Hope you’re all having a good February. It’s a short month, so I’m keeping this message short, too! The paperback birth of BORN BEHIND BARS is scheduled for March 7th, and you can pre-order it already! Use the link below to order via your preferred vendor: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647196/born-behind-bars-by-padma-venkatraman/

To celebrate the paperback release, I’ve released a short story for publication online at: https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/her-story

In addition to reading the story, if you are a teacher or educator, you’ll find discussion questions and other teacher resources to go with the story on the website. Feel free to share widely – and yes, it is free. My books are about children who suffer from socioeconomic inequality, so it didn’t feel right to tie any kind of pre-order giveaway to a purchase.

For those of you who aren’t aware, a beloved character from THE BRIDGE HOME reappears in BORN BEHIND BARS as an adult. So, for all those who wondered what happened after THE BRIDGE HOME…you’ll find a hint in BORN BEHIND BARS.

Many of you, my readers, are moved to help others in need, and so I just wanted to share, as I have in the past, an organization that I believe is providing excellent aid to those suffering from the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey: Doctors Without Borders .

Thanks for reading my work and staying in touch through this newsletter! Sending best wishes,

Padma