I’ve been meaning to read some books by Mitali Perkins for a while, since she is an active and helpful member of the New England SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and since I am always interested in books with an international flavor.

I started with Secret Keeper, an amazing young adult novel set in Calcutta, India, in the 1970s. The heroine, Asha, is at once steeped in her life in India, and desperate to escape. She is strong and sympathetic, and you can tell that there has got to be something great in store for her, even though everything is pointing to the opposite. Without spoiling the ending for anyone, she gets both her shares of joys and disappointments, including some absolutely heart-wrenching disappointments, told with absolute authenticity.

Mitali’s beautiful writing, along with her interesting insights to life in India as a teenage girl, made this book a page-turner for me – I breezed through it in just two evenings.

I can’t wait to read more of her books! So excited about the launch of Bamboo People in a couple of weeks!