Sharon M. Draper

Draper was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Victor D. Mills and Catherine Gachett Mills. She is the oldest of 3 and has two younger siblings.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xrcY6VmaVCIC&pg=PA1|title=Sharon M. Draper: Embracing Literacy|last=Hinton|first=KaaVonia|date=2008-12-04|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810866539|language=en}} Growing up, she played the piano and loved to read.{{Cite journal|date=October 2018|title=In Conversation: Sharon M. Draper and Jason Reynolds|url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=132617154&site=ehost-live|journal=Publishers Weekly |via=Ebscohost}} By eleven she had read nearly every children's book in her local library and was given a special library card in order to be allowed to check out adult books.{{Cite journal|last=Hinton|first=KaaVonia|date=October 2008|title=AUTHOR PROFILE: SHARON M. DRAPER|url=http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=34928332&site=ehost-live|journal=Library Media Connection|volume= 27|issue=2|pages=42–43|via=Ebscohost}}

Draper earned her Bachelor's Degree, majoring in English, from Pepperdine University and her Master's of Arts degree in English from Miami University of Ohio in 1974.{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/journalism-and-publishing-biographies/sharon-m-draper|title=Sharon M. Draper {{!}} Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|access-date=2019-11-06}} Post-graduation, she began teaching in Cincinnati public schools. During this time she became locally famous for her "Draper Paper," a challenging research paper assigned to graduating seniors.{{Cite journal|date=October 1998|title=Year Abroad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7u0CAAAAMBAJ&q=YWCA+Career+Woman+of+Achievement+draper&pg=PA54|journal=Cincinnati Magazine|pages=54–58|via=Google Books|last1=Communications|first1=Emmis}}

She is married and has four children. Her own writing career began in 1990 when, as a teacher, she was challenged by a ninth-grade student to "write something."{{Cite web|url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A419148700/LitRC?sid=googlescholar|title=This is the sound of courage|last=Castellitto|first=Linda M.|date=2015-01-01|website=BookPage|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}{{Cite journal|last=Draper|first=Sharon M.|date=Spring–Summer 2001|title=Alex Haley, me, and a kid named Kyrus: a tale of cosmic connections|url=https://link-gale-com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/apps/doc/A205734616/LitRC?u=wash_main&sid=LitRC&xid=bbbd31e2|journal=Obsidian III|volume=3|issue=1|pages=26+|via=Gale Literature Resource Center}} She entered a short story entitled "One Small Torch" to a writing contest through Ebony magazine. Upon winning, Draper was awarded five thousand dollars and her story was published. Among those who wrote to congratulate her was Roots author Alex Haley. She credits this letter with helping her realize that she could be a writer. In 2000, she retired from teaching in order to spend more time on her writing. Draper lives in Cincinnati with her husband.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.com/content/teachers/en/authors/sharon-m--draper/|title=Sharon M. Draper Books, Author Biography, and Reading Level {{!}} Scholastic|website=www.scholastic.com|access-date=2019-11-06}}

Sharon Draper has two Coretta Scott King Author Awards (1998 for Forged by Fire, 2007 for Copper Sun), two Author Honor Awards (2004 for The Battle of Jericho, 2008 for November Blues), and won the inaugural John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 1995 for Tears of a Tiger.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-all-recipients-1970-present|title=Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present|last=Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table|date=2012-04-05|website=Round Tables|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}{{Cite web |title=Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present {{!}} Coretta Scott King Roundtable |url=https://www.ala.org/cskbart/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-all-recipients-1970-present |access-date=2024-10-23 |website=www.ala.org |language=en}}

She was National Teacher of the Year in 1997, and the Ohio State Department of Education named her Ohio Pioneer in Education.

Draper was awarded the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award in 1997.{{Cite web|url=http://www.milkeneducatorawards.org/connections/milestones/view/sharon-draper-oh-97-wins-the-young-adult-library-services-association|title=Sharon Draper (OH '97) Wins Young Adult Library Services Award » Connections Milestone|website=www.milkeneducatorawards.org|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-26}} She was also a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement, received the Dean's Award from Howard University School of Education, was recognized with the Pepperdine University Distinguished Alumnus Award, received the Marva Collins Education Excellence Award, and earned the Governor's Educational Leadership Award.{{Cite web|url=https://ccmntspeakers.com/speaker-profiles/sharondraper/|title=Sharon M. Draper {{!}} CCMNT Speakers|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-26}}

In 1998 Draper was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum.{{Cite web|url=https://taftmuseum.org/experience/duncanson-artist-in-residence-program/past-dair/|title=Past Duncanson Artist-in-Residence • Taft Museum of Art|date=2011-06-24|website=Taft Museum of Art|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-26}}

She was chosen as one of four authors to speak at the Library of Congress's 2006 National Book Festival in Washington D.C. and represented the United States at the National Book Festival in Moscow.{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-3999/|title=Sharon Draper: 2006 National Book Festival|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2019-11-26}}

Draper received the Beacon of Light Humanitarian award in 2008.

In 2011, she received the 33rd annual Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award by the Educational and Media Association. She donated her $2,500 prize money to Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati.{{Cite journal|date=October 7, 2011|title=EBMA Names Sharon M. Draper Winner of the 33rd Annual Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award|publisher=Educational Book & Media Association}}

She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2015.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2015/02/sharon-m-draper-wins-2015-edwards-award-tears-tiger-forged-fire-darkness-dawn|title=Sharon M. Draper wins 2015 Edwards Award for 'Tears of a Tiger,' 'Forged by Fire,' 'Darkness Before Dawn,' 'The Battle of Jericho,' 'November Blues' and 'Copper Sun'|last=American Library Association|date=2015-02-02|website=News and Press Center|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}

Tears of a Tiger earned Draper the John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 1995.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards/coretta-scott-king-book-awards-all-recipients-1970-present|title=Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present|last=Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table|date=2012-04-05|website=Round Tables|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}} It has been recognized as one of the best of the year by the Children's Book Council, the New York City Library, Bank Street College, and the National Council for Social Studies. It was also named as Best of the Best by VOYA.

Forged by Fire, the sequel to Tears of a Tiger, was the 1997 Coretta Scott King Award winner, and was also honored as a 1998 ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It also received the Parent's Choice Award and the Indiana Young Hoosier Award.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklists/bestbooksya/1998bestbooks|title=1998 Best Books for Young Adults|last=admin|date=2006-09-29|website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}

Darkness Before Dawn, the third book in the trilogy, is an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick, and has received the Children's Choice Award from the International Reading Association and received the Buckeye Book Award for 2005, and was named an IRA Young Adult Choice for 2003.{{Cite web|url=https://literacyworldwide.org/get-resources/reading-lists/young-adults-choices-reading-list|title=Young Adults' Choices 2019|website=literacyworldwide.org|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}

Romiette and Julio is also listed as an ALA Best Book and has been selected by the International Reading Association as a 2000 Notable Book for a Global Society, and by the New York Public Library in their Books for the Teen Age.{{Cite web|url=https://www.librarything.com/bookaward/IRA+Young+Adults%27+Choices+Reading+List|title=IRA Young Adults' Choices Reading List {{!}} Book awards {{!}} LibraryThing|website=www.librarything.com|access-date=2019-12-05}}

Out of My Mind was chosen the winner of the 2013 Sasquatch Reading Award by the readers of Washington State and the 2013 Bluestem Award by the third through fifth graders of Illinois.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aisled.org/pdf/BluestemWinners.pdf|title=Final Results for the 2013 Bluestem Award: Illinois 3-5 Readers' Choice Award|last=Association of Illinois School Library Educators|date=2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.wla.org/sasquatch-award-history|title=Sasquatch Award History|website=www.wla.org|access-date=2019-12-05}} It won the 2013 California Young Reader Medal{{Cite web|url=http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/winners.htm#2013|title=CYRM - Winners|date=2013-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903092719/http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/winners.htm#2013|access-date=2019-12-05|archive-date=2013-09-03}} and the 2013 Nevada Young Readers Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fictiondb.com/awards/2013~nevada-young-readers-award~191.htm|title=2013 Nevada Young Readers' Award Winners|website=www.fictiondb.com|access-date=2019-12-05}} It also received the 2011 Sunshine State Young Readers Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www-pvmkr.stjohns.k12.fl.us/media/sunshine/|title=Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Grades 3 – 5) – Media Center|website=www-pvmkr.stjohns.k12.fl.us|access-date=2019-12-05}} It was a 2011 IRA Young Adult Choice.

Double Dutch was honored as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People by the Children's Book Council as well as one of the top ten sports books for young adults for 2003 by the ALA, and Best of the Best for 2004, and received the Sunshine State Young Readers Award for 2006.{{Cite web|url=https://www.librarything.com/bookaward/Sunshine+State+Young+Reader%27s+Award+Nominee|title=Sunshine State Young Reader's Award Nominee {{!}} Book awards {{!}} LibraryThing|website=www.librarything.com|access-date=2019-12-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://mckinnonliterary.com/author/sharon-m-draper|title=Sharon M. Draper - McKinnon Literary|website=mckinnonliterary.com|access-date=2019-12-05}}

The Battle of Jericho received a 2004 Coretta Scott King Author Honor, one of the New York Public Library's Book for the Teen Age, and is one of the 2005 Young Adult Choice Books named by the International Reading Association.

Fire from the Rock has been selected by the NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Committee as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People for 2008{{Cite web|url=https://www.socialstudies.org/publications/notables/2008|title=Notable Social Studies Tradebooks for Young People 2008|date=2017-05-17|website=National Council for the Social Studies|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}} and is honored on the 2008 New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age.

We Beat the Street is listed on the New York Times Bestseller List and is on VOYA's Non-Fiction Honor List for 2006 and is honored on the 2006 New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age.

Copper Sun received the 2007 Coretta Scott King Award, was named as one of the Top Ten Historical Fiction Books for Youth by Booklist was nominated for the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Literature, and received the Ohioana Award for Young Adult Literature. Copper Sun is also a CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, received the Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Literature, was named as an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society and was named as Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal. Copper Sun is also listed on the New York Times Bestseller List and was selected by the US State Department and the International Reading Association as the United States novel for the international reading project called Reading Across Continents. Students in the US, Nigeria, and Ghana are reading the book and sharing ideas.

November Blues received a 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Honor and is honored on the 2008 New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age.

Sassy: Little Sister Is Not My Name! received the 2009 Parents Choice Award.{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/books/parents-choice-awards/2009-parents-choice-awards/_/N-29Z8q8Z1tzr?page=3|title=2009 Parents' Choice Awards, Parents' Choice Awards, Books|last=Noble|first=Barnes &|website=Barnes & Noble|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}}

Panic was selected as a YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers,{{Cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-quick-picks-reluctant-young-readers|title=2014 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers|last=JFINNEKE|date=2014-02-03|website=Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)|language=en|access-date=2019-12-05}} and a 2014 IRA Young Adult Choice.

Stella by Starlight was selected as the 2016 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Winner.{{Cite web|url=https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Sharon-M-Draper/706340|title=Sharon M. Draper|website=Simon & Schuster|language=en|access-date=2019-11-26}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9781442494978J|title=Junior Library Guild : Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper|website=www.juniorlibraryguild.com|access-date=2019-11-26}}{{Cite journal|date=November 2016|title=2016 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children|url=https://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/LA/0942-nov2016/LA0942CLRHuck.pdf|journal=Language Arts|publisher=National Council of Teachers of English|volume=94|issue=2|pages=130–137|doi=10.58680/la201628806 }}

Blended was a New York Times Best Seller in 2019.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2019/03/17/|title=Best Sellers - March 17, 2019 - The New York Times|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-12-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

File:Sharon Draper.JPG

{{Incomplete list|date=May 2013}}

• Tears of a Tiger (Simon & Schuster, 1994) {{ISBN|9780689318788}}
• Forged by Fire (S&S, 1997) {{ISBN|9780689806995}}
• Darkness Before Dawn (S&S, 2001) {{ISBN|9780689830808}}

• The Battle of Jericho (S&S, 2003) {{ISBN|9780756939267}}
• November Blues (S&S, 2007) {{ISBN|9781416906988}}
• Just Another Hero (S&S, 2009) {{ISBN|9781416995210}}

1. Sassy: Little Sister Is Not My Name (Scholastic Press, 2009)
2. Sassy: The Birthday Storm (Scholastic, 2009)
3. Sassy: The Silver Secret (Scholastic, 2010)
4. Sassy: The Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party (Scholastic, 2010)

1. The Buried Bones Mystery (S&S, 1994)
2. Lost in the Tunnel of Time (S&S, 1996)
3. Shadows of Caesar's Creek (S&S, 1997)
4. The Space Mission Adventure (S&S, 2006)
5. The Backyard Animal Show (S&S, 2006)
6. Stars and Sparks on Stage (S&S, 2007)

• Out of My Mind (S&S 2010)
• Out of my Heart (S&S 2021)
• Out of my Dreams (S&S 2024)

• Romiette and Julio (S&S, 1999) {{ISBN|9781442428850}}
• Jazzimagination: a journal to read and write (Scholastic, 1999) {{ISBN|043906130X}}
• Drum Beats (Scholastic, 2001) cowritten with Charlene Potts
• Double Dutch (S&S, 2002) {{ISBN|9780689842313}}
• Copper Sun (S&S, 2006) {{ISBN|9780689821813}}
• Fire from the Rock (Dutton Children's Books, 2007) {{ISBN|9780525477204}}
• Panic (Atheneum Books, 2013) {{ISBN|9781442408982}}
• Stella by Starlight (Atheneum Books, 2015) {{ISBN|9781442494992}}
• Blended (Atheneum Books/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 2018) {{ISBN|9781432874087}}

• Teaching from the Heart: reflections, encouragement, and inspiration (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000), {{LCCN|99039534}}
• Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy around the Edges: inspiration, laughter, and encouragement for teachers (Heinemann, 2001), {{LCCN|2001020423}}
• We Beat the Street (Dutton, 2005)

• Let the Circle Be Unbroken: collected poetry for children and young adults (Sharon M. Draper, 1997) {{ISBN|978-1881786801}}
• Buttered Bones (Sharon M. Draper, 1997) {{ISBN|978-1881786757}}

Many of Draper's books for children and young adults contain mature and serious themes, such as death, grief, and abuse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sharon-m-draper|title=Sharon M. Draper|date=2019-12-06|website=Poetry Foundation|language=en|access-date=2019-12-07}} Draper has said that she uses these themes as they are "the realities of life" for many young people.{{Cite web|url=http://www.orrt.org/draper/|title=Ohio Reading Road Trip {{!}} Sharon Draper Biography|website=www.orrt.org|access-date=2019-12-07}} One major theme touched on in Draper's Out of My Mind, which tells the story of a young girl with cerebral palsy, is young people and disabilities.

Another major theme in Draper's books, such as Forged by Fire and Romiette and Julio, is race. In Romiette and Julio, an African American girl and Hispanic boy begin dating, despite familial disapproval and threats from a local gang. Zonnenberg states that the story's focus on complex issues such as gang violence and interracial relationships encourages deep discussion by all readers.{{Cite journal|last=Zonnenberg|first=Arina|date=April 2002|title=Romiette and Julio|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A84967072/ITOF?u=wash_main&sid=ITOF&xid=b12d74f6|journal=Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy|publisher=International Literacy Association|volume=45|issue=7|via=Gale General Onefile}} While Romiette and Julio puts the main characters' races at the forefront of the plot, Price notes that Draper takes the opposite approach in Forged by Fire. Price writes that while many characters in this book are African American, Draper focuses more on character actions. Because Draper centers more on narrative and character development, readers come away with a sense that race and ethnicity make up only one part of an individual's identity.{{Cite journal|last=Price|first=Vincent|date=March 2017|title=Flipping the Coin: Towards a Double-Faced Approach to Teaching Black Literature in Secondary English Classrooms|journal=Changing English|volume=24|issue=1|pages=53–66|doi=10.1080/1358684X.2016.1228442|s2cid=58930086}} Other novels by Draper that focus on race include Fire from the Rock, Stella by Starlight, and Blended.

{{Reflist}}

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• {{official website }}
• [http://www.orrt.org/draper/ Draper] at Ohio Reading Road Trip
• {{LCAuth|n94024391|Sharon M. Draper (Sharon Mills)|40|}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Sharon M.}}

Category:1948 births

Category:20th-century American novelists

Category:21st-century American novelists

Category:African-American novelists

Category:American children's writers

Category:American young adult novelists

Category:Teachers of English

Category:Margaret A. Edwards Award winners

Category:American women children's writers

Category:American women novelists

Category:Living people

Category:American women writers of young adult literature

Category:Schoolteachers from Ohio

Category:American women educators

Category:African-American children's writers

Category:20th-century American women writers

Category:21st-century American women writers

Category:20th-century African-American women writers

Category:20th-century African-American writers

Category:21st-century African-American women

Category:Pepperdine University alumni

Category:Miami University alumni

Category:Writers from Cleveland

Category:Coretta Scott King Award winners