Non-Fiction Books

According to Sharon Draper, 1997 Teacher of the Year, teaching is a vocation, not a job, and those who teach need to be reminded of the importance of the work they do. That is exactly what Teaching from the Heart does-offering inspiration and encouragement for anyone who may have lost sight of the rewards of the profession. Teaching from the Heart is neither a reference book nor a study guide; it is a book of gems to hold on to when a teacher's world seems to be nothing but rocks. It features uplifting essays, conversations, and poems that can provide a needed boost during a hurried lunch hour or between classes. The treatment is light, friendly, and understanding. It is the kind of book that a mentor teacher passes on to a student teacher, or a college professor assigns to his or her students as they begin their own teaching careers. It is the kind of book that will be cherished and shared by all teachers as well as anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a teacher.

Scholastic's 1997 National Teacher of the Year, Sharon Draper, has written an unusual and fascinating book for middle-grade and YA girls that's part journal and part novel.Meet Jasmine---Jazzy, for short. She's a thirteen-year-old with lots of thirteen-year-old things going on in her life. Things she likes to write down in her journal. Jazzy wonders about who she is, her parents, her school, boys (of course)---normal stuff. But she also thinks about her body, getting older, and death. Jazzy is a teenager like most. But, by reading her entries, this journal not only gives the reader a chance to see that their feelings and emotions are sometimes shared by others, it also gives the reader a place to write what they might be feeling, as well.

This book of inspirational stories and essays is designed for any teacher who has survived the first week of the first year of teaching. It offers memories of the joy of teaching, tells compelling tales of tragedy as well as survival, and provides opportunities for laughter, which is sometimes the only remedy for difficult situations. Faced with low salaries, overcrowded classrooms, and dwindling public support, teachers are expected to improve student performance, answer public scrutiny, and solve society’s problems—with just a stroke of chalk across a blackboard. It is easy to become discouraged, and many do. Not Quite Burned Out helps remind teachers of the reasons they entered the profession in the first place. Without disguising the heart-breaking realities, Draper nonetheless celebrates the joys and very real rewards of teaching. Her clear-eyed compassion and wry humor will offer inspiration to novice and longtime teachers alike.

Uplifting and inspiring, this true story about how three friends came together and encouraged one another to achieve great success will speak to young readers everywhere. “All readers will be riveted by the profoundly inspirational stories and personal, intimate voices that discuss big mistakes and complicated emotions, including ‘survivor guilt’ for choosing a different path from friends and family.” — Booklist Growing up on the rough streets of Newark, New Jersey, Rameck, George,and Sampson could easily have followed their childhood friends into drug dealing, gangs, and prison.  But when a presentation at their school made the three boys aware of the opportunities available to them in the medical and dental professions, they made a pact among themselves that they would become doctors. It took a lot of determination—and a lot of support from one another—but despite all the hardships along the way, the three succeeded.  Retold with the help of an award-winning author, this younger adaptation of the adult hit novel The Pact is a hard-hitting, powerful, and inspirational book that will speak to young readers everywhere.

This gripping and chillingly realistic novel from New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper shows that all it takes is one bad decision for everything to change. Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger. But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then? Then Diamond might make the wrong decision. It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news. From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it—and how we can take it back.