Praise for Midsummer’s Mayhem
Taking its inspiration from one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, Midsummer’s Mayhem is a sweet and fun story about mistaken identity, bumpy romance, and the everyday magic of baking.
Barbara Deeauthor of Star-Crossed and Maybe He Just Likes You
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
Enchantment reigns, yet the author’s exploration of family, friendship, and self-esteem are firmly grounded in reality.
Publishers Weekly Review
Praise for Seven Golden Rings
Rajani LaRocca is a magician with both story and math — a difficult combination that she combines with ease.
Jane YolenAuthor of Owl Moon and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
This riff on A Midsummer Night’s Dream is heartfelt and ridiculously fun. Mimi, sweet as sugar with a heart of gold, creates as many problems as she solves, but readers will be cheering for her and her family the whole way.
Booklist Review
Praise for Where Three Oceans Meet
The metaphor of the intertwining of cross-cultural and cross-generational similarities and differences is sustained from start to finish, offering points of connection for readers from all backgrounds.
Booklist
Praise for Much Ado About Baseball
The book — like its companion — is an utter delight. It’s the perfect read for anyone who loves stories about family, friendship, and most importantly, baseball.
Paul Swydan, Silver Unicorn Bookstore
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
Absolutely scrumptious! I fell in love with this book and devoured it in one day. LaRocca crafts a spell of tricky fairies, lovable mortals, and heartfelt magic. Mimi is determined, resourceful, and unfailingly kind. Perfect for aspiring bakers, younger siblings, or anyone with a passion.
Anna Merianoauthor of the Love, Sugar, Magic series
Praise for Much Ado About BaseballBaseball provides energetic context to this story in alternating voices of friends in a lovingly drawn and diverse community. Add magic, numbers, Shakespeare, and lashings of mystery, all seasoned with artful sprinkles of culinary flavor and equal parts humor and heart. Cleverly adjacent to the world of Midsummer’s Mayhem, yet standing wonderfully well alone.
Uma Krishnaswami, Author and Astrid Lindgren Award nominee
Praise for Much Ado About Baseball
A Much Ado About Nothing homage that explores parental expectations, complicated friendships, and teamwork. A moving tale of baseball, magic, and former rivals who come together to solve a problem.
Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
Honeysuckle sweet with a pinch of mayhem and a fairy twist! You’ll only want to put this book down in order to eat an entire plate of cookies. Shakespeare and baking — it’s the book combo dreams are made of.
Liz RiceThe Book Cellar, Chicago, IL
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
The realistic characters and complex family dynamics augment the tightly knit plot, and the mouthwatering descriptions of food are guaranteed to make readers hungry. . .A delectable treat for food and literary connoisseurs alike.
Kirkus, Starred Review
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
This book is a marvel — at once so rich and so spare. A coming of age story, a family story, a story of America, of science, of friendship, of courage, of culture, of aspiration.
Ali BenjaminNational Book Award Finalist author of The Thing About Jellyfish
Praise for Seven Golden Rings
This heartwarming rags-to-riches story is accompanied by vivid illustrations that pulse with detail, movement, and color. … A cleverly imagined story with a delightful premise.
Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Seven Golden Rings
LaRocca’s story, cast in the cadence of classic folktales, is enlivened by the contrast of Sreenivasan’s cartoon illustrations, which render tableaux in a magenta-tinged palette. A deft and engaging introduction to a sometimes flummoxing subject.
Publishers Weekly STARRED Review
Praise for Midsummer's Mayhem
What a fun, delicious read! Mimi bakes scrumptious goodies to express her heart, but is she good enough to win the While Away baking prize and an opportunity to work with her favorite chef? And can she figure out why her family is acting so strangely?
Joan TryggRed Balloon Bookshop, Minneapolis, MN
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
LaRocca’s historical novel in verse takes the reader through Reha’s past and present, flowing as seamlessly as the songs often referred to within the poems . . . readers, too, will be changed by her story.
Booklist STARRED Review
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
LaRocca showcases the best of what verse can do, telling a story that is spare, direct and true, every word and idea placed with intentional care. Packed with evocative details of tween life in the ’80s, Red, White, and Whole is a sensitive coming-of-age story with all the makings of a new middle grade classic.
BookPage STARRED Review
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
An intimate novel that beautifully confronts grief and loss.
Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
Readers will be invested in Reha’s relationships with her parents and friends and will enjoy the evocative verse and emotional stakes. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga and Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton.
School Library Journal
Praise for Red, White, and Whole
LaRocca takes us back to 1983 with eighth grader Reha, who feels like she has two different lives– her American life at school, and her Indian life at home. Sometimes it feels impossible for those two worlds to mix. Ultimately, her Amma is her moon, and Reha is the stars– the meanings of their names. When Amma is diagnosed with leukemia, all variations of Reha’s lives come crashing down. Red, White, and Whole is a beautiful, poignant novel-in-verse about family, friendships, and the lifetime-end… Read more
Andrew King, University Bookstore, Seattle, WA