Sassy and her seemingly bottomless sack are ready to greet the world with power and pizzazz!” Ms. I wanted to create a little girl with both spunk and sparkle, a child with grace and glitter. She wasted no time in telling me, ‘You need to write some books for girls like me!’ Sassy was born that day. “Something was missing in the books available to her. “Several years ago I met a little girl, an avid reader, who was about eight or nine years old,” she says.

Draper explains how she came to write the Sassy series. She also wrote Forged by Fire, the 1998 Coretta Scott King Award winner, as well as Tears of a Tiger, winner of the CSK/John Steptoe New Talent Award, and The Battle of Jericho and November Blues, both Coretta Scott King Honor Books. She is also the author of many books for teens, including the New York Times bestsellers Copper Sun, the 2007 Coretta Scott King Award winner, and We Beat the Street. Draper is the acclaimed author of the Sassy series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The best-selling Out of My Mind won countless hearts, which will eagerly seek out Melody's latest outing.Sharon M. Full of fun and the brightness of the future, Melody's summertime adventure will delight readers old and new and leave them hoping for another installment. Draper authentically captures her determination, fears, and blossoming abilities with such sweet accuracy that readers will feel the anxieties and triumphs themselves. Over her week away, her personal growth is evident through campfire confidences, unexpected adventures, and the joy of new friendships, plus a bit of first love. With summer on the horizon, she searches out and applies for admission to a camp designed to give differently abled kids the sleepaway experience and the opportunity to participate in activities such as horseback riding, swimming, and zip-lining. Melody, whose story began in Out of My Mind (2010), is now a middle-grader. Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW* * Octo* it's impossible not to be charmed by the witty protagonist's affirming, frequently ecstatic discovery of what it means to be part of a community that truly understands her.'

'Melody's voice is as wryly funny as ever, and the supporting cast, which features kids and adults of various ethnicities and disabilities, treat her with respect and empathy. 'A deeply satisfying and worthy continuation of a beloved story.' - Kirkus Reviews, STARRED * Septem*

Out of my heart sharon m draper