I’m so excited that “The Granddaughter Necklace” has been selected by the National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council ...

Children’s Book Council Notable Book, Best Books of the Year Parents Magazine A little girl longs to see beyond the angry scribbling in the...

New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing, “Reading Rainbow” Book For a girl whose daddy doesn’t live at home, t...

Corey Birdsong’s diary continues as he and his family make a new life as free people in Canada. (Grades 3-5) “Wyeth breathes full life into Corey....

Children’s Book Council Notable Book Corey Birdsong, a nine-year-old enslaved boy living in Kentucky in 1857, records daily life on the Hart farm an...

Lambda Literary Award Finalist, New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age As high schooler Orphea shares her story on stage, she raises question...

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My Blog

Thank you, Thomas Richards School!
The sun had set by the time I arrived at the school for the Literacy Night.

Through the darkness, I saw hundreds of trees because this school is on the edge of an enormous State forest! A warm glow of lights beckoned me toward the building.

Inside the Library, second and third graders were waiting with their parents. I had a box of Family Story Journals with me to give to them. The evening was filled with friendship, the sharing of stories and delicious food.

The following day, I saw familiar faces during the assembly and Writing Workshops. Good listeners at Thomas Richards! Lots of budding writers willing to try out the writing exercise I’d planned for them in the Workshop.

I left at the end of the second day with a big smile on my face. In the bright sunlight, the forest seemed even more enormous but not at all scary. As I drove back home to Montclair, questions rattled around in my head; questions the students had asked me:

Who are you writing for?

If you weren’t an author, what other job would you have?

Do you still have a dream?
01/15/15
South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominees 2014-2015 | Richland Library

The 2014-2015 South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominees can be checked out from Richland Library. Get your hands on a copy, today!

Breaking News! The Granddaughter Necklace is nominated for the South Carolina Picture Book Award for 2014-2015. Check out the list of nominated books!
01/13/15
Coming Up: 40th Annual Conference of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, March 11-13, 2015 in historic Columbia, SC.
I’ll be there to meet librarians and to sign “The Granddaughter Necklace.” The line up of other authors attending the Conference looks great!
01/08/15

Upcoming Events

The 23rd Annual African American Children's Book Fair

The Book Fair started out on a cold frosty day at John Wanamaker Department Store and is now one of the oldest and largest single day events for African American Children's Books in the country.

When: Sat February 7

Where: Community College of Philadelphia

More information...

40th Annual Conference of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians

I'll be there to meet librarians and to sign "The Granddaughter Necklace." The line up of other authors attending the Conference looks great!

When: Wed March 11 - Fri March 13

Where: Columbia, SC

More information...

About Me

“When I was a child, reading saved my life. As an adult, I’ve found my way writing childhood.”

I’ve been writing books for children and young adults since 1989. My writing career is part of a personal quest that began in my own early childhood. What I experienced as a child, along with questions that formed in my mind at an early age, has been the source and impetus for many of my stories.

My latest book “The Granddaughter Necklace” is a Children’s Book Council “Hot Pick” as well as a Notable Book in the Field of Social Studies. “Something Beautiful” was a Parents’ Magazine Best Book of the Year. I am also the author of historical fiction including “Corey’s Underground Railroad Diaries” and “Once on This River.”

Awards, Honors, Etc.

Book Awards: Children’s Book Council Notable Book, Best Books of the Year Parents Magazine, New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing, “Reading Rainbow” Book, LAMBDA Literary Award Finalist

Other Honors: Shuster Award (Hunter College), Cave Canem Poetry Fellowship, Stephen Crane Literary Award (Newark Public Library), Lucille Clifton Poetry Fellowship (Squaw Valley Community of Poets), Mid Atlantic Arts Fellowship, Geraldine R. Dodge Fellowship (VCCA), Rockefeller Foundation grant

Faculty: Visiting Associate Professor, Hollins University Graduate Dept. Children's Literature, Adjunct Professor, Creative Writing, Children's Literature, Fordham University

Speaker Appearances: International Reading Association, American Library Association; conferences, universities and schools in the U.S., and abroad

Themes and Characters

Readers of the picture books and contemporary and historical fiction I’ve written will encounter the themes that preoccupy me:

literacy, racial harmony, identity, poverty, contemporary families, bullying, resilience, African American history, American history, the search for beauty and the strength found in community

My characters are ordinary children who demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity. I believe in cultivating optimism. I believe in the positive power of story.

Sharon Dennis Wyeth

Author of books for young adults and children, speaker, and educator

The Granddaughter Necklace

Something Beautiful

Always My Dad

Flying Free

Freedom’s Wings

Orphea Proud