JosefinaK97: Created a info v1

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Created a info v1

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{{Short description|Indian-American writer of children's literature}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Rajani LaRocca
| image = Rajani LaRocca at BookExpo (05295).jpg
| caption = LaRocca at BookExpo in New York City, May 2019
| birth_place = [[Bangalore]], [[Karnataka]], India
| occupation = Writer, physician
| language = English
| nationality = American
| notable_works = {{plainlist|
* ''[[Red, White, and Whole]]'' (2021)
* ''[[Sona and the Golden Beasts]]'' (2024)
}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.rajanilarocca.com/}}
| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|*[[Harvard College]]
*[[Harvard Medical School]]}}
}}
'''Rajani LaRocca''' is an Indian-American author of [[children's literature]] and a [[primary-care physician]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Makhijani |first1=Pooja |title=Q & A with Rajani LaRocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/87355-q-a-with-rajani-larocca.html |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=Publishers Weekly }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite news |last1=Rath |first1=Arun |last2=Ruhalter |first2=Kana |date=14 July 2023 |title='A Vaccine is Like a Memory' teaches children about the history of vaccines |url=https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2023-07-14/a-vaccine-is-like-a-memory-teaches-children-about-the-history-of-vaccines |access-date=15 February 2024 |work=[[WGBH Educational Foundation]] |publisher=}}</ref> She writes [[middle grade fiction]] relating to [[Indian-American]] identity and [[medicine]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Vicky |title=Out to the Ball Game With Rajani LaRocca |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/rajani-larocca-much-ado-about-baseball-interview/ |website=Kirkus Reviews }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite news |last1=Groban |first1=Betsy |date=17 September 2021 |title=Physician, podcast host, and children's author Rajani LaRocca discusses her six-book year |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/09/17/lifestyle/physician-podcast-host-childrens-author-rajani-larocca-discusses-her-six-book-year/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Boston Globe}}</ref> She won a 2022 [[Newbery Honor]] for her novel ''Red, White and Whole.''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=Christina |date=2022-01-24 |title='The Last Cuentista' wins 2022 Newbery Medal for best children's book |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/01/24/newbery-award-caldecott-award-2022/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

LaRocca enjoyed creative writing in high school and college but stopped when she began attending medical school. She began writing again in 2011.<ref name=":0" /> She signed with TriadaUS Literary Agency in 2017.'''''<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Laura Fineberg |date=2023-07-18 |title=Interview: Kidlit Author Rajani LaRocca Discusses Four Eagerly Awaited Books |url=https://writersrumpus.com/2023/07/18/interview-kidlit-author-rajani-larocca-discusses-four-eagerly-awaited-books/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Writer's Rumpus |language=en}}</ref>'''''

LaRocca is of [[Tamils|Tamil]] descent.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |last1=Balaban |first1=Samantha |date=5 August 2021 |title=Hop in the minivan: 'Summer Is for Cousins' invites you on a family vacation |url=https://www.kios.org/2023-08-05/hop-in-the-minivan-summer-is-for-cousins-invites-you-on-a-family-vacation |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=[[NPR]] |publisher=}}</ref> She was born in [[Bangalore]]'''''<ref name=":4" />''''' but grew up in [[Louisville, Kentucky]], where she attended [[Louisville Collegiate School]].<ref name=":0" /> She moved to Boston for college.<ref name=":0" /> She is a graduate of [[Harvard College]] and [[Harvard Medical School]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=LaRocca |first1=Rajani |date=13 July 2021 |title=How I Managed to Get Six Books Published in 2021 |url=https://www.writersdigest.com/be-inspired/how-i-managed-to-get-six-books-published-in-2021 |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=Writer's Digest}}</ref>

As of 2022, she lived in [[Concord, Massachusetts]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boles |first1=Sydney |last2=Dearing |first2=Tiziana |date=2 August 2022 |title=Local author Rajani LaRocca on writing complicated identities |url=https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2022/08/02/rajani-larocca-red-white-whole |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=WBUR}}</ref> with her family.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shohet West |first1=Nancy |date=4 March 2022 |title=Even during the pandemic, these Greater Boston authors kept writing |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/04/metro/even-during-pandemic-these-local-authors-kept-writing/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |publisher=Boston Globe}}</ref>

Four of LaRocca's books are [[Junior Library Guild]] selections: ''Much Ado about Baseball'' (2021),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Much Ado about Baseball |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/much-ado-about-baseball-9781499811018j |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Junior Library Guild]] |language=en}}</ref> ''Red, White, and Whole'' (2021),<ref name="Red, White, and Whole">{{Cite web |title=Red, White, and Whole |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/red-white-and-whole-9780063047426j |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Junior Library Guild]] |language=en}}</ref> ''Summer Is for Cousins'' (2023),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Summer Is for Cousins |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/summer-is-for-cousins-9781419757334j |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Junior Library Guild]] |language=en}}</ref> and ''[[Sona and the Golden Beasts]]'' (2024),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sona and the Golden Beasts |url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/sona-and-the-golden-beasts-9780063295407j |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Junior Library Guild]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Publications ==

=== Picture books ===

* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Seven Golden Rings: A Tale of Music and Math |date=2020 |publisher=Lee & Low Books Incorporated |others=Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan |isbn=978-1-885008-97-8 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-15 |title=Seven Golden Rings: A Tale of Music and Math by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781885008978 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Bracelets for Bina's Brothers |date=2021 |publisher=Charlesbridge Publishing |others=Illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat |isbn=978-1-62354-129-3 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-22 |title=Bracelets for Bina's Brothers (Storytelling Math) by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781623541293 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=My Little Golden Book About Kamala Harris |date=2021 |publisher=Random House Children's Books |others=Illustrated by Ashley Evans |isbn=978-0-593-43022-4 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA |date=2021 |publisher=little bee books |others=Illustrated by Steven Salerno |isbn=978-1-4998-1075-2 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA |url=https://www.slj.com/review/the-secret-code-inside-you-all-about-your-dna |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[School Library Journal]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Summer is for Cousins |date=2021 |publisher=Abrams |others=Illustrated by Abhi Alwar |isbn=978-1-4197-5733-4}}<ref name=":3" />
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Where Three Oceans Meet |date=2021 |publisher=Abrams |others=Illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan |isbn=978-1-64700-500-9 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-17 |title=Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781419741296 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=I'll Go and Come Back |date=2022 |publisher=Candlewick Press |others=Illustrated by Sara Palacios |isbn=978-1-5362-0717-0 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-27 |title=I'll Go and Come Back by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781536207170 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=Chicken Soup for the Soul BABIES: Now! (Barks Dog) |date=2022 |publisher=Charlesbridge Publishing |others=Illustrated by Greg Paprocki |isbn=978-1-63289-339-0 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=Chicken Soup For the Soul KIDS: Lucas's Tricky Day: Looking on the Bright Side |date=2022 |publisher=Charlesbridge |others=Illustrated by India Valle |isbn=978-1-62354-283-2 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=A Vaccine is Like a Memory |date=2023 |publisher=Little Bee Books |others=Illustrated by Kathleen Marcotte |isbn=978-1-4998-1326-5}}<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-27 |title=A Vaccine Is Like a Memory by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781499813265 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=RaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Your One and Only Heart |date=2023 |publisher=Dial Books |others=Illustrated by Lauren Paige Conrad |isbn=978-0-593-32633-6}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=Your One and Only Heart |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rajani-larocca/your-one-and-only-heart/ |access-date=2025-12-14 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Masala Chai, Fast and Slow |date=2023 |publisher=Candlewick Press |others=Illustrated by Neha Rawat |isbn=978-1-5362-1940-1}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-05 |title=Masala Chai, Fast and Slow by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781536219401 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Mauntie and Me |date=2024 |publisher=Candlewick Press |others=Illustrated by Nadia Alam |isbn=978-1-536-22941-7}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-01 |title=Mauntie and Me |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/products/9794013 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-12-14 |website=[[Booklist]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States |date=2025 |publisher=Christy Ottaviano |others=Illustrated by Huy Voun Lee |isbn=978-0-316-57175-3}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-01 |title=Some of Us |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/products/9805136 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-12-14 |website=[[Booklist]]}}</ref>

=== Middle grade novels ===

* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=Midsummer's Mayhem |date=2019 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |others=Illustrated by Rachel Suggs |isbn=978-1-4998-0889-6 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-05-02 |title=Midsummer's Mayhem by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781499808889 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=[[Red, White, and Whole]] |date=2021 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-304744-0 |language=en}}<ref name="Red, White, and Whole"/>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |url= |title=Much Ado About Baseball |date=2021 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4998-1223-7 |language=en}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-30 |title=Much Ado About Baseball |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rajani-larocca/much-ado-about-baseball/ |access-date=2025-12-14 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=The Secret of the Dragon Gems |last2=Baron |first2=Chris |date=2023 |publisher=Little Bee |isbn=978-1-4998-1463-7}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=The Secret of the Dragon Gems by Rajani Larocca, Chris Baron |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781499814637 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=Mirror to Mirror |date=2023 |publisher=Quill Tree Books |isbn=978-0-063-04747-1}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-01 |title=Mirror to Mirror |url=https://www.booklistonline.com/products/9772000 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-12-14 |website=[[Booklist]]}}</ref>
* {{Cite book |last=LaRocca |first=Rajani |title=[[Sona and the Golden Beasts]] |date=2024 |publisher=Quill Tree |isbn=978-0-06329-540-7}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-14 |title=Sona and the Golden Beasts by Rajani Larocca |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063295407 |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:LaRocca, Rajani}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American women medical doctors]]
[[Category:21st-century American medical doctors]]
[[Category:American women children's writers]]
[[Category:American children's writers]]
[[Category:American people of Indian Tamil descent]]
[[Category:Writers from Louisville, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Newbery Honor winners]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard Medical School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Concord, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Writers from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Rajani LaRocca - Revision history

JosefinaK97: Created a info v1