books Inc., Palo Alto

School Library Journal makes it five stars for HOPE IN THE VALLEY! "Perkins explores matters of grief, growing up, and multigenerational relationships in a moving novel that will resonate and linger with readers long after the last beautiful page."