New Releases by Sharon M. Draper

A New York Times bestseller. Melody faces her fears to follow her passion in this stunning sequel to the acclaimed middle grade novel Out of My Mind. Melody, the huge-hearted heroine of Out of My Mind, is a year older and a year braver. And now with her Medi-talker, she feels nothing’s out of her reach, not even summer camp. There have to be camps for kids like her, and she’s going to sleuth one out – a place where she can trek through a forest, fly on a zip line and ride a horse. A place where maybe she can make her own decisions, do things herself, and maybe maybe maybe, finally make a true friend. By the light of flickering campfires and the power of thunderstorms, through the shock of unexpected creatures in cabins and the first sparkle of a crush, Melody’s about to discover how brave and strong she truly is.

Melody flies to London to speak at a convention about differently abled kids in this ‘warm and beautifully told’ (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) sequel to the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling middle grade novels Out of My Mind and Out of My Heart. Melody is electric with excitement. She did something very, very wonderful for someone who was very, very thankful. And now she’s going on her first ever aeroplane flight . . . to London. Will her wheelchair make it there in one piece? Will she finally find a best friend to be silly with? Go on a heart-thumping adventure? Maybe even meet a prince? Will she be brave enough to give a speech . . . when she has never uttered a single word in her entire life? Will a dream of her own enable others to have dreams of their own? What Melody will discover is that some dreams can come true, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. This third book in the Out of My Mind trilogy sees dreams fulfilled . . . and new ones being dared to be dreamt of!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon M. Draper comes a debut picture book about a timid little ballerina who learns that the show must go on—and will—with a little help from her friends. Bella loves ballet class and listens hard to the music so she can tippy-toe turn, point, and plié in perfect time. When Madame announces a recital, Bella is determined to do her best. But when she tries to stretch up to leap lightly like a cloud, she wobbles and almost topples—luckily, a friend catches her. Now, Bella’s nervous; maybe she can’t do this like she thought she could. On recital day, when the curtain goes up and the dancers get in position, Bella freezes. Can she find her courage in time to take the stage?

Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police.

When a burning cross set by the Klan causes panic and fear in 1932 Bumblebee, North Carolina, fifth-grader Stella must face prejudice and find the strength to demand change in her segregated town.

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

As rehearsals begin for the ballet version of Peter Pan, the teenaged members of an Ohio dance troupe lose their focus when one of their own goes missing.

A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) In this “searing work of historical fiction” (Booklist), Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon M. Draper tells the epic story of a young girl torn from her African village, sold into slavery, and stripped of everything she has ever known—except hope. Amari''s life was once perfect. Engaged to the handsomest man in her tribe, adored by her family, and fortunate enough to live in a beautiful village, it never occurred to her that it could all be taken away in an instant. But that was what happened when her village was invaded by slave traders. Her family was brutally murdered as she was dragged away to a slave ship and sent to be sold in the Carolinas. There she was bought by a plantation owner and given to his son as a "birthday present". Now, survival is all Amari can dream about. As she struggles to hold on to her memories, she also begins to learn English and make friends with a white indentured servant named Molly. When an opportunity to escape presents itself, Amari and Molly seize it, fleeing South to the Spanish colony in Florida at Fort Mose. Along the way, their strength is tested like never before as they struggle against hunger, cold, wild animals, hurricanes, and people eager to turn them in for reward money. The hope of a new life is all that keeps them going, but Florida feels so far away and sometimes Amari wonders how far hopes and dreams can really take her.

In this third book of the classic chapter book series by award-winning author Sharon M. Draper, four boys who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs go on a spooky camping trip filled with Native American lore. Ziggy and friends are excited about their overnight camping trip to Caesar’s Creek State Park—named after a Shawnee chief. Their camp counselor is a descendant of Caesar and fills the campers’ imaginations with fun (and spooky!) stories about her ancestors and the Shawnee legends. When Ziggy and the rest of the Clubhouse gang decide to test their courage like the Shawnee youth did, things don’t go quite as planned. And when they end up lost, strange things start to happen. Could it just be the animals roaming the woods? Or are the ancient spirits of Caesar back to haunt their old stomping grounds?

In this second book of the classic chapter book series by award-winning author Sharon M. Draper, four boys who call themselves the Black Dinosaurs explore an old tunnel that once was part of the Underground Railroad. Ziggy, Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome discover their hometown used to be a stop on the Underground Railroad and set out to explore the part of the tunnel right under their school. When a trapdoor slams behind them, locking them in the tunnel, there’s only one thing they can do—plunge deeper and deeper into the darkness. Where will the tunnel lead them? And will the old, crumbling walls hold until they find their way to the end?

Ziggy and his friends form a clubhouse after someone vandalizes their basketball court, and they soon uncover a clue that may tell them who did it.

Hope shines in the face of fear in this conclusion to Sharon M. Draper’s award-winning Hazelwood High trilogy. In her senior year, things are finally looking a little brighter for Keisha. Still haunted by the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Andy, she finds comfort in the attentions of the new track coach, twenty-three-year-old Jonathan Hathaway, the principal’s son. How can Keisha not be swept off her feet by a tall, dark, handsome “lemon drop wrapped in licorice” who treats her like a woman, not a girl? But suddenly this intoxicating relationship takes a frightening turn, and Keisha is once again plunged into the darkness she’s fought so hard to escape. Will Keisha ever be able to find her way back into the light?

Sixteen-year-old Jericho is awaiting initiation to the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school—but how high a price will he have to pay to belong? Find out in this first novel in Sharon M. Draper’s Jericho Trilogy. When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can’t get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and great grades are a given. When Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do anything to become a member… But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to make choices he’s not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it in for the sole female pledge in the group…a pledge who will stop at nothing to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.

Do you feel the soul of another calling to you? Do you know in your heart that your destiny and his wore meant to merge In the cosmos? We can help you find him. When Romiette Cappelle and her best friend, Destiny, decide to order The Scientific Soul Mate System from the back of Heavy Hunks magazine, they''re not sure what they''re getting into. But Destiny, a self-proclaimed psychic, assures Romi that for $44.99 plus shipping and handling, it''s the only way they''re ever going to find out who their soul mates really are. If nothing else, maybe Romi will get some insight into that recurring dream she''s been having about fire and water. But they never expect that the scented candle and tube of dream ointment will live up to their promises and merge Romiette''s destiny with that of Julio Montague, a boy she''s just met in the "cosmos" of an Internet chat room. It turns out they go to the same high school, not to mention having almost the same names as Shakespeare''s famous lovers! Sweet-scented dreams of Julio have almost overtaken Romi''s nightmares... ...when suddenly they return, but this time in real life. It seems the Devildogs, a local gang, violently oppose the relationship of Romiette and Julio. Soon they find themselves haunted by the purple-clad shadows of the gang, and the fire and water of Romiette''s dream merge in ways more terrifying -- and ultimately more affirming -- than even Destiny could have foreseen.

Great middle greats fiction.

A teenaged boy''s death in a hazing accident has lasting effects on his pregnant girlfriend and his guilt-ridden cousin, who gives up a promising music career to play football during his senior year in high school.

Three young men''s honest accounts of the street life that threatened to swallow them up, and how they helped on another succeed beyond their wildest expectations.

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.