New Releases by Walter Dean Myers

In this classic coming of age novel from a New York Times–bestselling author, an American teenager faces the gritty reality of the Vietnam War. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award in 1988 “Heartbreaking. . . . Other authors have gotten the details right, but Myers reaches into the minds of the soldiers. . . . Readers, including those born after the fall of Saigon . . . will reel from the human consequences of battle.” —Publishers Weekly (boxed review) It’s 1967, and Harlem teenager Richie Perry is graduating from high school. He dreams of attending college and becoming a writer like James Baldwin. However, reality has other plans. After volunteering for the army, Perry doesn’t expect to fight in the Vietnam War, but a paperwork mix-up sends him to the frontlines. Perry and his platoon are soon face-to-face with relentless violence and brutality. One false move can mean the difference between survival and death, whether they are fighting the Vietcong or simply walking through the jungle. Overcome by the horrors, Perry begins questioning everything. What were his motives for joining the army? Why are black troops given the most dangerous missions? Why is the United States even there? Perry and his fellow soldiers may have all come to Vietnam for different reasons, but now they share the same dream—to get home alive. “Recalls Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage.” —Horn Book (starred review) “As thought-provoking as it is entertaining.” —The New York Times “This gut-twisting Vietnam War novel breaks uncharted ground. . . . Myers does an outstanding job of re-creating the war.” —Booklist (starred review) “Myers masterfully re-creates the combat zone. . . . War-story fans will find enough action here, though it isn’t glorified; thoughtful readers will be haunted by this tribute to a ravaged generation.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A classic and highly acclaimed biography of civil rights activist Malcolm X, ever more relevant for today''s readers. As a 14-year-old he was Malcolm Little, the president of his class and a top student. At 16 he was hustling tips at a Boston nightclub. In Harlem he was known as Detroit Red, a slick street operator. At 19 he was back in Boston, leading a gang of burglars. At 20 he was in prison.It was in prison that Malcolm Little started the journey that would lead him to adopt the name Malcolm X, and there he developed his beliefs about what being black means in America: beliefs that shook America then, and still shake America today.Few men in American history are as controversial or compelling as Malcolm X. In this Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Walter Dean Myers, winner of a Newbery Honor and four-time Coretta Scott King Award winner, portrays Malcolm X as prophet, dealer, convict, troublemaker, revolutionary, and voice of black militancy.

"Myers'' fun picture book about a junkyard dog turned celebrated blues musician works wonderfully... thanks to Charles Turner''s spirited narration and Mark "Dog" Deffenbaugh''s bluesy guitar strumming...Turner''s energetic narration keeps the story humming along. Deffenbaugh''s guitar work pleases the ear, and his performance of ''The New York City Blues'' (music and lyrics by Myers) is the program''s highlight. This story about the joys of blues music has found a format that serves it very well." - School Library Journal

"Captures the excitement that Ali created in a generation of young African Americans, who found in the brash, young boxer a new kind of hero." — Booklist Includes photos 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." From a New York Times–bestselling author and winner of numerous awards—including the Michael L. Printz Award, Newbery Honors, a Caldecott Honor and five Coretta Scott King awards—this is an inspiring biography of Ali, Olympic gold medalist, former heavyweight champion, and one of the most influential people of all time. "Myers interweaves fight sequences with the boxer''s life story and the political events and issues of the day. He doesn''t shy away from reporting on the brutality of the sport and documents the toll it has taken on its many stars . . . Myers''s writing flows while describing the boxing action and the legend''s larger-than-life story." — School Library Journal

"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

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.

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

Friends Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi, caught in the middle of a mock Civil War at DaVinci Academy, learn the true cost of freedom of speech when they use their alternative newspaper, The Cruiser, to try to make peace.

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."

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."

Great middle greats fiction.

Simple text and photographs present different types and colors of leaves found in the Northern Hemisphere during autumn.

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

Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers explores the sweet, sharp spark of love between two teens, in a modern retelling of the Swan Lake ballet. Set on the asphalt of a housing project and the concrete of a basketball court, this compelling work by Walter Dean Myers is delivered with rhythms that twist, hover, pounce, and inspire. For Amiri and Odette, love is hard when the streets are mean. Their dance for two becomes a fight for three, and their only chance is to hold fast to the power of being together as one. Part poem, part love story, part rap and rhapsody, Amiri and Odette: A Love Story is a celebration of two hearts that beat forever. Accompanied by the collage-on-cinder-block paintings of Javaka Steptoe, this genre-breaking volume sets a new stage for a classic story.

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.

New Ebook Bonus Content: -Book Group Discussion Questions -Q&A with screenwriter John Ballard -Excerpt from Hoops -Excerpt from 145th Street -Excerpt from On a Clear Day When Lonnie Jackson leaves Harlem to take a basketball scholarship at a midwestern college, he knows 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?

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.

Ida B. Wells was an extraordinary woman. 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. Award-winning author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of this legendary figure, which blends harmoniously with the historically detailed watercolor paintings of illustrator Bonnie Christensen.

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 Christoper Myers celebrates every child, and every thing that a child can be.

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''s new offense has made another player a star, 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.

Set in Harlem, this book bears witness to the difference a caring adult can make in the life of a young person.

"Fifteen-year-old Jimmy hasn''t seen his father, Crab, since he was a baby. Myers artfully and gradually reveals the truth about Crab: he''s been in prison for the last nine years but is now critically ill; he has escaped in order to clear his name and earn his son''s love and respect. This is one of Myers''s most memorable pieces of writing." -- Copyright © 1992 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved. Jimmy tiene quice anos, vive en Harlem y sabe moverse en un mundo bastante hostil. Pero las cosas se complican cuando aparece Crab, su padre. Crab, que desaparecio nueve anos atras, de pronto quiere conocer a su hijo. Crab y Jimmy salen a recorrer el pais y visitar los lugares donde vivio Crab. Si bien Jimmy no entiende las decisiones que su padre tomo en el pasado, termina dandose cuenta de que ahora necesita que lo perdonen.

Sixteen-year-old Crystal knows she''s blessed. She is drop-dead gorgeous and in the beginning stages of a glamorous career as a model in New York City. At first, modeling is exciting. But soon, her life becomes less and less about her, and more and more about her body. Crystal wonders if her new life is worth giving up everything -- her friends, her beliefs, and her self-respect.

Jimmy and Kevin could really use a guide to life. According to Duke, who has given them after-school jobs at his Harlem barbershop, there are rules for everything: how to stay out of trouble, how to succeed in life, what it takes to make it. But is it good advice or just more aggravation?

Teenager Biddy Owens'' 1948 journal about working for the Birmingham Black Barons includes the games and the players, racism the team faces from New Orleans to Chicago, and his family''s resistance to his becoming a professional baseball player. Includes a historical note about the evolution of the Negro Leagues.

Text and pictures describe the life and ideas of the Black Muslim leader Malcolm X.

A collection of poems and antique photographs depicting children of many different nationalities.

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."

Sixtee-year-old "Slam" Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently.

After T.J. and his younger brother are adopted, the biggest problems they face are winning an international baseball tournament, held in their New Jersey hometown, and helping a homeless teammate.