Most Popular Books by Sharon M. Draper

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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.

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.

Because she loves horses but is scared of them, Melody wants to conquer her fears, so she hopes a summer camp will be the place to welcome someone with cerebral palsy who wants to learn to ride.

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.

Recovering from the recent suicide of her ex-boyfriend, senior class president Keisha Montgomery finds herself attracted to a dangerous, older man.

When November Nelson loses her boyfriend, Josh, to a pledge stunt gone horribly wrong, she thinks her life can''t possibly get any worse. But Josh left something behind that will change November''s life forever, and now she''s faced with the biggest decision she could ever imagine. How in the world will she tell her mom? And how will Josh''s parents take the news? She''s never needed a friend more. Jericho Prescott lost his best friend when he lost his cousin, Josh, and the pain is almost more than he can bear. His world becomes divided into "before" and "after" Josh''s death. He finds the only way he can escape the emptiness he feels is to quit doing the things that made him happy when his cousin was alive, such as playing his beloved trumpet, and take up football, where he hopes the physical pain will suppress the emotional. But will hiding behind shoulder pads really help? And will his gridiron obsession prevent him from being there for his cousin''s girlfriend when she needs him most? This sequel to The Battle of Jericho is a no-holds-barred look at what happens when life doesn''t go as planned, by the acclaimed author of the 2007 Coretta Scott King Award winner Copper Sun.

When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and tragedy strikes. The one bright light in Gerald''s life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her abusive father. Gerald finds success on the Hazelwood Tigers basketball team, and Angel develops her talents as a dancer, despite the trouble that still haunts them.

Ziggy and the rest of the Black Dinosaurs are thrilled to find out that there is a tunnel under their school that was once used by the Underground Railroad, and decide to check it out.

The Clubhouse kids compete for a big prize—and make some creative moves—in this repackaged and talent-filled tale from bestselling author Sharon Draper. Ziggy, Jerome, Rashawn, and Rico are sure they’re going to win the upcoming school talent show. And the best part? First prize is $200! With great singing and showmanship, the boys are already envisioning all the new upgrades they’ll give their clubhouse when they win the prize money. But they didn’t count on a little girl with a big, big voice, who just might have what it takes to overcome the Clubhouse kids—and who also needs the money much more than the boys do. Can everyone come out a winner in this contest?

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.

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.

Includes a sneak peek from "Space mission adventure."

A young girl who loves Double Dutch is caught in the crossfire of the secrets she, her best friend, and the school bullies are keeping in this emotional middle grade novel. Delia loves Double Dutch more than just about anything, and she’s really good at it—so good she and her teammates have a shot at winning the World Double Dutch Championships. Delia would die if she couldn’t jump—but she’s hiding something could keep her off the team next year. Delia’s friend Randy has a secret too, one that has him lonely and scared. And while Delia and Randy struggle to hide parts of themselves, their school is abuzz with rumors about what malicious mischief the terrible Tolliver twins—who just may have a hidden agenda of their own—are planning. Delia and Randy’s secrets collide on what should be the happiest day of Delia’s life, and the collision threatens to destroy their friendship. Why can’t life be as easy for Delia as Double Dutch?

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.

Jericho, November, Arielle, and their friends must step up big time to prevent a deadly school tragedy in this harrowing conclusion to Sharon M. Draper’s Jericho Trilogy. Arielle Gresham, disliked and mistrusted by most of the students at her school, has a secret past, an unbelievably complicated present, and a shaky future. But no one knows or cares because she has managed to alienate anyone who could help her. She tries to cope with problems at school, but difficulties at home almost break her spirit. Then, as the school tries to deal with an outbreak of false fire alarms and a series of thefts, and Arielle discovers that one classmate is addicted to prescription drugs and another is a victim on vicious online bullying. Outward appearances are seldom what they seem to be—everyone is dealing with something, it’s all a matter of how you deal with it, Arielle is figuring out. But one kid can’t, and as he starts to crack, could he take the school tumbling down with him? A hero is needed. But what makes a hero?

"Originally published as the series title ''Ziggy and the black dinosaurs''"--T.p. verso.

A little girl loves ballet, but she has to overcome her fear to join her friends in the ballet pagent.

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.

Copyright date 2006, published as #5 in the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series.

Melody è l''alunna più intelligente della scuola. Però nessuno lo sa. Quasi tutti, compresi i suoi insegnanti e i medici, ritengono che lei non abbia alcuna capacità di apprendimento. Se solo potesse dire che cosa pensa... Perché Melody non può comunicare. Non può camminare. Non può scrivere. Finché un giorno, a undici anni, scopre qualcosa che potrebbe permetterle di parlare. E con le parole potrà volare.

Melody es la chica más inteligente en la escuela, pero nadie lo sabe. La mayoría de las personas, incluyendo a sus profesores y médicos, creen que ella está cognitivamente desafió y le han colocado en educación especial. Si ella sólo podía compartir lo que piensa y lo sabe, pero la melodía no puede hablar, caminar o escribir. Los lectores serán movidos por su unidad y perseverancia.

“Ogni giorno, da quando sono nata, qualcuno si è occupato di me. Ma io sarò mai in grado di condurre la mia vita? Potrò mai essere me stessa?” Melody ha dodici anni e, nonostante la sua paralisi cerebrale, comunica grazie al computer Elvira, ma desidera di più. Decide di partecipare a un campo estivo adatto a ragazzi come lei, dove per la prima volta sarà lontana da casa. Qui, tra nuove sfide e amicizie inaspettate, scoprirà di essere più forte di quanto gli adulti pensino e l’importanza di credere in se stessa.

Great middle greats fiction.

When Ziggy, Jerome, Rashawn, and Rico enter the school''s talent contest, they are sure that they are going to win, until they meet a little girl with a big voice who not only has talent, but who needs the prize money even more than they do.

A maioria das pessoas não se dá conta do poder das palavras. PAra Melody Brooks, elas são pequenos tesouros. MElody tem paralisia cerebral: não pode andar, não pode ir ao banheiro ou se alimentar sozinha, nunca disse uma palavra... E ela tem quase onze anos. OS médicos foram categóricos e disseram que Melody seria um fardo, mas seus pais sabiam do potencial da filha. BAstava apenas querer enxergar. MElody tem memória fotográfica, um rico vocabulário e uma sensível percepção da vida. TAlvez seja a menina mais inteligente de sua escola. MAs quase ninguém consegue percebê-la. NÃo sabem que ela consegue ouvi-los, entendê-los e que tem muito a dizer. MElody quer tocar o mundo. ROmper com os limites aparentemente intransponíveis impostos por seu corpo. DEterminada, ela vai encontrar uma forma de mostrar que pode ir além e surpreenderá a todos.