T. V. Padma
Encyclopedia
Padma Venkatraman, also known as T. V. Padma (born 1969) is a children's author
from India
.
, a city in the south of India
and completed her schooling and her undergraduate studies there. She moved to the United States
to pursue her studies further. She obtained her doctorate degree in oceanography
at The College of William and Mary and is currently Director of Graduate Diversity Affairs at the University of Rhode Island
. She enjoys writing for children, and her stories combine her knowledge of science and mathematics with her passion for literature and writing.
Her debut novel Climbing the Stairs
was published by Penguin-Putnam
in 2008 and released to starred reviews in Booklist
, Publishers Weekly
and VOYA Magazine. The novel is the winner of the Boston Authors Club 2009 award, which was presented at the Boston Public Library
in May 2009. The novel has also garnered several honors and awards, including: Booklist Editor's Choice Best Books of the Year, Booklinks Best New Books for the Classroom, New York Public Library
Book for the Teen Age, ALA
YALSA Best Books of the Year, National Council of Social Studies CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice, Children's Literature Network Top 25 books of 2007-2008, and a Booksense Notable citation and a Publishers Weekly Flying Start highlight.
Venkatraman is also the recipient of the 2008 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for Nonfiction and the winner of a Storytelling World honor for her picture book The Cleverest Thief, published by August House.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Background
She was born in ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, a city in the south of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and completed her schooling and her undergraduate studies there. She moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to pursue her studies further. She obtained her doctorate degree in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
at The College of William and Mary and is currently Director of Graduate Diversity Affairs at the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
. She enjoys writing for children, and her stories combine her knowledge of science and mathematics with her passion for literature and writing.
Her debut novel Climbing the Stairs
Climbing the Stairs
Climbing the Stairs is a young-adult novel written by Padma Venkatraman. It was published on May 1, 2008 by Penguin USA. The novel depicts fifteen-year-old Vidya, who is coming of age in a tumultuous time as her native India struggles for independence and the world battles in World War II...
was published by Penguin-Putnam
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
in 2008 and released to starred reviews in Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
, Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
and VOYA Magazine. The novel is the winner of the Boston Authors Club 2009 award, which was presented at the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
in May 2009. The novel has also garnered several honors and awards, including: Booklist Editor's Choice Best Books of the Year, Booklinks Best New Books for the Classroom, New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
Book for the Teen Age, ALA
Ala
Ala may refer to:* Ala , a female demon in the Serbian and Bulgarian mythology* Ala , an Alusi in Odinani* Ala , a Republican-period, largely infantry, formation of 5,400 men...
YALSA Best Books of the Year, National Council of Social Studies CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice, Children's Literature Network Top 25 books of 2007-2008, and a Booksense Notable citation and a Publishers Weekly Flying Start highlight.
Venkatraman is also the recipient of the 2008 SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for Nonfiction and the winner of a Storytelling World honor for her picture book The Cleverest Thief, published by August House.
External links
- http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/
- http://www.publishersweekly.com/
- http://www.bostonauthorsclub.org/
- http://www.climbingthestairsbook.com/index.html
- A Short Biography
- An interview with Padma Venkatraman by Atula Ahuja