I’M A FINALIST!THE NSK NEUSTADT PRIZE FOR CHILDREN’S & YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

My first attempt to leave a mark in this world was by carving my name onto the wooden door of our kitchen cabinet in the apartment we lived in. ULUL, it read. My father asked me who had done this, and I played innocent to no avail. After all, who else but a four-year-old would have inverted the letters of her name?

I grew up on a beautiful island devoid of public libraries. I did not have access to the amazing arr...