Sharon Mills Draper (born August 21, 1948) is an American children's writer and a professional educator, the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for books about the African-American experience. She may be known best for her novel, Darkness Before Dawn, as well as The Battle of Jericho. Other books include Copper Sun, Double Dutch, Out of My Mind, the Jericho Trilogy and Romiette and Julio.Draper won the Margaret A.