Rajani LaRocca

Award-winning Children's Book Author

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...]

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...]

Where Three Oceans Meet Wins a 2022 South Asia Book Award Honor!

I'm thrilled that WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET, written by me and gorgeously illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan, has been named a 2022 South Asia Book Award Honor book! Congratulations to all the winners and honorees: Srividhya Venkat, Kavita Ramachandran, Padma Venkatraman, Sheba Karim, Anuradha … [Read more...]

2022 Newbery Celebrations!

The most exciting part of the ALA Annual Conference was celebrating the Newbery Awards! On June 25, I got to attend the #Newbery100 Celebration — which, as you might guess, commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Newbery Award, the oldest children's book award in the world! We learned about … [Read more...]

Four More Novels!

I'm out of my mind THRILLED that I get to write FOUR more books with QuillTreeBooks / HarperCollins!! I've got two more middle grade and two young adult (eek!) novels coming from 2024-2027!! My forthcoming books include a fantasy (THE SOUND OF MAGIC), a contemporary (NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH), a … [Read more...]

The Cover Reveal for MIRROR TO MIRROR!

I'm absolutely delighted to share the cover of my forthcoming novel in verse, MIRROR TO MIRROR, coming in March 2023 from Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins! MIRROR TO MIRROR is about musical identical twins, anxiety, misunderstanding, forgiveness, and a bond that is stronger than fear. I can't wait for … [Read more...]

A Fun New Picture Book—MAUNTIE, coming in 2024!

I’m thrilled to announce that I have another picture book coming with Candlewick Press in 2024!! Mauntie is about a little girl who loves her favorite auntie...and finds it really hard to share her. This story featuring family, food, and riddles will be illustrated by amazing Nadia Alam!! I can’t … [Read more...]

RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE Wins the Crystal Kite Award from New England SCBWI!

I am thrilled beyond belief that RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE has won the 2022 Crystal Kite Award from New England SCBWI! I've been a member SCBWI since 2013, and the New England chapter is my home, where I have made so many creative friends! To have this book of my heart chosen by my peers for this honor … [Read more...]

A Glorious Time at SCBWI Florida!

I was honored to be a faculty member at the SCBWI Florida Conference 2022! The theme was "Reunited, and It Feels So Good!" It certainly felt fantastic to hang out with writers, illustrators, and fellow faculty members, including: Teaching a Novel Intensive with agent Saritza Hernandez and … [Read more...]

TLA 2022!

What an incredible time I had at my first in person Texas Library Association conference! The weather was beautiful in Fort Worth, and I had such a great time meeting wonderful librarians from all over Texas! I got to sign copies of RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE (at my first in person conference!), I'LL GO … [Read more...]

I’LL GO AND COME BACK In-Person Book Events!

I had such fun launching I'LL GO AND COME BACK in person at two of my favorite local bookstores! On April 10, I had a well-attended in-person launch at Brookline Booksmith, where I talked about the inspiration for the book and read the story! Then on April 23, I headed to Silver Unicorn Bookstore, … [Read more...]

RED, WHITE, AND WHOLE an Anti-Defamation League Book of the Month!

I'm so honored that the Anti-Defamation League chose Red, White, and Whole as their ADL Book of the Month in April 2022. The ADL Book of the Month program features books that "teach about bias and prejudice, promote respect for diversity, [and] encourage social action." As part of its Book of the … [Read more...]

An Amazing Time at the Oxford Children’s Book Festival!

What an incredible time I had in Oxford, MS on March 31 for the Oxford Children’s Book Festival, where I presented about WHERE THREE OCEANS MEET to first graders, and MIDSUMMER’S MAYHEM to fifth graders! Huge thanks to the University of Mississippi Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the … [Read more...]

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