Sharon Mills Draper (born August 21, 1948) is an American children's writer, professional educator, and the 1997

National Teacher of the Year The National Teacher of the Year is a professional award in the United States. The program began in 1952, as a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and aims to reward excellence in teaching. It is sponsored by ING. ...

. She is a five-time winner of the

Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award re ...

for books about the young and adolescent African-American experience. She is known for her Hazelwood and Jericho series, '' Copper Sun,'' '' Double Dutch'', '' Out of My Mind'' and ''

Romiette and Julio ''Romiette and Julio'' is a young adult novel by Sharon Draper, published in 1999 by Atheneum Books. It is an updated version of ''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare. Many of the characters in Draper's novel closely parallel those in Shak ...

''.

Personal life

Draper was born in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

to Victor D. Mills and Catherine Gachett Mills. She has two younger siblings. Growing up, she played the piano and loved to read. 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. Draper earned her Bachelor's Degree, majoring in English, from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and ...

and her Master's of Arts degree in English from

Miami University of Ohio Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in 1974. 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. 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." 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 Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book ''Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and a ...

. 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.

Awards and honors

Personal Awards

Sharon Draper has five Coretta Scott King Book Awards - Author Award Winner: 1998 ''Forged by Fire'', 2007 ''Copper Sun;'' Author Honor: 2004 ''The Battle of Jericho'', 2008 ''November Blues''; John Steptoe Award for New Talent: 1995 ''Tears of a Tiger''. She was 1997's National Teacher of the Year, and the Ohio State Department of Education named her Ohio Pioneer in Education. Draper was awarded the

Milken Family Foundation The Milken Family Foundation is a private foundation established by Lowell Milken and Michael Milken in 1982. Lowell Milken serves as chairman and co-founder of the foundation. Goals The foundation is focused primarily on supporting education ...

National Educator Award in 1997. She was also a

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

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. In 1998 Draper was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum. 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. 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. She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

in 2015.

Book Awards

'' Tears of a Tiger'' earned the

in 1995. 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

winner, as well was honored as a 1998 ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It also received the Parent's Choice Award and the Indiana Young Hoosier Award. '' 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. ''

'' 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. '' 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. It won the 2013

California Young Reader Medal The California Young Reader Medal is a set of five annual literary awards conferred upon picture books and fiction books selected by vote of California schoolchildren from a ballot prepared by committee. The program was established in 1974 with Int ...

and the 2013 Nevada Young Readers Award. It also received the 2011 Sunshine State Young Readers Award. 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. '' The Battle of Jericho'' is the 2004

, 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 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 ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States.John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

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

, 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

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 the 2008

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. ''Panic'' was selected as a

YALSA The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...

Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers, and a 2014 IRA Young Adult Choice. ''Stella by Starlight'' was selected as the 2016 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Winner. ''Blended'' was a New York Times Best Seller in 2019.

Works

Hazelwood High Trilogy

* ''

Tears of a Tiger ''Tears of a Tiger'' is a young adult novel written by Sharon Draper. It was first published by Atheneum in 1994, and later on February 1, 1996 by Simon Pulse, and is the first book of the Hazelwood High Trilogy. It depicts the story of a seven ...

'' (

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pub ...

, 1994) * '' Forged by Fire'' (S&S, 1997) * '' Darkness Before Dawn'' (S&S, 2001)

Jericho series

* '' The Battle of Jericho'' (S&S, 2003) * '' November Blues'' (S&S, 2007) * ''

Just Another Hero Sharon Mills Draper (born August 21, 1948) is an American children's writer, professional educator, and the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for books about the young and adolescent Afric ...

'' (S&S, 2009)

Sassy series

# ''Sassy: Little Sister Is Not My Name'' (

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

, 2009) # ''Sassy: The Birthday Storm'' (Scholastic, 2009) # ''Sassy: The Silver Secret'' (Scholastic, 2010) # ''Sassy: The Dazzle Disaster Dinner Party'' (Scholastic, 2010)

Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series

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

Standalone novels

* ''

'' (S&S, 1999) *Jazzimagination: ''a journal to read and write'' (Scholastic, 1999) *Drum Beats (Scholastic, 2001) cowritten with Charlene Potts * '' Double Dutch'' (S&S, 2002) * '' Copper Sun'' (S&S, 2006) * ''Fire from the Rock'' (

Dutton Children's Books Dutton Children's Books is a US publisher of children's books and a division of the Penguin Group. It is associated with the Dutton adult division. It was previously an imprint of E.P. Dutton, prior to 1986. They have been publishing books sin ...

, 2007) * '' Out of My Mind'' (S&S, 2010) * ''Panic'' (S&S Atheneum Books, 2013) * ''Stella by Starlight'' (

Atheneum Books Atheneum Books was a New York City publishing house established in 1959 by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr., Simon Michael Bessie and Hiram Haydn. Simon & Schuster has owned Atheneum properties since its acquisition of Macmillan in 1994 and it created Ath ...

, January 2015) *''Blended'' (Atheneum Books/Caitlyn Dlouhy, 2018)

Non-fiction

* ''Teaching from the Heart: reflections, encouragement, and inspiration'' (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000), * ''Not Quite Burned Out, But Crispy around the Edges: inspiration, laughter, and encouragement for teachers'' (Heinemann, 2001), * '' We Beat the Street'' (Dutton, 2005)

Poetry

* ''Let the Circle Be Unbroken: collected poetry for children and young adults'' (Sharon M. Draper, 1997) * ''Buttered Bones'' (Sharon M. Draper, 1997)

Themes

Many of Draper's books for children and young adults contain mature and serious themes, such as death, grief, and abuse. Draper has said that she uses these themes as they are "the realities of life" for many young people. 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 ''

'', 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. 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. Other novels by Draper that focus on race include ''Fire from the Rock, Stella by Starlight,'' and ''Blended.''

References

External links

*
Draper
at Ohio Reading Road Trip * {{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Sharon 1948 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists African-American women writers African-American novelists American children's writers American young adult novelists Teachers of English Margaret A. Edwards Award winners American women children's writers American women novelists Living people Women writers of young adult literature Schoolteachers from Ohio American women educators African-American children's writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women