Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes novels and picture books. Her middle grade debut, Midsummer’s Mayhem, was a Kirkus Best Middle Grade Book of 2019 and a 2020 Massachusetts Book Award Honor title. Her debut picture book, Seven Golden Rings, features a math puzzle and an explanation of binary numbers, and received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. Her middle grade novel in verse, Red, White, and Whole, involves heritage and fitting in, science and poetry, Hindu mythology and 80s pop music, holding on and letting go. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, and just about everywhere she looks.

Rajani LaRocca on Red, White, and Whole with Laura Pegram