Books by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

The Sun Does Shine (Young Readers Edition): An Innocent Man, A Wrongful Conviction, and the Long Path to Justice

by Anthony Ray Hinton, Lara Love Hardin, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times, now adapted for younger readers, with a revised foreword by Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson.

In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free.

But with a criminal justice system with the cards stacked against Black men, Hinton was sentenced to death . He spent his first three years on Death Row in despairing silence―angry and full of hatred for all those who had sent an innocent man to his death. But as Hinton realized and accepted his fate, he resolved not only to survive, but find a way to live on Death Row. For the next twenty-seven years he was a beacon―transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates. With the help of civil rights attorney and bestselling author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015.

With themes both timely and timeless, Hinton’s memoir tells his dramatic 30-year journey and shows how you can take away a man’s freedom, but you can’t take away his imagination, humor, or joy.

The Hero Next Door: A We Need Diverse Books Anthology

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

From We Need Diverse Books, the organization behind Flying Lessons & Other Stories, comes another middle-grade short-story collection--this one focused on exploring acts of bravery--featuring some of the best own-voices children's authors, including R. J. Palacio (Wonder), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Linda Sue Park (A Long Walk to Water), and many more.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some heroes teach martial arts. Others talk to ghosts. A few are inventors or soccer players. They're also sisters, neighbors, and friends. Because heroes come in many shapes and sizes. But they all have one thing in common: they make the world a better place.

Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, this vibrant anthology features thirteen acclaimed authors whose powerful and diverse voices show how small acts of kindness can save the day. So pay attention, because a hero could be right beside you. Or maybe the hero is you.

AUTHORS INCLUDE: William Alexander, Joseph Bruchac, Lamar Giles, Mike Jung, Hena Khan, Juana Medina, Ellen Oh, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park and Anna Dobbin, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ronald L. Smith, Rita Williams-Garcia, and short-story contest winner Suma Subramaniam

“As with the two previous anthologies from We Need Diverse Books, this collection admirably succeeds in making available to all readers a wider and more representative range of American voices and protagonists.” —The Washington Post

Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow

by Discovery, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Since NASA was established in 1958, it has landed rovers on distant planets and launched telescopes deep into space―all so that we can look back to the beginning of time.

Through stunning images provided by NASA and fascinating profiles and sidebars of lesser known contributors to the NASA program, young space fans will learn how NASA started, how it faced challenges along the way, how much it has achieved, and how it will continue to move forward in the future.

NASA’s boundless curiosity and urge to explore lies at the heart of the human adventure. NASA rises to the urgent challenges we face, using its massive reach and expertise to find answers to vital questions like: How can we learn to live in a more extreme natural environment?

Inspired by Rory Kennedy’s documentary of the same name (airing 10/2018), Above and Beyond aims to leave audiences hopeful and inspired about the future of our planet―and convinced that NASA is essential to our continued survival as we mark its important anniversaries and dream of new discoveries to come.

The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Synclaire Fields Knows the Score

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Meet the kids in Mrs. Z's wacky and wonderful third-grade class! Synclaire Fields is proud to be the best in the class at math--until one mistake in a high-stakes situation means she's NOT the best after all. So who is she instead?



Synclaire Fields is the Math Kid in Mrs. Z's class, getting perfect marks on every quiz and helping her classmates master tricky concepts. She especially loves demonstrating her skills at her parents' store after school. Then she gets TWO ANSWERS WRONG on a math test, and ... How can she be the Math Kid if she isn't good at math anymore?



So Synclaire embarks on a quest to figure out what's next. Maybe she'll be a piano prodigy? A board-games whiz? A skating star? She likes some of these hobbies, but there's one constant with every role: She seems to come back to math. Maybe, with the help of her friends in Mrs. Z's class, she can still be the Math Kid after all?



Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Synclaire's story invites readers into Mrs. Z's class where friendship and fun rule the school, from NAACP Image Award finalist Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich.



Perfect for!

★ My Weirdtastic School fans

★ Reluctant readers

★ Classroom read-alouds

★ Andrew Clements fans

★ Math whiz kids

★ Kids who haven't found their hobby yet!



Read them all! The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class have plenty of stories to share!

Emma McKenna, Full Out (#1)

Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)

Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)

The Legend of Memo Castillo (#4)

Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5)

Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6)

Olive Little Gets Crafty (#7)

Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8)

Theo Chang is Not a Cat (#9) -- available for preorder now!

Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) -- available for preorder now!

Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (#11) -- available for preorder now!

Fia Hosein Finds Her Beat (#12) -- available for preorder now!



*The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order!

Makeda Makes a Home for Subway

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

The second title in a delightful new Level 2 I Can Read! series from acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and illustrator Lydia Mba, starring Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old "maker" and problem solver who loves to create.

Perfect for readers who love Rosie Revere, Engineer and Reina Ramos Works It Out.

Makeda is excited to bring Subway, the class guinea pig, home for the weekend. But Subway seems S-A-D--so Makeda and her friend Glory decide to make him an F-U-N new cage to cheer him up. But what if what is fun for Makeda is not fun for Subway

This Level 2 I Can Read! book features an engaging story, longer sentences, and language play perfect for developing readers.

Makeda Makes a Mountain

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

The third title in a delightful new Level 2 I Can Read! series from acclaimed author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and illustrator Lydia Mba, starring Makeda, an exuberant seven-year-old "maker" and problem solver who loves to create.

Perfect for readers who love Rosie Revere, Engineer and Reina Ramos Works It Out.

Makeda and her family are cleaning the house for a party! They make a huge pile of items they don't use anymore, and soon it's time to take them away. But Makeda is not ready to throw anything out. Can she find new ways to use her old things

This Level 2 I Can Read! book features an engaging story, longer sentences, and language play perfect for developing readers.

Operation Sisterhood: Stealing the Show!

by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

The Operation Sisterhood series continues as the four sisters decide to put on a community musical! The creative sister Sunday is the director and writer, but she has lost her spark. Can she find her shine again before everyone calls it quits?

"This ode to Black girlhood and the communities that serve them offers humor, tenderness, and charm." –Renée Watson, New York Times bestselling author

Sisters Sunday, Bo, Lee, and Lil are four sisters from a patchwork family. Bonded by their love of music, these sisters formed a musical babysitting band business Operation Sisterhood that just planned the best garden wedding party their Harlem community has seen. 

Imaginative Sunday impulsively announces her next big community project—staging an original musical—everybody’s counting on her, especially her sisters, Bo and the Twins, Lil and Lee. Then, disaster: Sunday has lost her creative mojo just when she most want to impress her new neighbor, TV star Talitha Thomas. Soon there will be more drama offstage than on!

Can Bo and the Twins use what they learn about New York City communities past and present and their band babysitting business to help Sunday find her shine and her love of storytelling again? It’s Operation Sisterhood to the rescue!

Award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich delivers a heartwarming sequel to Operation Sisterhood. Includes a New York City map to follow along on the sisters' journey!

The Sun Does Shine (Young Readers Edition) An Innocent Man, A Wrongful Conviction, and the Long Path to Justice

by Anthony Ray Hinton, Lara Love Hardin, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

The Sun Does Shine is an extraordinary testament to the power of hope sustained through the darkest times, now adapted for younger readers, with a revised foreword by Just Mercy author Bryan Stevenson.

In 1985, Anthony Ray Hinton was arrested and charged with two counts of capital murder in Alabama. Stunned, confused, and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mistaken identity and believed that the truth would prove his innocence and ultimately set him free.

But with a criminal justice system with the cards stacked against Black men, Hinton was sentenced to death. He spent his first three years on Death Row in despairing silence—angry and full of hatred for all those who had sent an innocent man to his death. But as Hinton realized and accepted his fate, he resolved not only to survive, but find a way to live on Death Row. For the next twenty-seven years he was a beacon—transforming not only his own spirit, but those of his fellow inmates. With the help of civil rights attorney and bestselling author of Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson, Hinton won his release in 2015.

With themes both timely and timeless, Hinton’s memoir tells his dramatic 30-year journey and shows how you can take away a man’s freedom, but you can’t take away his imagination, humor, or joy.