For as long as I remember, reading has been my favorite thing to do. I’ve always loved writing too. I was that kid who actually enjoyed writing essays in school. I wrote my first novel when I was eleven. It was an Enid Blyton rip-off (with Indian characters). It wasn’t very good, but then, first novels rarely are!
I got a master’s degree in energy engineering, where I studied renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. After that, I worked in software engineering for a few years.
In the 2000s, I rediscovered my love for writing. I blogged at Hallucinations!, wrote short stories that won awards, and essays for newspapers and magazines. My daughter turned out be such a story-gobbler that I had to start making up stories for her and that got me started on writing for children (which is so much harder than writing for grownups.)
When I write fiction, it is so much fun to imagine new worlds, and make up characters I can order around. (Though sometimes, my characters are the ones who order me around.)
Writing non-fiction for me is all about discovering true facts about our magnificent world and about us, the wonderful, fascinating people who live in it, and sharing this awe with my readers.
PRESS KIT
Headshots: Links to Google Drive
Short Bio: Shruthi Rao (www.shruthi-rao.com) is the award-winning author of 20 fiction and nonfiction books published in India and the US. She holds a masters degree in energy engineering and worked in tech before becoming a writer. Shruthi Rao grew up in India and now lives in California. She loves books, desserts, benches, trees, science and long walks.
Long Bio: Shruthi Rao (www.shruthi-rao.com) writes for children of all ages. She is the author of 20 fiction and nonfiction books published in the US and in India, several of which are bestsellers and have won awards.
She made her American publishing debut with Kadooboo!: A Silly South Indian Folktale, an NYPL Best Book 2024. When Science Stood Still (Oct 2025) is a JLG Gold Standard Selection.
In India, she’s best known for India in Triangles, A Melody in Mysore (A Parag Honour Book), India to the Rescue (Bal Sahitya Puraskar nominee), Manya Learns to Roar (Children First Award Winner), Susie Will Not Speak, How We Know What We Know, and several others.
Shruthi has also written dozens of award-winning short stories. Shruthi holds a master’s degree in energy engineering, and worked for a few years in tech before becoming a writer. She has conducted school visits, appeared on a number of panels and presented at conferences. Shruthi Rao grew up in India, and now lives in Northern California. She loves stories, desserts, benches, science, and long walks.
List of Books:
- WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL, McElderry/Simon & Schuster, 2025
- THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE, Yali/Sambasivan & Parikh, 2025
- INDIA IN TRIANGLES, Penguin Random House India, 2025
- KADOOBOO!: A SILLY SOUTH INDIAN FOLKTALE, Page Street Kids, 2024
- A MELODY IN MYSORE, Duckbill (Penguin Random House India), 2024
- SAVING LITTLE ANT, Children’s Book Trust of India (Government of India), 2022
- MALHAR IN THE MIDDLE, Duckbill (Penguin Random House India) 2021
- SPACESHIP TO THE UNIVERSE: THE STORY OF LIBRARIES, Duckbill (Penguin Random House India), 2021
- INDIA TO THE RESCUE: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IN THE MALDIVES, Juggernaut, 2021
- HOW WE KNOW WHAT WE KNOW: FASCINATING STORIES OF DISCOVERY AND INVENTION, Puffin (Penguin Random House India), 2021
- 10 INDIAN WOMEN WHO WERE THE FIRST TO DO WHAT THEY DID, Duckbill (Penguin Random House India), 2019
- 20 INDIANS WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, Talking Cub, 2019
- LOOK AGAIN, Pratham Storyweaver, 2018
- SUSIE WILL NOT SPEAK, Duckbill, 2018
- MANYA LEARNS TO ROAR, Duckbill, 2017
- THE SECRET GARDEN, Nature Science Initiative, 2017
- AVANI AND THE PEA PLANT, Pratham, 2016
- SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS FOR BACKYARD SCIENTISTS, Priority, 2013
- THE STORY LADY, Unisun, 2011