Sherri L. Smith – författare

Even though slavery had ended in the 1860s, African Americans were still suffering under the weight of segregation a hundred years later. They couldn’t go to the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, or even use the same bathrooms as white people. But by the 1950s, black people refused to remain second-class citizens and were willing to risk their lives to make a change.Author Sherri L. Smith brings to life momentous events through the words and stories of people who were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.This book also features the fun black-and-white illustrations and engaging 16-page photo insert that readers have come love about the What Was? series!

Five comics stories set in James Cameron’s expansive world that take place before, during, and after the 2009 multiple Academy Award–winning film Avatar.In the year 2154, on the moon Pandora, in a galaxy far from earth, Marine Jake Sully joined the native Na’vi through an avatar body and became their leader in the fight against the destructive RDA organization and human colonization. In Tsu’tey’s Path experience these events—events of the first Avatar movie—from the perspective of Na’vi Omatikaya warrior Tsu’tey!Then, in the short story “Brothers,” Jake connects with the flying Toruk by remembering the depth of his bond with his twin brother and great partnerships of history and legend.In The Next Shadow, set immediately after the events of Avatar, Jake navigates his position as both leader of the Omatikaya and former Marine as tensions ramp up between the Na’vi and the humans who remain on Pandora.Meanwhile, in Frontiers of Pandora: So’lek’s Journey, young Na’vi warrior, So’lek, finds himself one of the last survivors of his clan after the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains. He searches for his place on Pandora and struggles with waking nightmares of war. This is the origin story of So’lek, a key character in Ubisoft’s AA PC/console video game.Finally, set years before the events of Avatar, in Adapt or Die, Dr. Grace Augustine wants to build a bridge between the occupying humans and the Na’vi, but her plans hit a wall as a mysterious illness among Na’vi and avatars is blamed on the humans.Seize the opportunity to delve further into the world of Avatar with these canon stories from writers Sherri L. Smith (Pearl: A Graphic Novel), Jeremy Barlow (Star Wars: Darth Maul), Ray Fawkes (Constantine), and Corinna Bechko (The Space Between), and artists Jan Duursema (Star Wars: Legacy), Doug Wheatley (Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones), Josh Hood (Star Trek: Resurgence), Gabriel Guzmán (StarCraft: Scavengers), and Beni R. Lobel (Fragmentation).

The graphic novel prequel to Avatar: The Way of Water—adapted from an original screenplay by James Cameron—is collected in this softcover edition along with a sketchbook and introduction.Experience a part of the epic Avatar saga that you won’t see in the films! Originally planned as the sequel to the 2009 Academy Award–winning film Avatar, James Cameron’s screenplay for Avatar: The High Ground was scripted and illustrated as three original graphic novels that are now compiled here along with an introduction and a 13-page sketchbook section that includes excerpts from the screenplay and character designs.It’s been more than a decade since Marine Jake Sully joined the Na’vi through an avatar body and became their leader in the fight against the destructive Resources Development Administration. Since forcing them to leave the moon, Pandora, Jake and his wife Neytiri have settled down and grown their family. Now, the RDA is returning, their massive fleet of ships are packed with firepower and their militaristic Security Operations have a fierce directive to take control of Pandora. Jake has everything on the line. War has returned to the Na’vi homeworld and it will take all they have to save it. Can the RDA be stopped before they make landfall?Scripted by award–winning author Sherri L. Smith (Flygirl), and illustrated by an amazing team of artists, Guilherme Balbi (Alien: The Original Screenplay), Diego Galindo (Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons), Gabriel Guzmán (Mass Effect: Discovery), George Quadros (New Rat City), Agustin Padilla (Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay), and Miguel Ángel Ruiz (Crossed: Badlands).

AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS • A young African American woman dreams of soaring through the skies in this inspiring and thought-provoking historical fiction novel.“A dynamic, heartfelt novel.”—The Washington Post“A thrilling, but little-known story that begs to be told. The book is at once informative and entertaining.”—School Library JournalAll Ida Mae Jones wants to do if fly. Ida’s daddy was a pilot, and when he took her flying, she never wanted to come down again. But after his death, the sky is off-limits to a young black woman such as Ida. When America enters World War II, the army forms the WASP—Women Airforce Service Pilots—and Ida has a chance to join, if she’s willing to use her light skin to pass as a white girl. She wants to fly more than anything, but Ida soon learns that denying one’s identity and family is a heavy burden. Can she fulfill her dream without losing herself?

Ana Shen has what her social studies teacher calls a “marvelously biracial, multicultural family” but what Ana simply calls a Chinese American father and an African American mother. And on eighth-grade graduation day, that’s a recipe for disaster. Both sets of grandparents are in town to celebrate, and Ana’s best friend has convinced her to invite Jamie Tabata–the cutest boy in school–for a home-cooked meal. Now Ana and her family have four hours to prepare their favorite dishes for dinner, and Grandma White and Nai Nai can’t agree on anything. Ana is tired of feeling caught between her grandparents and wishes she knew whose side she was supposed to be on. But when they all sit down for their hot, sour, salty, and sweet meal, Ana comes to understand how each of these different flavors, like family, fit perfectly together.From the Hardcover edition.

Family sticks with family. That’s the golden rule G’ma taught Kendall. But once G’ma’s gone, Kendall has no family left—except for an aunt G’ma asked for at the end, who Kendall barely remembers. Only Aunt Janet knows what G’ma had in mind, but she never even shows up at the funeral. With child services on Kendall’s case and just 10 days to get her apartment lease renewed, Kendall sets out for Janet’s home in New Orleans to get her life in order—and her questions answered.But what she finds are new friends, like Evie, who is confined to a wheelchair, but can sing like the women on G’ma’s old records; Miss Clare, who needs Kendall’s help as much as Kendall needs hers; and Marcus, who is younger than them all, but still knows how to get by. And when Mardi Gras arrives, with its parades and prizes and music, anything seems possible—even making a fresh start, with or without Janet.From the Hardcover edition.

During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military in the United States, where they weren’t considered smart enough to become military pilots. After acquiring government funding for aviation training, civil rights activists were able to kickstart the first African American military flight program in the US at Tuskegee University in Alabama. While this book details thrilling flight missions and the grueling training sessions the Tuskegee Airmen underwent, it also shines a light on the lives of these brave men who helped pave the way for the integration of the US armed forces.

It''s up, up, and away with the Tuskegee Airmen, a heroic group of African American military pilots who helped the United States win World War II.During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military in the United States, where they weren''t considered smart enough to become military pilots. After acquiring government funding for aviation training, civil rights activists were able to kickstart the first African American military flight program in the US at Tuskegee University in Alabama. While this book details thrilling flight missions and the grueling training sessions the Tuskegee Airmen underwent, it also shines a light on the lives of these brave men who helped pave the way for the integration of the US armed forces.

A gorgeously imagined Nutcracker retelling from award-winning author making her middle-grade debutStefan Drosselmeyer is a reluctant apprentice to his toymaker father until the day his world is turned upside down. His father is kidnapped and Stefan is enlisted by his mysterious cousin, Christian Drosselmeyer, to find a mythical nut to save a princess who has been turned into a wooden doll. Embarking on a wild adventure through Germany, Stefan must save Boldavia’s princess and his own father from the fanatical Mouse Queen and her seven-headed Mouse Prince, both of whom have sworn to destroy the Drosselmeyer family.    Based on the original inspiration for the Nutcracker ballet, Sherri L. Smith brings the Nutcracker Prince to life in this fascinating journey into a world of toymaking, magical curses, clockmaking guilds, talking mice and erudite squirrels.

In this book from the #1 New York Times bestselling series, learn how this vibrant Black neighborhood in upper Manhattan became home to the leading Black writers, artists, and musicians of the 1920s and 1930s.Travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s to the sounds of jazz in nightclubs and the 24-hours-a-day bustle of the famous Black neighborhood of Harlem in uptown Manhattan. It was a dazzling time when there was an outpouring of the arts of African Americans--the poetry of Langston Hughes; the novels of Zora Neale Hurston; the sculptures of Augusta Savage and that brand-new music called jazz as only Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong could play it. Author Sherri Smith traces Harlem's history all the way to its seventeenth-century roots, and explains how the early-twentieth-century Great Migration brought African Americans from the deep South to New York City and gave birth to the golden years of the Harlem Renaissance.With 80 fun black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest addition to Who HQ!

In this book from the #1 New York Times bestselling series, learn how this vibrant Black neighborhood in upper Manhattan became home to the leading Black writers, artists, and musicians of the 1920s and 1930s.Travel back in time to the 1920s and 1930s to the sounds of jazz in nightclubs and the 24-hours-a-day bustle of the famous Black neighborhood of Harlem in uptown Manhattan. It was a dazzling time when there was an outpouring of the arts of African Americans--the poetry of Langston Hughes; the novels of Zora Neale Hurston; the sculptures of Augusta Savage and that brand-new music called jazz as only Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong could play it. Author Sherri Smith traces Harlem's history all the way to its seventeenth-century roots, and explains how the early-twentieth-century Great Migration brought African Americans from the deep South to New York City and gave birth to the golden years of the Harlem Renaissance.With 80 fun black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest addition to Who HQ!

Reconstruction - the period after the Civil War - was meant to give newly freed Black people the same rights as white people. And indeed there were monumental changes once slavery ended - thriving new Black communities, the first Black members in Congress, and a new sense of dignity for many Black Americans. But this time of hope didn’t last long and instead, a deeply segregated United States continued on for another hundred years. Find out what went wrong in this fascinating overview of a troubled time.

In the same style as the New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series, What Was? focuses on compelling historical events, great battles, protests, and discoveries.Learn about a pivotal time in American history and its momentous effects on civil rights in America in this enlightening title about Reconstruction.Reconstruction -- the period after the Civil War -- was meant to give newly freed Black people the same rights as white people. And indeed there were monumental changes once slavery ended -- thriving new Black communities, the first Black members in Congress, and a new sense of dignity for many Black Americans. But this time of hope didn’t last long and instead, a deeply segregated United States continued on for another hundred years. Find out what went wrong in this fascinating overview of a troubled time.

From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies.“This beautiful and brilliant history of not only what it means to be Black and dream of flying but to, against every odd, do so, completely blew me away.” —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner for Brown Girl DreamingIn the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings?American Wings follows a group of determined Black Americans: Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield south of Chicago. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible.Featuring rare historical photographs, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.

This Little Golden Book introduces ballet prodigy Misty Copeland—the first Black principal dancer in the history of the American Ballet Theatre—who didn’t start dancing until she was almost 13 years old and continues to impress the world and pave the way for young Black girls to chase their dreams. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations.

First came the storms.

Then came the Fever.

And the Wall.

  

After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct…but in reality, a new primitive society has been born.  

Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Brought together by chance, kept together by danger, Fen and Daniel navigate the wasteland of Orleans.  In the end, they are each other’s last hope for survival.

Sherri L. Smith delivers an expertly crafted story about a fierce heroine whose powerful voice and firm determination will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. 

"Beautiful clothes, bad habits, ugly secrets: Sherri L. Smith probes the vulnerable underbellies of a lot of toothy sharks in this page-turning California noir."—E. Lockhart, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars Bad things happen everywhere. Even in the land of sun and roses. When Jude''s best friend is found dead in a swimming pool, her family calls it an accident. Her friends call it suicide. But Jude calls it what it is: murder. And someone has to pay.Now everyone is a suspect—family and friends alike. And Jude is digging up the past like bones from a shallow grave. Anything to get closer to the truth. But that''s the thing about secrets. Once they start turning up, nothing is sacred. And Jude''s got a few skeletons of her own.In a homage to the great noir stories of Los Angeles, award-winning author Sherri L. Smith''s Pasadena is a tale of love, damage and salvation set against the backdrop of California''s City of Roses.From the Hardcover edition.

Read Sherri L. Smith''s posts on the Penguin BlogIda Mae Jones dreams of flight. Her daddy was a pilot and being black didn’t stop him from fulfilling his dreams. But her daddy’s gone now, and being a woman, and being black, are two strikes against her.

When America enters the war with Germany and Japan, the Army creates the WASP, the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots—and Ida suddenly sees a way to fly as well as do something significant to help her brother stationed in the Pacific. But even the WASP won’t accept her as a black woman, forcing Ida Mae to make a difficult choice of “passing,” of pretending to be white to be accepted into the program. Hiding one’s racial heritage, denying one’s family, denying one’s self is a heavy burden. And while Ida Mae chases her dream, she must also decide who it is she really wants to be.