Books by Walter Dean Myers

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

During a hike into the beautiful, unspoiled wilderness of the Northwest woods to escape the noise and tumult of the hectic city, Reed and Rebecca come face to face with a mysterious and deadly creature that is out to destroy everything and everyone it encounters. 400,000 first printing.

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

The thing was big and white and hairy, and it was eating all the ice cream in the walk-in freezer. Four dozen chewed-up, empty cartons testified that it had already devoured half of the inventory, and it wasn't full yet. Judy beat a hasty retreat and walked to the produce aisle, where Dave was stocking lettuce...

Meet Monster. Meet Judy. Two humans who don't like each other much, but together must fight dragons, fire-breathing felines, trolls, Inuit walrus dogs, and a crazy cat lady - for the future of the universe.

Monster runs a pest control agency. He's overworked and has domestic troubles - like having the girlfriend from hell.

Judy works the night shift at the local Food Plus Mart. Not the most glamorous life, but Judy is happy. No one bothers her and if she has to spell things out for the night-manager every now and again, so be it.

But when Judy finds a Yeti in the freezer aisle eating all the Rocky Road, her life collides with Monster's in a rather alarming fashion. Because Monster doesn't catch raccoons; he catches the things that go bump in the night. Things like ogres, trolls, and dragons.

Oh, and his girlfriend from Hell? She actually is from Hell.

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

Read by a full cast
2 hours 34 minutes, 2 cassettes

1999 National Book Award Finalist
Parent's Guide to Children's Media Honors
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 1999
Horn Book Honor Book

A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that 16-year-old Steve Harmon served as the lookout. Was he involved or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? An amateur filmmaker, Steve transcribes his trial into a movie script, showing scene by scene how his life was turned around in an instant.

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

Some monsters are real.
Miles away from the hectic city, Reed and Rebecca hike into the beautiful Northwester woods. They are surrounded by gorgeous mountains, waterfalls, and hundreds of acres of unspoiled wilderness.
During their first night camping, an unearthly wail pierces the calm of the forest. Then something emerges from the dense woods. Everything that follows is a blur to Reed-except the unforgettable image of a huge creature carrying his wife into the darkness.
Enter into deep wilderness where the rules of civilization no longer apply. A world where strange shadows lurk. Where creatures long attributed to overactive imaginations and nightmares are the hunters . . .and people are the hunted.

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. MONSTER.
FADE IN: INTERIOR COURT. A guard sits at a desk behind Steve. Kathy O'Brien, Steve's lawyer, is all business as she talks to Steve.
O'BRIEN
Let me make sure you understand what's going on. Both you and this king character are on trial for felony murder. Felony Murder is as serious as it gets. . . . When you're in court, you sit there and pay attetion. You let the jury know that you think the case is a serious as they do. . . .
STEVE
You think we're going to win ?
O'BRIEN (seriously)
It probably depends on what you mean by "win."
Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout.
Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of "the system," cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life.
As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers's writing at its best.
2000 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2000 Michael L. Printz Award, 1999 National Book Award Finalist, 01 Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Lit Finalist, 00-01 Tayshas High School Reading List, and 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist
2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA), Hornbook Fanfare 2000, Michael L. Printz Award 2000, 2000 Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor Book, 2000 Quick Picks for Young Adults (Recomm. Books for Reluctant Young Readers), and 2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers, Frank E. Peretti, A. Lee Martinez

Large Print�s increased font size and wider line spacing maximizes reading legibility, and has been proven to advance comprehension, improve fluency, reduce eye fatigue, and boost engagement in young readers of all abilities, especially struggling, reluctant, and striving readers.

Shooter

by Walter Dean Myers

The groundbreaking and widely praised novel about a school shooting, from the acclaimed author of Monster. Multiple narratives, a personal journal, and newspaper and police reports add perspective and pull readers into the story.
"Questions of guilt and innocence drive the plot and stay with the reader," said Hazel Rochman in a starred Booklist review. "Highly readable."
"A haunting story that uncovers the pain of several high school students," according to Teenreads.com. "It explores the tragedies of school violence and how the result of bullying can go to the most dramatic extreme. Myers has a gift for expressing the voices of his characters. Shooter is not a light read, but it will leave you reeling."

Shooter

by Walter Dean Myers

Cameron: "Deep inside, you know that whoever gets up in your face gets there because he knows you’re nothing, and he knows that you know it too."
Carla: "What I’m trying to do is to get by -- not even get over, just get by."
Leonard: "I have bought a gaw-juss weapon. It lies beneath my bed like a secret lover, quiet, powerful, waiting to work my magic."
Statement of Fact: 17-year-old white male found dead in the aftermath of a shooting incident at Madison High School in Harrison County.
Conclusion: Death by self-inflicted wound.

Hoops

by Walter Dean Myers

All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, Cal, knows Lonnie has what it takes to be a pro-basketball player, but warns him about giving in to the pressure. Cal knows because he, too, once had the chance--but sold out.

As the Tournament nears, Lonnie learns that some heavy bettors want Cal to keep him on the bench so that the team will lose the championship. As the last seconds of the game tick away Lonnie and Cal must make a decision. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime?

Hoops

by Walter Dean Myers

By the groundbreaking author of the award-winning Monster–a visionary who influenced and inspired a generation–this fast-paced and poignant story reveals the fierce underworld of sports.

All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, Cal, knows Lonnie has what it takes to be a pro basketball player, but warns him about giving in to the pressure. Cal knows because he, too, once had the chance—but sold out.

As the tournament nears, Lonnie learns that some heavy bettors want Cal to keep him on the bench so that the team will lose the championship. As the last seconds of the game tick away, Lonnie and Cal must make a decision. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime?

An ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

AWARDS FOR WALTER DEAN MYERS:
New York Times Bestselling Author
3-Time National Book Award Finalist
Michael L. Printz Award
5 Coretta Scott King Awards
2 Newbery Honors
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2012-2013)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
Children’s Literature Legacy Award

The Beast

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

Seventen-year-old Anthony "Spoon" Witherspoon is returning to Harlem after seven months at an exclusive prep school. He never wanted to leave the city in the first place--especially not to walk the hallowed halls of a mostly white New England school. But now that Spoon is back home, he realizes how much he's come to rely on his prep-school friends and routine. And the one thing he's looking forward to most--seeing his girlfriend, Gabi--brings him the greatest shock. When he left, Gabi was a vibrant young poet. Now she's a thin, wasted drug addict. Can Spoon help her find her way again?

Slam!

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up.
Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.

Slam!

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks! With a Introduction by Newbery Award winner Kwame Alexander and bonus content by Coretta Scott King Award winner Christopher Myers!

Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up.

Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.

Blues Journey

by Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Myers

The blues aren't all sad. There's joy in the blues as well as heartbreak. Love discovered. Love lost. Love just around the corner.

In this beautiful tribute to the poetry and art of the blues, renowned author Walter Dean Myers collaborates with his son, award-winning illustrator Christopher Myers, in a true masterpiece of picture book creation filled with struggle, grief, hope, joy, and love.

Each original blues-style verse on a page calls out a response from the artist in striking tones of brown, black, white, and blue. Together, father and son weave an enchanting story of the creation of the blues through the experiences of African Americans from the end of slavery through the beginning of the civil rights movement.

This book is for older children who love music and their parents who will appreciate the layered sophistication of the striking artwork and interplay between art and text.

Includes an author's note explaining the birth and development of the blues, a timeline of blues milestones, and an explanatory glossary of terms in the blues. Together this content deepens the appreciation for the blues as a truly original art form.

A Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor book
An ALA Notable book
Horn Book Fanfare Selection
Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Children's Book of the Year, Child Study Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College

Blues Journey

by Walter Dean Myers, Christopher Myers

The opening verse of this latest father/son collaboration probes the very essence of a form--and a feeling; it asks the question that anyone who has sought solace in music can relate to. The pair's first composition wandered through a Harlem collage, depicting "a call, a song, the mood indigo, a language of darkness." This new duet is the blues: verbally and visually, it explores the idiom while exemplifying it. A call and response accompanies each painting. As the journey progresses, the lyrics and art look at loss through the lenses of slavery, poverty, lynching, love spurned, fear of dying and of living. An author's note provides a lucid description of the history, elements, and importance of the blues.

Darius & Twig

by Walter Dean Myers

New York Times bestselling author and Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers once again connects with teenagers everywhere in Darius & Twig, a novel about friendship and needing to live one's own dream. This touching and raw teen novel from the author of Monster, Kick, We Are America, Bad Boy, and many other celebrated literary works for children and teens is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that life in Harlem throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever.
Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, included Darius & Twig on her list of "great kids' books with diverse characters." She commented: "The late Myers, one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention, is at his elegant, heartfelt best in this 2013 novel. It’s about two friends growing up in Harlem, one a writer, one an athlete, facing daily challenges and trying to dream of a brighter future."

Darius & Twig

by Walter Dean Myers

New York Times bestselling author and Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers once again connects with teenagers everywhere in Darius & Twig, a novel about friendship and needing to live one's own dream. This touching and raw teen novel from the author of Monster, Kick, We Are America, Bad Boy, and many other celebrated literary works for children and teens is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
Darius and Twig are an unlikely pair: Darius is a writer whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that life in Harlem throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever.
Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, included Darius & Twig on her list of "great kids' books with diverse characters." She commented: "The late Myers, one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention, is at his elegant, heartfelt best in this 2013 novel. It’s about two friends growing up in Harlem, one a writer, one an athlete, facing daily challenges and trying to dream of a brighter future."

Street Love

by Walter Dean Myers

A story of star-crossed urban love by two–time National Book Award finalist Walter Dean Myers.
Have you ever loved someone from the wrong side of the tracks? Damien has everything going for him. His family wants him to date Roxanne. He falls for Junice, whose life is totally messed up. But Junice tells him that he's the one who needs the reality check.
Sometimes the greatest obstacle to finding true love is ourselves.
Harlem meets Shakespeare in this fresh, original free-verse novel by Michael L. Printz.

Street Love

by Walter Dean Myers

This groundbreaking novel in verse from Walter Dean Myers—two-time Newbery Honor winner and five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner—is a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story set in Harlem. Share this one with readers taken with books by Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, and Elizabeth Acevedo.
Whether read at home or in the classroom, and alongside the original inspiration or on its own. Street Love is sure to spark opinions and conversations.
"This verse novel, in which entire poems dazzle readers with rhyme and rhythm and voice, finds Damien, a straight-A student, headed for Brown University. But he falls in love with Junice, a girl whose mother has just been incarcerated for selling drugs, and his direction could change. Readers enjoy multiple perspectives on this romance and the decision Damien makes." (Kirkus starred review)
"Hip-hop fans, readers of poetry, and hopeless romantics will respond to the emotional vibrancy of this powerful work." (VOYA)

Your first love is totally wrong for you.
Do you follow your heart?
Or do you run away?
Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."

Monster (Coretta Scott King Honor Book)

by Walter Dean Myers

This New York Times bestselling novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial.
Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.
Monster is a multi-award-winning, provocative coming-of-age story that was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist.
Monster is now a major motion picture called All Rise and starring Jennifer Hudson, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Nas, and A$AP Rocky.
The late Walter Dean Myers was a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, who was known for his commitment to realistically depicting kids from his hometown of Harlem.

The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage

by Walter Dean Myers, Bill Miles

The story of the Harlem Hellfighters is not simply one
of victory in a war. . . . It is the story of men who
acted as men, and who gave a good account of
themselves when so many people thought,
even hoped, that they would fail.
What defines a true hero?
The "Harlem Hellfighters," the African American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment of World War I, redefined heroism -- for America, and for the world. At a time of widespread bigotry and racism, these soldiers put their lives on the line in the name of democracy.
The Harlem Hellfighters: When Pride Met Courage is a portrait of bravery and honor. With compelling narrative and never-before-published photographs, Michael L. Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers and renowned filmmaker Bill Miles deftly portray the true story of these unsung American heroes.

We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart

by Walter Dean Myers

From a father-son team comes a gorgeous picture book that "pays tribute to the variety of America as well as to its promise—in Christopher Myers's words, 'the question mark of it.'" (Washington Post) "An inclusive, unblinkered variation of patriotism." (New York Times)
With sweeping panoramic paintings and text rich with historical allusion, this stunning picture book features passionate writings and vivid portraits of political Americans, from Shawnee chief Tecumseh to Abraham Lincoln to Jimi Hendrix. This is a book to share at home or in the classroom, sure to spark questions and engage students, especially in third through fifth grade.
New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and Caldecott Honor artist Christopher Myers celebrate the freedom dream that is America: our struggles, our ideals, and our hope that we can live up to them. What is it to be an American? To live in a strange and beautiful land of complexity, with a tumultuous history of epic proportions, among the people who were here first, who came after, who will come tomorrow.
Over the centuries, from a blank canvas of mountains, plains, and canyons, the American landscape has been richly carved by revolution, progress, and possibility. Yet its story is still being written.
With graceful, lyrical prose and evocative paintings, Newbery Honor author Walter Dean Myers and Coretta Scott King Honor artist Christopher Myers, the father-son team who created Harlem, pay tribute to the spirit and soul that is America.

Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told

by Walter Dean Myers

This picture book biography introduces the extraordinary Ida B. Wells. Long before boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, Ida B. Wells was hard at work to better the lives of African Americans.
An activist, educator, writer, journalist, suffragette, and pioneering voice against the horror of lynching, she used fierce determination and the power of the pen to educate the world about the unequal treatment of blacks in the United States.
In this picture book biography, award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of this legendary figure, which blends harmoniously with the historically detailed watercolor paintings of illustrator Bonnie Christensen.
"Myers’s unflinching tale highlights Wells’s courage and persistence by using her own words and writings throughout, and sharing the many moments of her life when she refused to accept discrimination and raised her voice for justice" (Brightly).

Ida B. Wells: Let the Truth Be Told

by Walter Dean Myers

"An important and inspiring book." (School Library Journal starred review)
Ida B. Wells worked bravely as an activist, educator, writer, journalist, suffragette, and pioneering voice against the horror of lynching. An inspiration for generations of civil rights crusaders, Wells's own words are used throughout this picture book biography to introduce young readers to this leader.
Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of this legendary figure, his powerful words blending harmoniously with the historically detailed watercolor paintings of illustrator Bonnie Christensen. As Booklist noted: "Myers’ masterful text is well matched by Christensen’s somber watercolor illustrations: neither soft-pedals the injustice and cruelty to African Americans."
Brightly added: "Myers’s unflinching tale highlights Wells’s courage and persistence by using her own words and writings throughout, and sharing the many moments of her life when she refused to accept discrimination and raised her voice for justice"

Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly

by Walter Dean Myers

“A compelling account. A perfect blend of well-written text and well-executed illustrations.” (School Library Journal starred review)
Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers, together with illustrator Leonard Jenkins, delivers a compelling portrayal of one of America's most influential Civil Rights figures.
Malcolm X lived by the idea that Black people should demand equality by taking their lives and futures into their own hands. With guidance from the religious leader Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm became one of the most powerful leaders of the Civil Rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s, and his beliefs live on today.
This nonfiction picture book is a strong choice to share in the classroom or home, and for book reports and research by young readers.

Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

by Walter Dean Myers

In a gripping and powerful story-poem, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers takes readers into the heart and mind of a young soldier in an alien land who comes face-to-face with the enemy. Strikingly illustrated with evocative and emotionally wrenching collages by Caldecott Honor artist Ann Grifalconi, this unforgettable portrait captures one American G.L's haunting experience.
Walter Dean Myers joined the army on his seventeeth birthday, at the onset of American involvement in Vietnam, but it was the death of his brother in 1968 that forever changed his mind about war.
Vietnam.
A young American soldier waits for his enemy, rifle in hand, finger on the trigger. He is afraid to move and yet afraid not to move. Gunshots crackle in the still air. The soldier fires blindly into the distant trees at an unseen enemy. He crouches and waits -- heart pounding, tense and trembling, biting back tears. When will it all be over?

Game

by Walter Dean Myers

This thrilling basketball story from New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers is a strong choice for independent reading and sharing in the classroom. Thought-provoking and packed with court action, Game is a winner.
Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren't. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick. Coach has handed the ball to another player—Tomas, a new guy from Europe—and Drew won't let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It's all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.
"There’s plenty of basketball here, but, as in any good sports novel, more is going on than the sport; life is the game, and this is a sensitive portrait of a likable young man, his family, city and dreams." (Kirkus starred review)
"In this story of a teen who dreams of making it big in the NBA, Myers returns to the theme that has dominated much of his serious fiction: How can young black urban males negotiate the often-harsh landscape of their lives to establish a sense of identity and self-worth? As always, Myers eschews easy answers." (School Library Journal)

Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."

Game

by Walter Dean Myers

This thrilling basketball story from New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers is a strong choice for independent reading and sharing in the classroom. Thought-provoking and packed with court action, Game is a winner.
Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren't. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick. Coach has handed the ball to another player—Tomas, a new guy from Europe—and Drew won't let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It's all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.
"There’s plenty of basketball here, but, as in any good sports novel, more is going on than the sport; life is the game, and this is a sensitive portrait of a likable young man, his family, city and dreams." (Kirkus starred review)
"In this story of a teen who dreams of making it big in the NBA, Myers returns to the theme that has dominated much of his serious fiction: How can young black urban males negotiate the often-harsh landscape of their lives to establish a sense of identity and self-worth? As always, Myers eschews easy answers." (School Library Journal)

Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."

Game

by Walter Dean Myers

This thrilling basketball story from New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers is a strong choice for independent reading and sharing in the classroom. Thought-provoking and packed with court action, Game is a winner!

Drew Lawson is all about basketball. Everyone in his life knows that his game is taking him places. (It has to, because his grades certainly won't.) Drew knows how hard it is to make it big, but even with the long odds, he is good enough to have a shot.

But when Coach hands the ball to another player--Tomas, a white kid from Europe--Drew can't help but feel like he's not the star on the courts anymore. He's seen enough men in his neighborhood flame out to know that if he wants to be extraordinary, his game has to be the best.

As his team makes the playoffs with Tomas on the court, Drew knows he has to come up with a big move to save his fading college prospects. It's all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.

Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children's books well before the cause got mainstream attention."

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

by Walter Dean Myers

A powerful National Book Award Finalist from the acclaimed, bestselling author of Monster. "This novel is like photorealism; it paints a vivid and genuine portrait of life that will have a palpable effect on its readers." (School Library Journal starred review)
With Harlem as its backdrop, Autobiography of My Dead Brother follows the diverging paths of best friends Rise and Jesse. When Rise becomes engulfed in gang activity and starts dealing drugs, Jesse, a budding artist, tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-by shootings, vicious gangs, and an indifferent juvenile justice system.

The innovative first-person storytelling, along with cartoons and photos, pulls in readers and makes Autobiography of My Dead Brother a strong and thought-provoking choice for sharing in a classroom or at home.
"Though the story is starkly realistic, there is always hope in the gifts of Jesse the artist and C. J. the musician, of schools and churches and of caring parents." (Kirkus)
"Touching and impactful, Autobiography cannot fail to intrigue, and hopefully influence youngsters with its poignant statement of two roads taken." (Judges' Citation, National Book Award)

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

by Walter Dean Myers

A powerful National Book Award Finalist from the acclaimed, bestselling author of Monster. "This novel is like photorealism; it paints a vivid and genuine portrait of life that will have a palpable effect on its readers." (School Library Journal starred review)
With Harlem as its backdrop, Autobiography of My Dead Brother follows the diverging paths of best friends Rise and Jesse. When Rise becomes engulfed in gang activity and starts dealing drugs, Jesse, a budding artist, tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-by shootings, vicious gangs, and an indifferent juvenile justice system.

The innovative first-person storytelling, along with cartoons and photos, pulls in readers and makes Autobiography of My Dead Brother a strong and thought-provoking choice for sharing in a classroom or at home.
"Though the story is starkly realistic, there is always hope in the gifts of Jesse the artist and C. J. the musician, of schools and churches and of caring parents." (Kirkus)
"Touching and impactful, Autobiography cannot fail to intrigue, and hopefully influence youngsters with its poignant statement of two roads taken." (Judges' Citation, National Book Award)

Dope Sick

by Walter Dean Myers

A powerful novel of drugs, violence—and second chances. Dope Sick, from two-time Newbery Honor winner and five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Walter Dean Myers, belongs on reading lists beside Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds and Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
A drug deal goes south and a cop has been shot. Lil J's on the run. And he's starting to get dope sick. He'd do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned building, it actually might be possible. . . .

Elements of magical realism intensify this harrowing story about drug use, violence, perceptions of reality, and second chances.
This ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers earned multiple starred reviews and was described as "vivid," "nuanced," and "intriguing." Booklist said: “Myers’ narrative strategy is so inherently dramatic that it captures his readers’ attentions and imaginations, inviting not only empathy but also thoughtful discussion.”

Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."

Lockdown

by Walter Dean Myers

Lockdown is the powerful tale of fourteen-year-old Reese Anderson, who has spent 22 months in a tiny cell at a “progress center.” Living in fear and isolation, Reese begins looking within himself to find a way out of the prison system.
Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers offers an honest story about finding a way to make it without getting lost in the shuffle. Told with compassion and truth, Lockdown is also a compelling first-person read that "could resonate with teens on a dangerous path."*
When I first got to Progress, it freaked me out to be locked in a room and unable to get out. But after a while, when you got to thinking about it, you knew nobody could get in, either.
It seems as if the only progress that's going on at Progress juvenile facility is moving from juvy jail to real jail. Reese wants out early, but is he supposed to just sit back and let his friend Toon get jumped? Then Reese gets a second chance when he's picked for the work program at a senior citizens' home. He doesn't mean to keep messing up, but it's not so easy, at Progress or in life. One of the residents, Mr. Hooft, gives him a particularly hard time. If he can convince Mr. Hooft that he's a decent person, not a criminal, maybe he'll be able to convince himself.
Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."
*Kirkus

Lockdown

by Walter Dean Myers

Lockdown is the powerful tale of fourteen-year-old Reese Anderson, who has spent 22 months in a tiny cell at a “progress center.” Living in fear and isolation, Reese begins looking within himself to find a way out of the prison system.
Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers offers an honest story about finding a way to make it without getting lost in the shuffle. Told with compassion and truth, Lockdown is also a compelling first-person read that "could resonate with teens on a dangerous path."*
When I first got to Progress, it freaked me out to be locked in a room and unable to get out. But after a while, when you got to thinking about it, you knew nobody could get in, either.
It seems as if the only progress that's going on at Progress juvenile facility is moving from juvy jail to real jail. Reese wants out early, but is he supposed to just sit back and let his friend Toon get jumped? Then Reese gets a second chance when he's picked for the work program at a senior citizens' home. He doesn't mean to keep messing up, but it's not so easy, at Progress or in life. One of the residents, Mr. Hooft, gives him a particularly hard time. If he can convince Mr. Hooft that he's a decent person, not a criminal, maybe he'll be able to convince himself.
Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children’s books well before the cause got mainstream attention."
*Kirkus

Juba!: A Novel

by Walter Dean Myers

In New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers's last novel, he delivers a gripping story based on the life of a real dancer known as Master Juba, who lived in the nineteenth century.
This engaging historical novel is based on the true story of the meteoric rise of an immensely talented young black dancer, William Henry Lane, who influenced today's tap, jazz, and step dancing. With meticulous and intensive research, Walter Dean Myers has brought to life Juba's story.
The novel includes photographs, maps, and other images from Juba's time and an afterword from Walter Dean Myers's wife about the writing process of Juba!

Juba!: A Novel

by Walter Dean Myers

In New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers’s final novel, he delivers a gripping story based on the life of a real dancer known as “Master Juba,” who lived in the nineteenth century.
This engaging historical novel follows the meteoric rise of an immensely talented young black dancer, William Henry Lane, who influenced today’s tap, jazz dance, and step. With meticulous and intensive research, Walter Dean Myers has brought to life Juba’s story.
The novel includes photographs, maps, and other images from Juba’s time, as well as an afterword from Walter Dean Myers’s wife, Constance Myers, about the writing process of Juba!

All the Right Stuff

by Walter Dean Myers

New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers tackles the social contract from a teen’s perspective in his novel All the Right Stuff. In one of his most thought-provoking novels to date, Myers weaves together political philosophy, basketball, and making soup in Harlem, with the depth that defines his writing career.

After his father is shot and killed, Paul Dupree finds a summer job at a Harlem soup kitchen. Elijah, the soup man, questions Paul about tough life choices, even though Paul would rather be playing basketball. Over the summer, Paul begins to understand the importance of taking control of your life.

All the Right Stuff includes a Q&A between Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman, coauthor of Kick.

Kick

by Walter Dean Myers, Ross Workman

For the very first time in his decades-long career writing for teens, acclaimed and beloved author Walter Dean Myers writes with a teen, Ross Workman.
Kevin Johnson is a great kid and skilled soccer player. With attitude.
Then he ends up in jail.
Sergeant Brown is a tough cop and Kevin's mentor.
With attitude.
If Kevin and Brown can learn to trust each other, they might be able to turn things around.
Before it's too late.

Scorpions, 25th Anniversary Edition

by Walter Dean Myers

The Scorpions are a gun-toting Harlem gang, and Jamal Hicks is about to become tragically involved with them in this authentic tale of the sacrifice of innocence and the struggle to steer clear of violence.
This Newbery Honor Book will challenge young men to consider their own decisions as they come of age in a complex and often frustrating society.
Pushed by a bully to fight and nagged by his principal, Jamal is having a difficult time staying in school. His home life is not much better, with his mother working her fingers to the bone to try to earn the money for an appeal for Jamal's jailed older brother, Randy.
Jamal wants to do the right thing and help earn the money to free his brother by working, but he's afraid to go against the Scorpions. Jamal eventually pulls free of the gang's bad influence, but only through the narrowest of escapes.
Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, sensitively explores the loyalty and love between friends faced with hard choices. Scorpions is 25 years old, but the issues of poverty and violence make it a timeless powerful read—sadly as relevant as ever.
This special twenty-fifth anniversary edition contains the original Scorpions novel, plus an extra Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers—including questions about juvenile detention facilities, gang life today, and friendship.
Also included are a sneak peek at Kick, by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman, and an excerpt from Myers's New York Times bestselling novel Monster.

Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff

by Walter Dean Myers

Stuff doesn't know anyone when he first moves to 116th Street. But all of that changes when he meets Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Gloria. Stuff and the gang grow close that eventful year, and nothing is ever like it again. That's the year modern science gets them all in jail; Stuff falls in love and is unfaithful; and Cool Clyde and Fast Sam win the dance contest-almost.

The Dream Bearer

by Walter Dean Myers

Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers deftly draws a compassionate portrait of a boy's odyssey of self-discovery and the acceptance and empathy for others he learns along the way.

David doesn't know what to make of his father, Reuben. His older brother, Tyrone, says Reuben is crazy. But Tyrone is acting like someone David doesn't know anymore.
Then David meets Mr. Moses, a mysterious man who tells him that dreams might be the only things we have that are real. And it is Mr. Moses' gift of dreams that gives David a new way to see inside his father's heart.
I wonder what kind of dreams Reuben has. When I thought about him dreaming, I thought of him having a storm in his head, with lightning and far-off thunder and the wind blowing big raindrops and a bigger storm coming just down the street, just around the corner, like a monster waiting for you. I thought Reuben dreamed of monsters that scared him.
They scared me too.

Bad Boy: A Memoir

by Walter Dean Myers

A classic memoir that's gripping, funny, and ultimately unforgettable from the bestselling former National Ambassador of Books for Young People. A strong choice for summer reading—an engaging and powerful autobiographical exploration of growing up a so-called "bad boy" in Harlem in the 1940s.
As a boy, Myers was quick-tempered and physically strong, always ready for a fight. He also read voraciously—he would check out books from the library and carry them home, hidden in brown paper bags in order to avoid other boys' teasing. He aspired to be a writer (and he eventually succeeded).
But as his hope for a successful future diminished, the values he had been taught at home, in school, and in his community seemed worthless, and he turned to the streets and to his books for comfort.
Don’t miss this memoir by New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers, one of the most important voices of our time.

What They Found: Love on 145th Street

by Walter Dean Myers

WALTER DEAN MYERS returns to the world of 145th Street: Short Stories to show how love can be found, and thrive, in the most unlikely places. Curtis finds love in Iraq as he struggles to stay alive in a war he doesn't want to fight, and Letha discovers her own beauty in the love of her child. There is the "good daughter" who realizes that there's only one way to help her brother and her family. Other stories center on the daily drama of the Curl-E-Que beauty shop, or capture the slapstick side of passion.

What They Found: Love on 145th Street

by Walter Dean Myers

By the groundbreaking author of the award-winning Monster–a visionary who influenced and inspired a generation–this story take us back to the world of 145th Street: Short Stories to show how love can be found, and thrive, in the most unlikely places.

Curtis finds love in Iraq as he struggles to stay alive in a war he doesn't want to fight, and Letha discovers her own beauty in the love of her child. There is the "good daughter" who realizes that there's only one way to help her brother and her family. Other stories center on the daily drama of the Curl-E-Que beauty shop, or capture the slapstick side of passion.

AWARDS FOR WALTER DEAN MYERS:
New York Times Bestselling Author
3-Time National Book Award Finalist
Michael L. Printz Award
5 Coretta Scott King Awards
2 Newbery Honors
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2012-2013)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
Children’s Literature Legacy Award

Harlem Summer

by Walter Dean Myers

Myers is at his clever best in this witty and action-packed, coming-of-age story of a teenager's summer during the Harlem Renaissance and his run-ins with famous gangsters, writers, and musicians.

It's 1925 and Mark Purvis is a 16-yr-old with a summer to kill. He'd rather jam with his jazz band (they need the practice), but is urged by his parents to get a job. As an assistant at The Crisis, a magazine for the "new Negro," Mark rubs shoulders with Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. He's invited to a party at Alfred Knopf's place. He's making money, but not enough, and when piano player Fats Waller entices him and his buddies to make some fast cash, Mark finds himself crossing the gangster Dutch Schultz.

Somewhere In The Darkness

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

Jimmy hasn't seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back -- on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country -- where Jimmy's dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself -- and that while things can't always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.

Antarctica Journeys to the South Pole

by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers presents a thrilling record of Antarctica and the expedition parties that uncovered the frozen continent.

Walter Dean Myers brings the dramatic race to the South Pole to lie in ANTARCTICA, tracking the explorers of the South Pole and the dangers they encountered there, as well as their contributions to modern science. He describes the extreme climate conditions in Antarctica, the wildlife, the whaling and merchant sailing industries that took root there, and the various exploration parties, including James Cook, Richard Byrd, and Ernest Shackleton. Myers depicts the heroism and adventure of the expeditions using photos, maps, and illustrations to complement the text.

Darnell Rock Reporting

by Walter Dean Myers

DARNELL ROCK IS not the kind of kid who volunteers to write for the newspaper—it sounds too much like homework. But this is Darnell’s last chance to pull himself together and make a positive contribution to his school. At first, Darnell would rather be hanging out with his sister and his friends. But soon he gets interested in the Oakdale Gazette. Much to his surprise, Darnell discovers that people pay attention to the words he writes. Before he knows it, Darnell changes from a kid who can’t do anything right to a person who can make a difference.

Me, Mop, and the Moondance Kid

by Walter Dean Myers

An ALA Notable Children’s Book from the award-winning author of Monster in which “wit, sensitivity, and insight [are combined] to create this funny, fast-paced story about three orphaned children and the Elks, a Little League baseball team” (Publishers Weekly).

T.J., his younger brother, Moondance, and Mop—Miss Olivia Parrish—grew up together in the same orphanage. Now T.J. and Moondance have been adopted, and Mop has to find a family before the orphanage closes and “leftover” kids are sent away. Mop hopes that if she can play catcher for the Elks, the Little League baseball team that her friends have joined, the coach will be so impressed that he and his wife will adopt her.

It’s going to take a lot of teamwork for her, T.J, and little Moondance to make their dreams come true!

Slam

by Walter Dean Myers, Nick Hornby

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers jam his troubles in his face, he blows up. Slam never doubted himself on the court until he found himself going one-on-one with his own future, and he didn't have the ball.

Slam

by Walter Dean Myers, Nick Hornby

The #1 New York Times bestseller from the beloved, award-winning author of Dickens and Prince, High Fidelity, and About A Boy.

For 16-year-old Sam, life is about to get extremely complicated. He and his girlfriend—make that ex-girlfriend— Alicia have gotten themselves into a bit of trouble. Sam is suddenly forced to grow up and struggle with the familiar fears and inclinations that haunt us all.

Nick Hornby’s poignant and witty novel shows a rare and impressive understanding of human relationships and what it really means to be a man.

Somewhere in the Darkness

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
Jimmy hasn't seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back -- on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country -- where Jimmy's dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself -- and that while things can't always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.

Fallen Angels

by Walter Dean Myers, Wayne Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is there at all.

Fallen Angels

by Walter Dean Myers, Wayne Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the U.S. is even there at all.

Fallen Angels

by Walter Dean Myers, Wayne Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks!
With an Introduction by National Ambassador of Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds and bonus material by Coretta Scott King Award winner Christopher Myers.

A coming-of-age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, this is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through. Sent to the front lines, Perry and his platoon come face-to-face with the Vietcong and the real horror of warfare. But violence and death aren't the only hardships. As Perry struggles to find virtue in himself and his comrades, he questions why Black troops are given the most dangerous assignments, and why the US is even there at all.

The Glory Field

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.
"Those shackles didn't rob us of being black, son, they robbed us of being human."This is the story of one family. A family whose history saw its first ancestor captured, shackled, and brought to this country from Africa. A family who can still see remnants of the shackles that held some of its members captive -- even today. It is a story of pride, determination, struggle, and love. And of the piece of the land that holds them together throughout it all.

The Glory Field

by Walter Dean Myers

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks! With a Introduction by Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner Varian Johnson and bonus material by Coretta Scott King Award winner Christopher Myers.

"Those shackles didn't rob us of being black, son, they robbed us of being human."

This is the story of one family. A family whose history saw its first ancestor captured, shackled, and brought to this country from Africa. A family who can still see remnants of the shackles that held some of its members captive ― even today. It is a story of pride, determination, struggle, and love. And of the piece of the land that holds them together throughout it all.

We Were Heroes: The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, a World War II Soldier

by Walter Dean Myers

Newbery and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's the WWII JOURNAL OF SCOTT PENDLETON COLLINS is now available in paperback, with an exciting repackaging!

Following in the footsteps of his father and great-grandfather, both war veterans, Scott Pendleton Collins signs up for the army during the height of World War II. He is shipped out to England only to face weeks of boredom. He and his unit want to be out in the fields, doing something to help the Allied forces. Finally, the comrades find themselves on a boat heading to Normandy, France, in the dead of night. But as his boat approaches the beach, Scott suddenly realizes what they are up against, and it is an impossible invasion. Nothing in basic training, nothing he's heard from other soldiers, nothing he has ever experienced prepares Scott for what awaits on Omaha Beach.
As D-Day rages around him, Scott is separated from his unit. Lost in the bloody chaos, he must find a way to live through the battle. Revolving around one of the most famous invasions in history, Scott's story is one of bravery and victory, heartache and pain, loss and survival.

Invasion

by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers brilliantly renders the realities of World War II.
Josiah Wedgewood and Marcus Perry are on their way to an uncertain future. Their whole lives are ahead of them, yet at the same time, death's whisper is everywhere. One white, one black, these young men have nothing in common and everything in common as they approach an experience that will change them forever. It's May 1944. World War II is ramping up, and so are these young recruits, ready and eager. In small towns and big cities all over the globe, people are filled with fear. When Josiah and Marcus come together in what will be the greatest test of their lives, they learn hard lessons about race, friendship, and what it really means to fight. Set on the front lines of the Normandy invasion, this novel, rendered with heart-in-the-throat precision, is a cinematic masterpiece. Here we see the bold terror of war, and also the nuanced havoc that affects a young person's psyche while living in a barrack, not knowing if today he will end up dead or alive.

Down to the Last Out: The Journal of Biddy Owens, the Negro Leagues, Birmingham, Alabama, 1948 (My Name Is America)

by Walter Dean Myers

Newbery and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Walter Dean Myers's baseball story THE JOURNAL OF BIDDY OWENS is now available in paperback, with an exciting repackaging!
Seventeen-year-old Biddy Owens is part of the Birmingham Black Barons baseball team and dreams of becoming a major league baseball player. However, in 1948 most black players can only play for the Negro Leagues. Jackie Robinson has just recently integrated and is playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, but the white owners are reluctant to add too many blacks to their rosters. The Birmingham Black Barons are some of the best players in the league. But as they travel around playing ball, Biddy realizes that not everyone is ready for blacks and whites to play on the same team. Can Biddy prove he's good enough to be part of the game his loves, no matter what color his skin is?

Best African American Fiction: 2009

by Walter Dean Myers, Junot Díaz, Mat Johnson

Introducing the first volume in an exciting new annual anthology featuring the year’s most outstanding fiction by some of today’s finest African American writers.

From stories that depict black life in times gone by to those that address contemporary issues, this inaugural volume gathers the very best recent African American fiction. Created during a period of electrifying political dialogue and cultural, social, and economic change that is sure to captivate the imaginations of writers and readers for years to come, these short stories and novel excerpts explore a rich variety of subjects. But most of all, they represent exceptional artistry.

Here you’ll find work by both established names and up-and-comers, ranging from Walter Dean Myers to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Mat Johnson, and Junot Díaz. They write about subjects as diverse as the complexities of black middle-class life and the challenges of interracial relationships, a modern-day lynching in the South and a young musician’s coming-of-age during the Harlem Renaissance. What unites these stories, whether set in suburbia, in eighteenth-century New York City, or on a Caribbean island that is supposed to be “brown skin paradise,” is their creators’ passionate engagement with matters of the human heart.

Masterful and engaging, this first volume of Best African American Fiction features stories you’ll want to savor, share, and return to again and again.

Please click the "Behind the Book" link for contributor’s bios.

The Greatest: Muhammad Ali (Scholastic Focus): Muhammad Ali

by Walter Dean Myers

"I'm not only the greatest; I'm the double greatest."-- Muhammad Ali in 1962 to the NY Times.The Louisville Lip. Cassius Clay. The Greatest.Muhammad Ali may be known by more than one name, but his accomplishments, both inside and out of the boxing ring, have earned him a singular place in history as one of the most inspiring figures of the twentieth century. In his riveting portrayal of Ali's spirit and courage, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers also exposes the hazards of boxing -- the sport Ali loved, but which ultimately damaged him and many other greats beyond repair. Through the story of Ali's childhood, his rise as a champion, his politics, and his battle against Parkinson's disease, readers will come to know the man behind the brash public persona -- the man whose talent and legacy will stir and inspire a new generation of fans.

USS Constellation: Pride of the American Navy

by Walter Dean Myers

Documents the travels of the USS Constellation, from its heroic role in patrolling and intercepting ships used in the illegal African slave trade and its exploits in the Civil War protecting the Union and defeating Confederate vessels, to its retirement, restoration, and permanent residence at Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices

by Walter Dean Myers

Acclaimed writer Walter Dean Myers celebrates the people of Harlem with these powerful and soulful first-person poems in the voices of the residents who make up the legendary neighborhood: basketball players, teachers, mail carriers, jazz artists, maids, veterans, nannies, students, and more. Exhilarating and electric, these poems capture the energy and resilience of a neighborhood and a people.

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

Set in Harlem in the 1920s, this novel chronicles a bittersweet triangle involving a middle-aged door-to-door salesman, his mentally unstable wife, and his eighteen-year-old girlfriend. By the author of Beloved. Reprint. 150,000 first printing.

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

From the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner, a passionate, profound story of love and obsession that brings us back and forth in time, as a narrative is assembled from the emotions, hopes, fears, and deep realities of Black urban life. With a foreword by the author.

“As rich in themes and poetic images as her Pulitzer Prize–winning Beloved.... Morrison conjures up the hand of slavery on Harlem’s jazz generation. The more you listen, the more you crave to hear.” —Glamour

In the winter of 1926, when everybody everywhere sees nothing but good things ahead, Joe Trace, middle-aged door-to-door salesman of Cleopatra beauty products, shoots his teenage lover to death. At the funeral, Joe’s wife, Violet, attacks the girl’s corpse. This novel “transforms a familiar refrain of jilted love into a bold, sustaining time of self-knowledge and discovery. Its rhythms are infectious” (People).

"The author conjures up worlds with complete authority and makes no secret of her angst at the injustices dealt to Black women.” —The New York Times Book Review

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

The story of jazz for the general reader as it has never been told before, from the inside out: a comprehensive, eloquent, scrupulously researched page-turner. In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar capture the excitement of America’s unique music with intellectual bite, unprecedented insight, and the passion of unabashed fans. They explain what jazz is, where it came from, and who created it and why, all within the broader context of American life and culture. Emphasizing its African American roots, Jazz traces the history of the music over the last hundred years. From ragtime and blues to the international craze for swing, from the heated protests of the avant-garde to the radical diversity of today’s artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs of musical innovators struggling for work, respect, and cultural acceptance set against the backdrop of American history, commerce, and politics. With vibrant photographs by legendary jazz chronicler Herman Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history of a century of music. 38 photos

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

There's a crazy syncopation /and it's tearing through the nation / and it's bringing sweet elation / to every single tune./ It's Jazz

One of TIME's 100 Best Children's Books of All Time

Fifteen poems, infused with the rhythm and wordplay of jazz music, are paired with bold, stylized illustrations of performers and dancers to convey the history and breadth of this unique musical style. From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz's beginnings to the present day.
Created by a celebrated father-son team, Jazz is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Children's Books Editor's Choice.

In addition to its colorful and lyrical celebration, the book includes a brief introductory essay about the history and form of jazz, as well as a timeline and glossary of jazz terms.

Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustration
ALA Notable Children's Book
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
Booklist Editor's Choice
Booklist Top Ten in Black History
Book Link's Best New Books for the Classroom
Golden Kite Award: Picture Book Text

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

There's a crazy syncopation /and it's tearing through the nation / and it's bringing sweet elation / to every single tune./ It's Jazz

One of TIME's 100 Best Children's Books of All Time

Fifteen poems, infused with the rhythm and wordplay of jazz music, are paired with bold, stylized illustrations of performers and dancers to convey the history and breadth of this unique musical style. From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz's beginnings to the present day.
Created by a celebrated father-son team, Jazz is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Children's Books Editor's Choice.

In addition to its colorful and lyrical celebration, the book includes a brief introductory essay about the history and form of jazz, as well as a timeline and glossary of jazz terms.

Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustration
ALA Notable Children's Book
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
Booklist Editor's Choice
Booklist Top Ten in Black History
Book Link's Best New Books for the Classroom
Golden Kite Award: Picture Book Text

Jazz

by Toni Morrison, Walter Dean Myers, Gary Giddins, Scott DeVeaux, Herman Leonard

Since the 1950s, Herman Leonard's photographs of jazz musicians have been crucial in shaping the image of the music and the world in which it was created. Leonard's friendships with jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis gave him rare access to the innovators who made modern jazz and the places in which they made it. Leonard took his camera into the smoky clubs and after-hours sessions, to backstage parties and musicians' apartments, to build an incomparable visual record of one of the twentieth century's most significant art forms. His luminous images of Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and many others, both in performance and "off duty," are at once supreme examples of the photographer's art and a unique record of a musical revolution. For this definitive collection of his work, Leonard has retrieved scores of previously unseen photographs, published here for the first time, alongside his most famous and widely recognized images. Accompanied by an essay exploring the stories behind the pictures, and an interview with Leonard revealing his techniques, Jazz captures and preserves the glory days of the music that has been called "the sound of surprise."

Jazz (20th Anniversary Edition)

by Walter Dean Myers

Product Description


Featuring a new introduction from best-selling author Jacqueline Woodson, anew edition of the award-winning father-son collaboration that celebrates the great American art form.

One of TIME's 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
 
Walter Dean Myers was one of the best-loved and most influential writers of his generation. Originally published 15 years ago, this Coretta Scott King Honoree
Jazz now features a new introduction about the ground-breaking author written by his son, Christopher.

In this book that sings with the rhythm and wordplay of jazz, fifteen poems, are paired with bold, stylized illustrations of performers and dancers to convey the history and breadth of this unique musical style. From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between,
Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz's beginnings to the present day.

The book includes a brief introductory essay about the history and form of jazz, as well as a timeline and glossary of jazz terms.


Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustration

ALA Notable Children's Book

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

Publishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice

Booklist Editor's Choice

Booklist Top Ten in Black History

Book Link's Best New Books for the Classroom

Golden Kite Award: Picture Book Text


About the Author


Walter Dean Myers (1937 - 2014) was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He was one of the premier authors of books for children, and received numerous awards including the Michael L. Printz award and the Coretta Scott King Award.

Christopher Myers is a writer, fine artist, and an award-winning picture book creator. He has received a Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Honor for
Harlem, written by his father, and his own
Black Cat, which also received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. He lives and works in New York City.

The Blues of Flats Brown

by Walter Dean Myers

A runaway junkyard dog makes a name for himself playing blues guitar.

The Blues of Flats Brown

by Walter Dean Myers

A runaway junkyard dog makes a name for himself playing blues guitar.

The Greatest: Muhammad Ali (Scholastic Focus)

by Walter Dean Myers

An inspiring biography of Muhammad Ali from the legendary Walter Dean Myers, reissued under Scholastic Focus for a new generation.

From his childhood in the segregated South to his final fight with Parkinson's disease, Muhammad Ali never backed down. He was banned from boxing during his prime because he refused to fight in Vietnam. He became a symbol of the antiwar movement -- and a defender of civil rights. As "The Greatest," he was a boxer of undeniable talent and courage. He took the world by storm -- only Ali could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!"

Muhammad Ali: Olympic gold medalist, former heavyweight champion, and one of the most influential people of all time.

Riot

by Walter Dean Myers

As the Civil War rages, another battle breaks out behind the lines.

During a long hot July in 1863, the worst race riots the United States has ever seen erupt in New York City. Earlier that year, desperate for more Union soldiers, President Abraham Lincoln instituted a draft–a draft that would allow the wealthy to escape serving in the army by paying a $300 waiver, more than a year’s income for the recent immigrant Irish. And on July 11, as the first drawing takes place in Lower Manhattan, the city of New York explodes in rage and fire. Stores are looted; buildings, including the Colored Foundling Home, are burned down; and black Americans are attacked, beaten, and murdered. The police cannot hold out against the rioters, and finally, battle-hardened soldiers are ordered back from the fields of Gettysburg to put down the insurrection, which they do–brutally.

Fifteen-year-old Claire, the beloved daughter of a black father and Irish mother, finds herself torn between the two warring sides. Faced with the breakdown of the city–the home–she has loved, Claire must discover the strength and resilience to address the new world in which she finds herself, and to begin the hard journey of remaking herself and her identity.

Addressing such issues as race, bigotry, and class head-on, Walter Dean Myers has written another stirring and exciting novel that will shake up assumptions, and lift the spirit.

Looking Like Me

by Walter Dean Myers

When you look in a mirror, who do you see?

A boy? A girl?
A son? A daughter?
A runner? A dancer?

Whoever and whatever you see―just put out your fist and give yourself an "I am" BAM!

This jumping, jazzy, joyful picture book by the award-winning team of Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers celebrates every child, and everything that a child can be.

Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir

by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers's Childhood Memories Of Growing Up In Harlem In The 1940s And '50s-- Provided By Publisher.

Monster: A Graphic Novel

by Walter Dean Myers, Guy A. Sims

A stunning graphic novel adaptation of Walter Dean Myers's New York Times bestseller Monster.
Monster is a multi-award-winning, provocative coming-of-age story about Steve Harmon, a teenager awaiting trial for a murder and robbery. As Steve acclimates to juvenile detention and goes to trial, he envisions how his ordeal would play out on the big screen.
Guy A. Sims, the acclaimed author of the Brotherman series of comic books, collaborated with his brother, the illustrator Dawud Anyabwile, in this thrilling black-and-white graphic novel adaption of Monster.
Monster was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist. Monster is also now a major motion picture called All Rise starring Jennifer Hudson, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Nas, and A$AP Rocky.
Fans of Monster and of the work of Walter Dean Myers—and even kids who think they don't like to read—will devour this graphic adaptation.

Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary: By Any Means Necessary

by Walter Dean Myers

Profiles the late African American leader, providing a startling picture of the life of the controversial and important historical figure. Reprint.

Sunrise Over Fallujah

by Walter Dean Myers

From Walter Dean Myers comes a powerful and timely novel about the heroics and horror of war---a gripping companion to FALLEN ANGELS.
Robin "Birdy" Perry, a new army recruit from Harlem, isn't quite sure why he joined the army, but he's sure where he's headed: Iraq. Birdy and the others in the Civilian Affairs Battalion are supposed to help secure and stabilize the country and successfully interact with the Iraqi people. Officially, the code name for their maneuvers is Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the young men and women in the CA unit have a simpler name for it:WAR

The Outside Shot (Laurel-Leaf Books)

by Walter Dean Myers

When Lonnie Jackson leaves Harlem for a basketball scholarship to a midwestern college, he know he must keep his head straight and his record clean. That's the only way he'll have a chance of making it to the pros someday.

But his street smarts haven't prepared him for the pressures of tough classes, high-stakes college ball, and the temptation to fix games for local gamblers. Everyone plays by a whole new set of rules -- including Sherry, who's determined to be a track star. Her independence attracts Lonnie, but their on-again, off-again relationship is driving him crazy.

Lonnie has one year to learn how to make it as a "college man." It's his outside shot at a bright future. Does he have what it takes?

Brown Angels: An Album of Pictures and Verse

by Walter Dean Myers

Join acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers in a heartwarming celebration of African-American childhood in words and pictures. Sharing favorites from his collection of long-forgotten turn-of-the-century photographs, and punctuating them with his own moving poetry, Mr. Myers has created a beautiful album that reminds us that "the child in each of us is our most precious part."

On a Clear Day

by Walter Dean Myers

"Visionary. This book should be in every reader's hands." –JACQUELINE WOODSON, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

Young heroes decide that they are not too young or too powerless to change their world in this gripping, futuristic young adult novel by the New York Times bestselling author of the Printz Award–winning Monster.
 
It is 2035. Teens, armed only with their ideals, must wage war on the power elite.
 
Dahlia is a Low Gater: a sheep in a storm, struggling to survive completely on her own. The Gaters live in closed safe communities, protected from the Sturmers, mercenary thugs. And the C-8, a consortium of giant companies, control global access to finance, media, food, water, and energy resources—and they are only getting bigger and even more cutthroat. Dahlia, a computer whiz, joins forces with an ex-rocker, an ex-con, a chess prodigy, an ex-athlete, and a soldier wannabe. Their goal: to sabotage the C-8. But how will Sayeed, warlord and terrorist, fit into the equation?
 
AWARDS FOR WALTER DEAN MYERS:
New York Times Bestselling Author
3-Time National Book Award Finalist
Michael L. Printz Award
5 Coretta Scott King Awards
2 Newbery Honors
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2012-2013)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
Children’s Literature Legacy Award

Praise for ON A CLEAR DAY:

“Walter Dean Myers was such a visionary. On a Clear Day is at once historical and futuristic, thoughtful and thought-provoking. It should be in every reader's hands. It's a book for anyone who has ever given thought to our own future and the futures of those coming behind us. Stunning.” –JACQUELINE WOODSON, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

*"A clarion call from a beloved, much-missed master." –Kirkus Reviews, Starred 

"In his last book, Myers has turned his thoughtful attention to matters of pressing global importance and issued an implicit challenge to his teen readers to become involved and make a difference. It makes for a stirring valedictory." –Booklist 

"Published posthumously, this is an angry story, demonstrating again Myers's acute social conscience." –Horn Book 

"Worth serious YA consideration." –The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion

by Walter Dean Myers

This acclaimed picture book biography is a perfect introduction to the great Muhammad Ali. Reviewers praised this book as "powerful," "action-filled," and "dramatic."
New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers explores Muhammad Ali’s life and recounts his most famous fights in this celebrated picture book biography. Text and art combine to highlight "the raw emotional impact of victory, loss, confrontation and peace.” (Kirkus)
Myers examines the depth and complexity of the larger-than-life legend and heavyweight champion of the world, and the bold, vibrant art of Alix Delinois reflects the beauty and power of the man who could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
This nonfiction picture book is a strong choice for sharing in the classroom or at home. Use it as an introduction to one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures in history.

145th Street: Short Stories

by Walter Dean Myers

From the award-winning author of Monster, this collection of powerful and poignant stories about 145th Street—an unforgettable block in the heart of Harlem—celebrates African-American life in all of its glory.

"Myers is a master." —The New York Times Book Review

On Harlem's 145th Street, things happen that don't happen anywhere else in the world.

Get to know Big Joe, who's throwing his own funeral while he's here to enjoy it, and everyone's invited. Meet Kitty and Mack, teens with a love story more real than anything they've ever known. Follow Monkeyman, the quietest kid on the block and the last person you'd expect the Tigros gang to target. And don't miss the block party of the year--the whole neighborhood will be there.

From danger and despair to hilarity and joy, literary legend Walter Dean Myers captures every mood and every beat of life in this vibrant Harlem.

This twentieth-anniversary edition of Myers's work features brand-new content, including historical information about Harlem's rich past, an immersive map of the neighborhood's iconic landmarks, and touching tributes from authors, artists, and literary legends. Celebrating two decades in print, this edition honors Myers's enormous legacy and brings his work to a new generation of readers.

An ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

AWARDS FOR WALTER DEAN MYERS:
New York Times Bestselling Author
3-Time National Book Award Finalist
Michael L. Printz Award
5 Coretta Scott King Awards
2 Newbery Honors
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2012-2013)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
Children’s Literature Legacy Award

Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History

by Walter Dean Myers

In this picture book biography, the late New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers and acclaimed artist Floyd Cooper take readers on an inspiring journey through the life of Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass was a self-educated slave in the South who grew up to become an icon. He was a leader of the abolitionist movement, a celebrated writer, an esteemed speaker, and a social reformer, proving that, as he said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

The story of one of America’s most revered figures is brought to life by the text of award-winning author Walter Dean Myers and the sweeping, lush illustrations of artist Floyd Cooper.

Taking Aim: Power and Pain, Teens and Guns

by Joyce Carol Oates, Chris Crutcher, Francesca Lia Block, Walter Dean Myers, Alex Flinn, Peter Johnson, Elizabeth Wein, Chris Lynch, Michael Cart, Ron Koertge, Eric Shanower, Marc Aronson, Will Weaver, Tim Wynne-Jones, Jenny Hubbard, Gregory Galloway, Edward Averett

Powerful, riveting, real. Sixteen celebrated authors bring us raw, insightful stories that explore guns and teens in a fiction collection that is thought provoking and emotionally gripping. For fans of Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and Give a Boy a Gun, and with an array of YA talent like the late great Walter Dean Myers, the poetic Joyce Carol Oates, the prophetic Elizabeth Wein, and the gritty Chris Crutcher, these are evocative voices that each has a different perspective to give. Capturing the hurt and the healing, victims and perpetrators, these stories get to the heart of the matter.
From a boy whose low self-esteem is impacted when a gun comes into his possession to a student recalling a senseless tragedy that befell a favorite teacher, from a realistic look at hunting to a provocative look at a family that defies stereotypes, each emotional story stirs the debate to new levels. The juxtaposition of guns and their consequences offers moving tales, each a reminder of how crucial the question of guns in our society is, and the impact they have on all of us.
Other acclaimed contributors are Marc Aronson, Edward Averett, Francesca Lia Block, Alex Flinn, Gregory Galloway, Jenny Hubbard, Peter Johnson, Ron Koertge, Chris Lynch, Eric Shanower, Will Weaver, and Tim Wynne-Jones.

Handbook for Boys

by Walter Dean Myers

In the groundbreaking tradition of his award-winning Monster and Bad Boy: A Memoir, Walter Dean Myers fashions a highly readable, powerful novel about the rules for success for young men, especially those navigating coming of age while Black.

Jimmy and Kevin could use a guide to life. When each of the boys gets in the kind of trouble that almost lands them in juvenile detention, their neighbor Duke steps in and offers them jobs in his Harlem barbershop.

The regulars at the barbershop seriously get on Jimmy's nerves. Duke, Cap, and Mister M all seem determined to give the two boys a hard time. Still, it seems like everyone who walks through the door and sits in Duke's chair has a story and a philosophy--whether they know it or not--and Jimmy is listening.

It drives Jimmy nuts when the adults in his life assume he doesn't know anything--and he's got a lot of anger to go around. But it might turn out that listening to the conversations in Duke's shop could be the education on living that Jimmy needs.

In his introduction to Handbook for Boys, Walter Dean Myers wrote: "I know as a troubled teenager I would have loved to have a neighborhood barbershop to sit in and a group of worldly and knowledgeable men to counsel me. Thinking about this was my motivation in writing this book, hoping it will be, in the least, a jumping-off point for many interesting conversations about success."

Scorpions

by Walter Dean Myers

The thought-provoking Newbery Honor Book about loyalty, freedom, and what it means to be a man in 1980s Harlem--a story that has gripped generations of readers.

Jamal has been struggling since his older brother, Randy, was arrested. His mom has to work around the clock to try to earn the money to pay for Randy's appeal, and though Jamal is now the man of the house, he can't even stand up to bullies like his school principal. How is he going to help his mom come up with the two thousand dollars they need

Before long, Jamal gets a visit from Randy's friend Mack, who runs with the infamous Scorpions gang that traffics drugs all over Harlem. Mack offers a solution to Jamal's problems: Take Randy's place as the leader of the Scorpions. Get the money to pay for Randy's case. Gain respect and notoriety he can't get any other way.

Jamal knows that the Scorpions are trouble and wants to do the right thing--but the choice may not be up to him.

Walter Dean Myers was a New York Times bestselling author, Printz Award winner, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, two-time Newbery Honor recipient, and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, called Myers "one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children's books well before the cause got mainstream attention."