SLCL Presents Award-Winning Middle Grade Author Sharon Draper

St. Louis County Library Foundation’s Reading Garden Series for Young Audiences and The Novel Neighbor are pleased to host Coretta Scott King Award-Winning young adult author Sharon Draper for latest novel “Out of My Dreams.”

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis MO 63131.

Sharon Draper’s New York Times bestselling Out of My Mind series follows a girl with cerebral palsy who fights to be heard.

Eleven-year-old Melody is not like most people. She can’t walk. She can’t talk. She can’t write. All because she has cerebral palsy. But she also has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. Most people—her teachers, her doctors, her classmates—dismiss her as mentally challenged, but she’s the smartest kid in her whole school.  And Melody refuses to be defined by her disability. 

In the third installment in the series, “Out of My Dreams,” Melody flies to England to be a US spokesperson at an international symposium for kids with different abilities. 

Melody finally gets to fly on an airplane, and even the airline’s somewhat clumsy handling of her wheelchair can’t dampen her excitement to be in London. There, Melody meets kids from all over the world who are rallying for greater accessibility and more thoughtful planning on how to make the world more equal for every kid, no matter the unusual challenges they face. As Melody’s time to speak approaches, she hopes she can find a way to make every word count and make an impact.

Sharon M. Draper is the New York Times bestselling author of “Out of My Mind,” “Blended,” and “Out of My Heart.” She’s won Coretta Scott King Awards for “Copper Sun” and “Forged by Fire” and multiple honors. She’s also the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. Sharon taught high school English for twenty-five years and was named National Teacher of the Year. 

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.