Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her works include Ordinary Hazards; Planet Middle School; Bronx Masquerade; Jazmin’s Notebook; Talkin’ About Bessie; Dark Sons; The Road to Paris; Words with Wings; and What Is Goodbye?.