About the Author

Lakita Wilson is the author of several novels and nonfiction projects for children and young adults, including What is Black Lives Matter? and Who is Colin Kaepernick? part of the New York Times bestselling Who HQ Now series, the middle grade novel Be Real, Macy Weaver, and the young adult novel Last Chance Dance.

Lakita was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Prince Goerge's County, Maryland. A 2017 recipient of SCBWI's Emerging Voices Award, Lakita received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is currently on faculty at Prince George's Community College in the education department. Lakita lives in Prince George's County, Maryland, with her two children. She can be found online at lakitawilson.com.

Reviews

“Sparkle is an honest and uplifting portrayal of alopecia, and Lakita Wilson’s voice shines. Readers will relate to Sparkle’s desire to fit in and root for her on her journey to self-acceptance.” —Janae Marks, New York Times bestselling author of On Air with Zoe Washington

"A timely and relatable story about self-perception and social pressures." —Kirkus Reviews

"Using emotionally turbulent and candid prose, Wilson delivers a heartfelt narrative about personal growth in which Sparkle approaches each challenge with tenacity and drive." —Publishers Weekly

"Through Wilson’s characters, we see the range of challenges for a middle school girl dealing with devastating hair loss...[An] adept exploration of the definition of beauty for the middle-grade set." —Booklist