Mitali Perkins was born in Kolkata, India, and before middle school in California she had lived in Ghana, Cameroon, London, New York City, and Mexico. As she says, in all those places, she navigated the culture of where she was living and the Bengali culture of her family. So, she writes, “When I began to write fiction, my protagonists were often—not surprisingly—strong characters crossing all kinds of borders, seeking community, and promoting justice.” These types of characters appear in her novels, including Rickshaw Girl, Bamboo People, Tiger Boy, You Bring the Distant Near, which was nominated for a National Book Award, Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border, Forward Me Back to You, Home Is in Between, and The Story of Us, as well as the picture book Bare Tree and Little Wind: A Story for Holy Week. Her most recent middle grade novel is Hope in the Valley.