Rajani LaRocca

Award-winning Children's Book Author

RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE wins the Massachusetts Book Award!

I'm so delighted and honored that the Massachusetts Center for the Book has chosen RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE as the winner of the Massachusetts Book Award in Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature! Having this book of my heart win this award in my home state means so much to m. Huge congratulations to all … [Read more...]

Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture at the Concord Festival of Authors!

I was so honored to give the Leslie Riedel Memorial Lecture at my hometown Concord Free Public Library as part of the Concord Festival of Authors! I loved talking about my path to becoming an author (with Thoreau looking over my shoulder!) and connecting with readers young and young at heart! … [Read more...]

Boston Book Festival!

Perfect fall weather provided a lovely backdrop for the Boston Book Festival on October 29, 2022! I loved talking about verse novels and poetry with awesome authors Rebecca Caprara and Kip Wilson, and I got to reconnect with many other kidlit authors!   … [Read more...]

I’LL GO AND COME BACK Art Featured at the Society of Illustrators!

Sara Palacios's gorgeous artwork for I'LL GO AND COME BACK is currently on show at the Society of Illustrators in New York City! Her work is part of the "The Original Art 2022" exhibit of children's book illustration. If you're in the city, be sure to check it out. (The last day to take advantage of … [Read more...]

River Bend Bookshop!

I had a ball hanging out on a lovely fall Sunday with friends Josh Funk and Elly Swartz at River Bend Bookshop, a wonderful independent bookstore in Glastonbury, CT! We read our books aloud, met readers, signed books, and had so much fun!   … [Read more...]

Chappaqua Book Festival!

I had a ball at the amazing, incredible Chappaqua Book Festival on a perfect fall day! I joined over a hundred other authors and met so many amazing readers! What a celebration of children's literature!   … [Read more...]

Chenery Author Festival 2022!

It was such fun joining this excellent lineup of authors at the Chenery Author Festival at Chenery Middle School in Belmont, MA! It was such a joy to talk books with other authors and young readers! … [Read more...]

Project Literacy in Midland, TX!

I had an amazing time visiting schools and libraries in Midland, Texas and participating in their Project Literacy programming. I had a magical experience, which included arriving on a fire truck; spending time with beautiful kids, educators, librarians, (and Clifford!); visiting the gorgeous area … [Read more...]

Whispering Pines Writers’ Retreat!

I spent a marvelous few days at the Whispering Pines Writers' Retreat at the MIT Endicott House. Organizers Pam Vaughan and Julia Boyce did a stellar job welcoming 40 writers + editors Jessica Anderson, Alex Aceves, and Chris Krones and agents Brent Taylor and Sera Rivers. In the first in-person … [Read more...]

Highlights Retreat!

I went to Highlights in September with a bunch of writer friends: Chris Baron, Josh Levy, Cory Leonardo, and Naomi Milliner. Our debut novels all published in 2019, and we have been meeting once a year at Highlights since 2018! (We skipped 2020, of course). We spent the weekend catching up and … [Read more...]

The Adirondack Family Book Festival!

I had such a fabulous time at the first annual Adirondack Family Book Festival on August 20,2022! The festival happened at the John Brown Farm Historic Site in beautiful Lake Placid, NY where I got to participate in panels, sign books, and hang out with award-winning authors and illustrators: Kate … [Read more...]

Radio Boston Interview!

I loved speaking with host Tiziana Dearing on WBUR Radio Boston today about writing books for young people and how my different identities as an Indian-American, woman, mother, and doctor influence my writing. We chatted specifically about RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE, I'LL GO AND COME BACK, WHERE THREE … [Read more...]

The Cover Reveal for SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS!

I'm so thrilled to reveal the cover of my forthcoming picture books, SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS, beautifully illustrated by Abhi Alwar, over on Mr. Schu's Blog! This story about the sweetest joys of summer releases from Abrams Books on May 16, 2023, and I can't wait to share it with the world! Check out … [Read more...]

A New Middle Grade Novel!

The only thing better than writing a book is writing a book with a dear friend—Chris Baron!! Chris and I are so thrilled to be working on THE SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS, our nerdy, out-of-this-world epistolary novel with Charlie Ilgunas at Little Bee Books! We're eternally grateful to our agents, … [Read more...]

WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET is a California First Partner’s Summer Book Club Selection!

I am SO thrilled that WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET, written by me and gorgeously illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan, has been selected to be part of the California First Partner's Summer Reading Club! Huge thanks to Jennifer Siebel Newsom and her staff for selecting my book to be read by children across … [Read more...]

MIRROR TO MIRROR ARCs Arrrive!

I was thrilled to get a package from HarperCollins with ARCs of my forthcoming novel, MIRROR TO MIRROR! This novel in verse is about twin sisters who grow apart and must find their way back to each other releases March 21, 2023! You can learn more and find preorder links here. … [Read more...]

RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE in Korean!

Copies of the Korean translation of RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE arrived today, and they are so beautiful they made me weepy! The cover and interior are absolutely stunning, and it includes QR codes to my RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE Inspiration playlist on Spotify! And check out that gorgeous interpretation of … [Read more...]

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