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), The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen (Little Brown), and First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover (Dutton).
Narrated by two teenage boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of Burma's many ethnic minorities, this coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma.
"With authenticity, insight, and compassion, Perkins delivers another culturally rich coming-of-age novel."
--School Library Journal
"Perkins seamlessly blends cultural, political, religious, and philosophical context into her story, which is distinguished by humor, astute insights into human nature, and memorable characters."
--Publishers Weekly
"I loved it! It's better than Hunger Games!"
--a teen reader at The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, New York
"Author Mitali Perkins exposes a major global issue, perhaps less known to juvenile readers, through an unassuming narration, and in doing so, creates an original work that will leave a lasting impression with readers of all ages."
--ForeWord Reviews
"Exciting, tense, often beautiful, and containing a moral without whapping you upside the head with it, Mitali Perkins yet again hits it out of the park."
--A Fuse #8 Production
Naima excels at painting the traditional alpana patterns with which Bangladeshi women and girls decorate their homes for holiday celebrations. But she wishes she could help her father earn money like her best friend helps his family by driving his father's rickshaw. When Naima's rash efforts to help put the family in deeper debt, she draws on her resourceful nature to use her talents and follow the changing model of women's roles in Bangladesh.
"As I read this book over winter break, the shocking thought came over me like a slow-rising sun: 'I can't wait to get
back to school and read this aloud!'"
— Esmé Raji Codell
"A child-eye's view of Bangladesh that makes a strong and accessible statement about heritage, tradition and the
changing role of women, Naima's story will be relished by students and teachers alike."
— Kirkus Reviews
"Her voice is true to her age, and her desire to help her family is convincingly portrayed; though may kids may wish
the book had shown Naima successfully on the go in her apprenticeship, the point here is her acquisition of
opportunity."
— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Perkins draws on her family roots to tell the lively contemporary story of a young Bangadeshi girl who challenges
the traditional role of women in her village so that she can help her struggling family in hard times. . . . a realistic story
with surprises that continue until the end."
— Booklist
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.
"With authenticity, insight, and compassion, Perkins delivers another culturally rich coming-of-age novel."