Draper was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Victor D. Mills and Catherine Gachett Mills. She is the oldest of 3 and has two younger siblings.[3] Growing up, she played the piano and loved to read.[4] 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.[5]
Draper earned her Bachelor's Degree, majoring in English, from Pepperdine University and her Master's of Arts degree in English from Miami University of Ohio in 1974.[6] Post-graduation, she began teaching in Cincinnati public schools.[6] During this time she became locally famous for her "Draper Paper," a challenging research paper assigned to graduating seniors.[3][7]
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."[8][5][9] 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. She credits this letter with helping her realize that she could be a writer.[9] In 2000, she retired from teaching in order to spend more time on her writing.[3][8] Draper lives in Cincinnati with her husband.[10]
She was National Teacher of the Year in 1997, and the Ohio State Department of Education named her Ohio Pioneer in Education.[3]
Draper was awarded the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award in 1997.[13] She was also a YWCA 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.[7][14]
In 1998 Draper was the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence for the Taft Museum.[15]
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.[16][14]
Draper received the Beacon of Light Humanitarian award in 2008.[14]
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.[17]
Tears of a Tiger earned Draper the John Steptoe Award for New Talent in 1995.[19] 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.
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.[21]
Romiette and Julio 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.[22]
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.[23][24] It won the 2013 California Young Reader Medal[25] and the 2013 Nevada Young Readers Award.[26] It also received the 2011 Sunshine State Young Readers Award.[27] It was a 2011 IRA Young Adult Choice.[22]
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.[28][29]
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[30] and is honored on the 2008 New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age.
Copper Sun received the 2007 Coretta Scott King Award,[19] 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 New York Times Bestseller List 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.[14]
November Blues received a 2008 Coretta Scott King Author Honor[19] 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.[31]
Panic was selected as a YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers,[32] and a 2014 IRA Young Adult Choice.[22]
Many of Draper's books for children and young adults contain mature and serious themes, such as death, grief, and abuse.[37] Draper has said that she uses these themes as they are "the realities of life" for many young people.[38] 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 Romiette and Julio, 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.[39] 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.[40] Other novels by Draper that focus on race include Fire from the Rock, Stella by Starlight, and Blended.
^"EBMA Names Sharon M. Draper Winner of the 33rd Annual Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award". Educational Book & Media Association. October 7, 2011. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Zonnenberg, Arina (April 2002). "Romiette and Julio". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 45 (7). International Literacy Association – via Gale General Onefile.
^Price, Vincent (March 2017). "Flipping the Coin: Towards a Double-Faced Approach to Teaching Black Literature in Secondary English Classrooms". Changing English. 24 (1): 53–66. doi:10.1080/1358684X.2016.1228442. S2CID58930086.
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