Join Porter Square Books to welcome award-winning author Rajani LaRocca for a virtual talk about her new novel-in-verse, Red, White, and Whole! She will be joined in conversation by Kate Messner. This event is free and open to all, hosted on Crowdcast.Signed copies of Red, White and Whole are available!

A heartbreakingly hopeful #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.

Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart.

Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick.

Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.

From Indies Introduce author Rajani LaRocca comes a radiant story about the ties that bind and how to go on in the face of unthinkable loss. This is the perfect next read for fans of Jasmine Warga and Thanhhà Lại.

Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area with her wonderful family and impossibly cute dog. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, she spends her time writing novels and picture books when she’s not practicing medicine. Her middle grade debut, Midsummer’s Mayhem, an Indian-American mashup of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and competitive baking, was an Indies Introduce selection, an Indie Next pick, a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2019, and a 2020 Massachusetts Book Award Honor title. Red, White, and Whole is her first novel in verse; it involves heritage and fitting in, science and poetry, Hindu mythology and 80s pop music, holding on and letting go.

Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow, The Next President, and How to Write a Story; novels like The Seventh Wish, Breakout, and Chirp; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series, and the Ranger in Time historical adventures; as well as works of nonfiction, including Insect Superpowers, Tracking Pythons and the History Smashers series. Before becoming a full time writer, Kate was a TV journalist and National Board certified middle school English teacher. She lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is trying to summit all 46 Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines. Learn more at her website www.katemessner.com and follow her on Twitter @KateMessner.

Rajani LaRocca with Kate Messner: Red, White, and Whole