Sharon M. Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author for Out of My Mind , Blended , and Out of My Heart . She's also 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. She now lives in Florida. Visit her at SharonDraper.

com. Ebony Glenn is a children's book illustrator whose whimsical and expressive imagery can be found in Mommy's Khimar and Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins , among others. Passionate for the arts and great storytelling, she lives in the outskirts of Atlanta with her family.