Former teacher. Wannabe chef. Kidlit author. Tami Charles writes picture books, middle grade, young adult, and nonfiction. Her middle grade novel, LIKE VANESSA, has earned Top 10 spots on the Indies Introduce and Spring Kids' Next lists, along with three starred reviews. Her picture book, FREEDOM SOUP, debuts with Candlewick Press in fall, 2019. She also has more books forthcoming with Capstone, Sterling, and Albert Whitman. Tami is represented by Lara Perkins, of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
* I attended Newark Public Schools, where my mother was a teacher, vice-principal, and eventually principal at our elementary school, Madison Avenue. Talk about TORTURE! (but I survived)
* Four score and seven years ago, I was in an all-girl R&B singing group. We performed on BET, for the Apollo, and had a song on the radio that played at like 2 in the morning when everyone was sleeping. We didn't make it to Hollywood, but those were the times of my life!
* Traveling (looking to add Italy to the list soon)
* Empanadas = life. If you don't like them, we can't be friends.
* I fall in love with anything written by Kwame Alexander, Rita Williams-Garcia, Edwidge Danticat, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Guadalupe Garcia McCall, and Meg Medina. Swoon!!!
* Spiders, Cave Crickets, Raw Onions (destroy them ALL!)