About Me
Sheela Chari is the author of FINDING MIGHTY, a Junior Library Guild Selection and Children's Choice Award Finalist; and VANISHED, an APALA Children’s Literature Honor Book, Edgar finalist for best juvenile mystery, and Al’s Book Club Pick on the Today Show. She is currently working on a novelized series, THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL, based on the Peabody Award-winning mystery podcast by the same name created by Gen-Z Media. Sheela has degrees from Stanford University, Boston University, and New York University, where she received an MFA in Fiction. She teaches fiction writing at Mercy College and lives with her family in New York.
About My Books
FINDING MIGHTY
Along the train lines north of New York City, twelve-year-old neighbors Myla and Peter search for the link between Myla’s necklace and the disappearance of Peter’s brother, Randall. Thrown into a world of parkour, graffiti, and diamond-smuggling, Myla and Peter encounter a band of thugs who are after the same thing as Randall. Can Myla and Peter find Randall before it’s too late, and their shared family secrets threaten to destroy them all? Drawing on urban art forms and local history, Finding Mighty is a mystery that explores the nature of art and the unbreakable bonds of family.
*A Children’s Choice Award finalist
* A Junior Library Guild selection
*An Amazon Best Book of the Month Pick
Purchase FINDING MIGHTY: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
VANISHED
Eleven-year-old Neela dreams of being a famous musician, performing for admiring crowds on her traditional Indian stringed instrument. Her particular instrument was a gift from her grandmother-intricately carved with a mysterious-looking dragon. When this special family heirloom vanishes from a local church, strange clues surface: a tea kettle ornamented with a familiar pointy-faced dragon, a threatening note, a connection to a famous dead musician, and even a legendary curse. The clues point all the way to India, where it seems that Neela's instrument has a long history of vanishing and reappearing. Even if Neela does track it down, will she be able to stop it from disappearing again?
*An Edgar Award Finalist
*An Al's Book Club Pick Featured on the Today Show
*An APALA Children's Literature Award Honor Book
Purchase VANISHED: Amazon | Powells| Indiebound
THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL
This series invites readers to join 11-year-old Mars and his friends as they investigate the mysterious connection between disappearing kids and the famous billionaire inventor, Oliver Pruitt.
Based on the popular, Peabody-Award-winning mystery podcast created by Gen-Z Media. Look for the first book from Candlewick/Walker US Fall 2020.
Information about Visits
I'm available to visit your school, library, or book club in New York City, Westchester County, and for select visits in the Northeast region! I'm also happy to customize and tailor a program to fit your requirements, or do a free 20-minute Q&A over Skype.
2019 RATES
Half Day: $600, 2 sessions
Full Day: $900, 3 sessions, with a break for lunch
A session can be a workshop or presentation. Workshops must be run in a classroom setting where each student has a desk and/or adequate table space on which to write. An ideal workshop class consists of 25 or less students. Presentations can be scaled for either an individual class or grade (for example, the 4th grade). For larger presentations involving more than one grade (assembly style) please add an additional $25 fee per presentation.
For schools that demonstrate a financial hardship in covering these fees, please email me directly at sheela@sheelachari.com to discuss a negotiated rate.
Contact Me
I love hearing from you! Please email me at sheela@sheelachari.com.
For information about my work, please email my agent, Steven Malk, at smalk@writershouse.com.
For writers interested in receiving editing work on their manuscripts, feel free to email me to ask for my current rates. Because of my own writing projects and teaching workload, I can only commit to a very limited number of clients at this time.
Backstage on the Today Show