Books with author Sharon Draper

Sylvia Patterson is shocked and confused when she is asked to be one of the first black students to attend Central High School, which is scheduled to be integrated in September 1957, whether the citizens or governor of Arkansas like it or not. Before Sylvia makes her final decision, smoldering racial tension in the town ignites into flame. When the smoke clears, she sees clearly that nothing is going to stop the change from coming. It is up to her generation to make it happen, in as many different ways as there are colors in the world.

Eleven-year-old Isabella’s blended family is more divided than ever in this “timely but genuine” (Publishers Weekly) story about divorce and racial identity from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper.Eleven-year-old Isabella’s parents are divorced, so she has to switch lives every week: One week she’s Isabella with her dad, his girlfriend Anastasia, and her son Darren living in a fancy house where they are one of the only black families in the neighborhood. The next week she’s Izzy with her mom and her boyfriend John-Mark in a small, not-so-fancy house that she loves. Because of this, Isabella has always felt pulled between two worlds. And now that her parents are divorced, it seems their fights are even worse, and they’re always about HER. Isabella feels completely stuck in the middle, split and divided between them more than ever. And she is beginning to realize that being split between Mom and Dad involves more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it’s also about switching identities. Her dad is black, her mom is white, and strangers are always commenting: “You’re so exotic!” “You look so unusual.” “But what are you really?” She knows what they’re really saying: “You don’t look like your parents.” “You’re different.” “What race are you really?” And when her parents, who both get engaged at the same time, get in their biggest fight ever, Isabella doesn’t just feel divided, she feels ripped in two. What does it mean to be half white or half black? To belong to half mom and half dad? And if you’re only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole? It seems like nothing can bring Isabella’s family together again—until the worst thing happens. Isabella and Darren are stopped by the police. A cell phone is mistaken for a gun. And shots are fired.

Delia loves Double Dutch. And she's good at it. Really good. So good that her team has a chance to win the World Double Dutch Championships this year -- Delia is sure of it. What she is less sure of is her chance of passing the school's state exam, because Delia has been using her success at Double Dutch to mask a secret that could jeopardize her place on the team, and also her future. Delia's not the only one with a secret. Her potential boyfriend, Randy, has one too -- his dad has been missing for weeks, and Randy hasn't told anyone for fear he'll be put in a foster home. But he is running out of money and getting scared. The one thing that isn't a secret is that their classmates, the Tolliver twins, are out to cause trouble. With their skull caps, angry demeanors, and hints of violence emanating from even the way they stalk down the school halls, they seem to enjoy intimidating the other kids. But will they cross the line from intimidation to violence? With consummate skill and an uncanny ability to capture how real kids think, act, and feel, Tears of a Tiger author Sharon M. Draper weaves these three stories tighter and tighter, creating a novel that tingles with suspense and emotion.

Scholastic's 1997 National Teacher of the Year, Sharon Draper, has written an unusual and fascinating book for middle-grade and YA girls that's part journal and part novel.Meet Jasmine---Jazzy, for short. She's a thirteen-year-old with lots of thirteen-year-old things going on in her life. Things she likes to write down in her journal. Jazzy wonders about who she is, her parents, her school, boys (of course)---normal stuff. But she also thinks about her body, getting older, and death. Jazzy is a teenager like most. But, by reading her entries, this journal not only gives the reader a chance to see that their feelings and emotions are sometimes shared by others, it also gives the reader a place to write what they might be feeling, as well.

This set is the powerful teen Hazelwood High trilogy; first 2 volumes won Coretta Scott King Award. Third volume includes a 4-page readers guide. #1, Tears of a Tiger: In one horrifying night, how has Andy's life changed forever? #2, Forged by Fire: Will Gerald find the courage to stand up to his stepfather? #3, Darkness before Dawn: Has Keisha Found happiness at last? Read to find out!

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory that makes her the brightest kid in her school. Unfortunately, most people—including her doctors and teachers—believe she can’t even learn.That’s why her school days drone on with the same preschool lessons again and again and again.Unable to talk, write, or walk, Melody longs to tell what she thinks and knows—but she can’t. Trapped inside her own body, she often feels driven to the brink of insanity. And then one day, she discovers how to “speak.” For the first time, hope sweeps over her. She has a voice at last! But is everyone prepared to listen?Richly textured by Sisi Aisha Johnson’s enthralling narration, Out of My Mind, by ALA Best Book honoree and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon M. Draper, is an unforgettable tale of heartache and hope—and of one girl’s struggle to prove the “experts” wrong.“Uplifting and upsetting, [Out of My Mind] will enlighten and resonate with teens and adults.”—Booklist, starred review“Kids will benefit from [Melody’s] gutsy, candid, and compelling story [that] reveals the quiet strength and fortitude it takes to overcome disabilities and the misconceptions that go with them.”—School Library Journal, starred review