Sharon Bell Mathis has written many books for children and young adults and received many accolades in her career. Her book Ray Charles, a nonfiction biography of Ray Charles, received the Coretta Scott King Award. The Hundred Penny Box received a Newbery Honor Award and is a recipient of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and also a American Library Association Notable Children's Book, and Teacup Full of Roses was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year.