Veera Hiranandani is an American writer of children's books. Her 2018 novel, The Night Diary, received a Newbery Honor in 2019.[1] Her novel How to Find What You're Not Looking For won the 2022 Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

Veera Hiranandani
OccupationWriter
Alma materGeorge Washington University
Sarah Lawrence College
Notable worksThe Night Diary
Notable awardsJohn Newbery Honor 2019
Website
www.veerahiranandani.com

Life and work

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Hiranandani, the daughter of a Jewish mother and a father who was originally from India, was raised in Connecticut. She attended George Washington University, and later studied fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Her first book, The Whole Story of Half a Girl, was published in 2012. It would become a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asian Book Award Finalist[2]

Hiranandani's next novel, The Night Diary, is set against the background of the 1947 Partition of India. She stated that this book was partly inspired by the experiences of her father, who was nine at the time of the Partition, and fled his home with his family.[3][2] The book was named one of two Newbery Honor titles in 2019.

Hiranandani lives and works in New York state.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922–Present" (PDF). Association for Library Service to Children. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Emma Kantor. "Q & A with Veera Hiranandani". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "Interview with Veera Hiranandani". Kid Curated Books. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "About". Veera Hiranandani. Retrieved August 4, 2021.