Carmela A. Martino, Children's Book Author


On Sale Now!


For ages 9 and up.
Rosa, Sola
After praying and praying for a younger sibling, Rosa is thrilled to learn her mother is finally pregnant. But then tragedy strikes, and each member of her family must find a way to cope—including Rosa. ISBN 0763623954.

To read an excerpt from the novel, click here.

To order a copy online, click here.

For a list of discussion questions, click here.
For Recommended Reading for Children and Teens click below:


Photo copyright ©2005 JamieLynn Photography

Carmela A. Martino is an author and teacher who lives in Illinois. She completed an MFA in Writing at Vermont College in July 2000. While in the program, she started working on her children's novel, Rosa, Sola. She eventually sold the manuscript to Candlewick Press, and it was published in September, 2005. Before becoming interested in writing for children, Carmela worked as a freelance writer. She's had articles, essays, short stories and poetry published in newspapers and magazines for both adults and children.

Carmela has taught writing classes for adults at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois since April 1998. She also teaches children's writing classes at the Hinsdale Center for the Arts. She is available to present writing workshops for both adults and children. To learn more, see the Programs page.

Carmela is now a regular columnist for The Prairie Wind, the online newsletter for the Illinois chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Click below to read her latest column of writing tips.




All content on this site ©2005-2008 by Carmela A. Martino, unless otherwise noted. Please do not copy without permission.


Carmela will offer her one-day introduction to writing for children, From Goodnight Moon to Harry Potter, at a new location: the Mayslake Peabody Estate in
Oak Brook, Illinois, Saturday, August 23, 9 a.m.—3 p.m. For details, see the Programs page.

Italian-American Culture



CLA conference attendees: click the above link to find the list of "42 Things in the Life of an Italian-American Child" referred to in Carmela's talk: "Turning Life into Fiction."

Book News:


Rosa, Sola has been included in the Chicago Public Schools 2007 Summer Reading List.


Rosa, Sola was named to Booklist's "Top Ten First Novels for Youth: 2006"!


The Baltimore County Public Library included Rosa, Sola in its "Great Books for Kids 2005"!
For the complete list, click the link below.


The Chicago Tribune named Rosa, Sola to its 2006 list of "Read & Write 100 Great Books for Summertime or Anytime"!

Rosa, Sola is available in Australia!


Author Visits and Writing Classes


For information about author visits and writing classes, see the Programs page.

Writer Resources


For links to writer resources, see the For Writers page.



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