Mitali Perkins @ the Woburn Public Library

Award-winning children’s and young adult author Mitali Perkins will be visiting the Woburn Public Library on Wednesday, March 19 at 7pm for an evening presentation and discussion on what it means to “live between cultures”. Presented by the Friends of the Woburn Public Library, Ms. Perkins’s appearance is free and open to the public. A book sale and book signing will take place after the presentation, with books provided by Book Ends of Winchester at a discount to attendees.

Mitali Bose Perkins was born in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Her name means "friendly" in Bangla, and she had to try and live up to it because the Bose family moved so often – they lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, London, New York City, and Mexico City before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area when she was in middle school. Mitali studied political science at Stanford University and public policy at U.C. Berkeley, surviving academia thanks to a steady diet of kids’ books from public libraries and bookstores, and went on to teach middle school, high school, and college students. She lived in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and California with her husband and twin sons before the Perkins family moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where they live now.

Mitali's books include Monsoon Summer (Random House), a Bank Street Best Book for Children, A New York Library Book for the Teen Age, and a TEXAS/TAYSHAS Best Book for Young Adults. She also wrote The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen (Little Brown), another book for young teens, which was an ALA Book for Reluctant Readers and the winner of the Christian School’s Association’s Lamplighter Award. In 2007, two novels, Rickshaw Girl (Charlesbridge) for upper elementary readers and First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover (Dutton) for teens, were released. New titles include First Daughter: White House Rules (Dutton), The Secret Keeper (Random House, 2009), and The Bamboo People (Charlesbridge). Mitali also enjoys visiting schools and libraries to discuss “books between cultures” and the life-changing power of story. She's proud to be a Readergirlz Diva, on the editorial advisory board for Kahani Magazine, and a member of PEN, SCBWI, the Kidlitosphere, and the Boston Author's Club. Visit her website at http://www.mitaliperkins.com.

This event is handicapped accessible. If accommodations are required, or for any questions about the event, please call Christi Showman Farrar at 781-933-0148 for further information.