I write the Why Is My… books: South Asian middle grade novels about the questions kids actually ask. Why Is My Hair Curly? (Westland, 2020) and Why Is My Skin Brown? (Westland, July 2026) follow Indian American kids working out identity, belonging, and family in front of their classmates and cousins. Why Is My Skin Brown? takes on colorism and skin color head-on, at a child’s eye level. Sarayu hears opinions about her brown skin on two continents. I visit schools and libraries to have that conversation in person.
I live in Exton, Pennsylvania. I visit schools and libraries in person within about 45 minutes of Exton, which covers Chester County, the Main Line, and the western Philadelphia suburbs, and I visit everywhere else by Zoom. If your school or library is looking for a South Asian or Indian American children’s author, the formats, rates, and booking details are all below.
Visit formats
School author visits
Assemblies and single-classroom sessions for grades 4 to 8. Either program below runs as an assembly or a classroom session, and a full day can combine both with time for student questions and signing.
Library author visits
Public and school libraries: a reading and a conversation sized to your room, for a grade band or a family audience. The Why Is My Hair Curly? read-alouds at Uwchlan Hills Elementary were hosted by the school’s library media specialist.
Virtual author visits
Zoom, anywhere. The 15-minute Q&A is free when your class is reading one of my books, and you can book it straight from my calendar. Longer virtual presentations and virtual full days are priced in the rates table.
Programs
What Does Seeing Yourself in a Book Feel Like?
On representation and diversity in reading
Grades 4 to 8 · 45 minutes · assembly or classroom
A reading from Why Is My Skin Brown? and an honest conversation about what changes when a child opens a book and meets a character who looks like them and asks the same questions they do. We talk about why representation matters, both for the kids who rarely see themselves on the page and for the kids who rarely see anyone different. Open student Q&A.
The Refusal to Translate
Why learning about other cultures broadens the world
Grades 5 to 8 · 60 minutes · classroom discussion (optional short writing exercise)
Why do some books explain every unfamiliar word while others let you step into a world and work it out? Using the Why Is My… books, we look at how a story can carry its own language and customs without translating them for the reader, and why meeting a culture on its own terms is how reading widens your world. Students leave more curious about the books that do not explain themselves.
Free 15-Minute Virtual Q&A
If your class is reading one of my books, I will join you on Zoom for 15 minutes of student questions at no charge. Pick a slot on my calendar: weekdays at 12:00 or 12:30 Eastern, at least two days ahead. Tell me your school, the grade band, and which book you are reading, and the Zoom link arrives with the confirmation. Simple to book, and I mean it about free.
Rates
| Format | Rate |
|---|---|
| Virtual 15-minute Q&A (class reading my book) | Free |
| Virtual presentation, 30 to 45 minutes | $150 |
| Virtual full day (up to 3 sessions) | $500 |
| In-person single session (within about 45 minutes of Exton) | $300 |
| In-person half day (2 sessions) | $600 |
| In-person full day (3 to 4 sessions) | $1,000 |
If the fees are beyond your budget, tell me what you can afford and we will work something out. Title I schools receive a significant discount.
Many schools fund author visits through a PTA grant, and it is usually the librarian or an English teacher who writes the application. If that is you, I will send you everything the application needs, including a program description, my bio, and references.
For Your Classroom
- Teacher’s Guide for Why Is My Skin Brown?
- Parent and Family Reading Guide for Why Is My Skin Brown?
- For classroom sets, contact me directly. I ship signed copies from Exton and can quote for class quantities.
- Browse my South Asian Kid Lit reading list on Bookshop, a curated shelf of picture books and middle grade.
Experience
I have led Why Is My Hair Curly? sessions for students from elementary through grade 10, in person and over Zoom. In the US, I read the book live to all grades at Uwchlan Hills Elementary in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, with student Q&A, and the book is in the school library collection. In India, a school tour brought storytelling assemblies and writing workshops to over 600 students across two Chennai schools.
I have also presented Why Is My Hair Curly? at literary festivals across India:
- Bangalore Literature Festival, Children’s section, 2023 (in person)
- Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival, Delhi, 2023 (in person)
- Hyderabad Literary Festival, 2021
- Orange City Literature Festival, Nagpur, 2020
- Dakshin Literary Festival (The New Indian Express), 2020
Why Is My Skin Brown? published in July 2026, and I return to two of these festivals with it this winter: the Bangalore Literature Festival’s Children | Literature | Fun in December 2026, and the Orange City Literature Festival in Nagpur.
Reference: Megan Mitchell, Library Media Specialist at Uwchlan Hills Elementary School (Downingtown, PA), who hosted my Why Is My Hair Curly? read-aloud sessions. Her contact details and additional references are available on request.
Booking questions
Do you do virtual author visits?
Yes, by Zoom, anywhere. A 15-minute virtual Q&A is free when your class is reading one of my books, and it books straight from my calendar. A 30 to 45 minute virtual presentation is $150, and a virtual full day of up to three sessions is $500.
How far do you travel for in-person visits?
About 45 minutes from Exton, Pennsylvania: Chester County, the Main Line, and the western Philadelphia suburbs. Everywhere else is by Zoom.
What grades are your author visits for?
The programs are built for grades 4 to 8. Why Is My Hair Curly? read-alouds have run for every grade at an elementary school, and I have led sessions for students through grade 10.
What does an author visit cost?
Virtual presentations start at $150 and in-person sessions at $300. The full rates table is above. Title I schools receive a significant discount, and if the fees are beyond your budget, tell me what you can afford. I will also send everything a PTA grant application needs.
Can students get signed copies?
Yes. Signed copies of both books ship from Exton, Pennsylvania via Buy the Books, and I can quote for classroom quantities. Teacher’s guides and family reading guides are free on the educators page.
Booking
To book a paid visit, send me your school, grade band, preferred dates, and format through my contact page, and I will confirm within two business days. The free 15-minute Q&A books straight from my calendar.