SHARON G. FLAKE
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
1.8 MILLION BOOKS SOLD
School Visit!
My 2026–2027 calendar is open for in-person and virtual visits. I love connecting with students and inspiring a passion for reading and writing.
“Your book makes me want to read.” A middle school boy said at my talk yesterday. He had already read 21 pages of Hattie Mae Begins Again before he got to the library. Another boy had read 35 pages even though initially he didn’t want to come see me his teacher said. She handed him the book and suggested he read several pages and then make his decision. There he was in the audience. So grateful for teacher and librarians. Thanks Free Library of Philadelphia and Wynnfield.
LATEST RELEASE
It’s the Great Migration. Millions of African Americans are leaving the South, determined to make a new life for themselves. Eleven-year-old Hattie Mae Jenkins is no different. But once she boards the train for Philadelphia, will she find what she’s seeking: a top-rated education at an elite boarding school, good friends, and a way to make her mark on the city? In North Carolina, Hattie lived on a small farm, milked cows and gathered eggs. The young women at Miss Abigail’s boarding School for Exceptional Young Girls, are daughters of doctors and lawyers. They look down on Hattie and her Southern ways. Nonetheless, Hattie is determined to stand up for herself, hang onto the pride that comes from her family, her upbringing and small country town, and leave her mark on Philadelphia, like thousands of others already have.
26-27 School Year
Author visits. I have done thousands of them. To me, they’re personal and necessary, because authors epitomize everything educators teach young people about the importance of reading and writing. I cannot tell you how many young people say my work changed their lives. That my work got them reading or led them to a career as an author or educator. I arrive at your school ready to turn lives around with the power of my books and storytelling, the joy I get from being in the company of young people, and discussions and readings that show how character; setting; style and craft; conflict and imagery work together to create unforgettable novels.
Years after educators and parents place my books in the hands of young readers, those same readers return to me as adults via online or email. “My teacher introduced me to you,” they say. “I read your work in fifth grade, tenth, and was never the same.”
It’s not just me, it’s you and I together teaching them the value, importance and joy of reading and writing.
BOOKS
“Before incredible movements and monikers like Black Girls Rock, Black Girl Magic, and Well-Read Black Girl, there was The Skin I’m In.”
Jason Reynolds
Award-Winning Author
MEET SHARON
Sharon G. Flake is the author of the groundbreaking novel, The Skin I’m In which brought a bold dimension to literature for young readers. Now considered a modern classic, the book is used in classrooms worldwide and studied by experts in education and literature.
MEET SHARON
Sharon G. Flake is the author of the groundbreaking novel, The Skin I’m In which brought a bold dimension to literature for young readers. Now considered a modern classic, the book is used in classrooms worldwide and studied by experts in education and literature.
Author Visits
Without you, my work would not have the same reach and impact. So, thanks for all that you do. Please feel free to use the following video in your classroom. If you are looking for additional ways to use my work, consider putting on a Battle of the Books Sharon G. Flake style. Battle competitions may be held in class, between classes or schools. Email me if you would like battle materials, or guides to some of my books.
WORDS FROM READERS
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