Suma Subramaniam presents ‘V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time’

V. Malar can’t wait to celebrate the harvest festival Pongal with her cousins from Seattle. But will they have enough in common to make it enjoyable? An illustrated chapter book about extended family and holiday traditions, kicking off a charming new series.

Third Place Books is pleased to welcome back Suma Subramaniam for this special book on January 14, the day of Pongal celebrations. Suma will be reading from her illustrated chapter book, V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time. This event is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome.

For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

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About V. Malar: The Greatest Host of All Time. . .

V. Malar loves living on a farm with her parents in a small town in India. And Malar’s absolute favorite time of year, the harvest festival known as Pongal, is finally here! This year’s festival will be different because her aunt, uncle, and cousins from Seattle will be visiting and celebrating with them. Feeling both excited and nervous, Malar promises to be a great host to her cousins. But when Priya and Kamal talk about all the things they have back home, or when they’re not interested in the animals on the farm, Malar finds it hard to keep her patience and be the gracious host she promised she’d be. The cousins clearly don’t start off on the right foot, but after a few clashes, there are some laughs, and Malar realizes that her cousins might just become friends after all. Family and celebrations big and small await in Suma Subramaniam’s sweet story, brought to life by Archana’s Sreenivasan’s friendly illustrations. A glossary of Indian terms and an author’s note about Pongal can be found in the back matter.

Suma Subramaniam is the author of several children’s books based on STEM and STEAM topics as well as India and Indian heritage. She earned her MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her poems have been published in the Young People’s Poetry edition of Poetry Magazine from Poetry Foundation. When she’s not writing, she’s volunteering and blogging about children’s books. Suma lives in Washington State with her husband and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks. Find her online at sumasubramaniam.com.

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle’s Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.