Sharon M. Draper's Blog, page 2

Release party for Out of My Mind March 27, 2010

Hello all,

The book launch party was a delightful success. Let's see--where do I start?
The day dawned sunny and warm after weeks of rainy, dreary weather. Our color scheme was pale blue and orange, of course, and so loads of helium balloons decorated the outside of the building and along the halls of the school as well. We had it at Walnut Hills High School where I taught for 20 years, and LOTS of my former students came. One drove all the way from Chicago. I guess we had about 250 in att...

Out of my Mind--My newest novel--Great blog review!

Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon Draper
Release: March 9, 2010
Publisher: Atheneum
Isbn:141697170X (isbn13: 9781416971702)

From blog: eatingyabooks.blogspot.com by Jan Von Harz


Imagine not being able to talk, walk, feed yourself, or take yourself to the bathroom. A real nightmare right? In Sharon Draper's new book Out of My Mind this nightmare is a reality for eleven-year-old Melody. Born with cerebral palsy, Melody's mind is filled with words and thoughts she can never express, but Draper...

Well, I’m back home, a bit jet-lagged, but glad to be in ...

Well, I’m back home, a bit jet-lagged, but glad to be in the USA once more. The trip to Africa was amazing. The purpose, if you remember, was to take Copper Sun back to the continent. The program Reading Across Continents paired American students with students from Ghana and Nigeria. It was a true inter-continental, global, cross-cultural, shared social and educational experience. It focused on friendship and shared, common interests. As Americans, we sometimes see only the negative aspects of African society. We often fail to recognize the positive—their focus on education and their academic successes. The young people who were part of this program are the future leaders of their countries. And perhaps because of this program, they have formed friendships that will ease some of the world’s social tensions.
Ten students from Ghana and ten from Nigeria visited the United States for three weeks in September. On this trip, twenty American students, all high school seniors from School Without Walls in Washington, DC, made the journey to Africa to meet up with their friends. Ten went to Ghana. Ten went to Nigeria. Their reunions were joyous and heartwarming.
I went to Nigeria first, where I got to know the students there. We visited the American Embassy in Abuja, as well as other sites, and the students began taking classes—in the uniforms of the Nigerian students. I did a book talk about Copper Sun to the teens from both Nigeria and America. It was an amazing discussion.
All too soon I had to leave Nigeria for Ghana, where I met the ten American students as they arrived from the US. Another joyous reunion of friends from two continents.
In Ghana, the American students again embraced the uniforms of their Ghanaian friends. I did another book talk with the teens in Ghana about Copper Sun, and somehow it was an even more effective and powerful discussion. I think it’s because Ghana is where it all started.
The next day we got to travel to Cape Coast Castle, the place where the seeds of Copper Sun was born. I got to retrace my steps, to touch the stones of that building once more, and to tell Amari that I had done what she asked me to—tell her story to the world. I stood at the Door of No Return, in front of those twenty students, their teachers, and assorted guides and other visitors, and told the story of how the story started, of how I felt that I was asked to tell the tale. Then I gave thanks that not only was I able to write the book, and bring it back to that place, but that the book had been instrumental in joining the hearts and minds of forty young people and their teachers and schools. Not only had the story been told—it had been shared with the world. Standing in front of that door at that moment was one of the most powerful, emotional moments in my life. I wept. So did many of the students.
I took Amari back home.
Thank you.

To see all the pictures go to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid...

Well, I'm back home, a bit jet-lagged, but glad to be in ...

Well, I'm back home, a bit jet-lagged, but glad to be in the USA once more. The trip to Africa was amazing. The purpose, if you remember, was to take Copper Sun back to the continent. The program Reading Across Continents paired American students with students from Ghana and Nigeria. It was a true inter-continental, global, cross-cultural, shared social and educational experience. It focused on friendship and shared, common interests. As Americans, we sometimes see only the negative asp...

My Trip To Africa--Day One

Today I am writing this from Abuja, Nigeria. I just arrived, and of course the first thing I did was to find the computer in the lobby! It's warm and welcoming here. The World Cup Soccer games are in town, so there is a great air of excitement all around. I have no pictures to post yet, but I'm going to take lots!
The reason I'm here is because my book Copper Sun was chosen by the State Department and the International Reading Association to be read by students in the US, and students in N...

Back to School! Read, Read, Read! And Enjoy the Process!

Salute to Librarians and Teachers--The Reader's Rap! It's back to school and back to reading.
Thanks for all you do to celebrate books, and to spread the magic and beauty of language.
The name of the poem is Reader's Rap, and you can find it in Book 6 of the Ziggy series. It's called Stars and Sparks On Stage.
The music is done by my friend Annie Ruth--visual artist, poet, musician, and creator of a magic all her own.

Have a wonderful school year!

Lovely article in Publisher's Weekly!

http://email.publishersweekly.com/cgi...
Q & A with Sharon M. Draper
This article originally appeared in PW's Children's Bookshelf. Sign up now!
By Felicia Pride -- Publishers Weekly, 6/25/2009

Sharon M. Draper has been busy of late, with her new Sassy series for tween girls from Scholastic, as well as the release of Just Another Hero (Atheneum, July), the final book in her Jericho trilogy. The former teacher now writes fulltime, and does school visits an

14 applications to college. 14 acceptances. Great success story!

Now this is the kind of story you want to read as you sip your morning coffee. She's the daughter of a good friend.


Country Day grad to head for Stanford full swing | Cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

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"Speed Dating" in NYC at Book Expo--Sassy Sack is featured!

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/a...

BookExpo America 2009: Speed Dating with Authors, Illustrators
By Rocco Staino -- School Library Journal, 6/2/2009

Those attending this year’s Book Expo America in New York from May 29-31 had a chance to speed date—with their favorite children’s authors and illustrators.


Sharon Draper shows off her Sassy sack.

Some 23 children’s book creators took part in the event, sponsored by the Children’s Book Council, which involved spend

"Grammy, I'm Famous!" SASSY hits Jasmine's school.

My granddaughter Jasmine is almost seven. Her school is having their Scholastic Book Fair this week. She called me last week when the flyers went out, telling me that my new book Sassy was "right there on the very first page!" She told her class that her grandmother had written the book, so I asked her what they said. She replied, "Well, half didn't believe me and the other half didn't care." But her teacher had listened. So this week, on the first day of the Book Fair, they ran the video