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

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.

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!

Powerful, riveting, and 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.

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.

Walter Dean Myers''s Cruisers series keeps going strong! The Cruisers are in trouble -- again. The freedom of expression they''ve enjoyed by publishing their own school newspaper, THE CRUISER, has spread all the way to England, where kids from a school "across the pond" are now contributors to their own school''s most talked-about publication. When photos start to go alongside the articles written by kids, things get suspicious. Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, Bobbi -- and a bunch of students from Harlem''s DaVinci Academy and London''s Phoenix School -- come to learn that words and pictures in a newspaper don''t always tell the whole story. With his signature on-point pacing and whip-smart characters, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers delivers another awesome book about the Cruisers, a group of middle-school misfits who are becoming the coolest kids in the city.

Bestselling award-winning author Walter Dean Myers is back with a new book in his acclaimed Cruisers series.The Cruiser, an alternative newspaper published by Zander and his crew of middle school misfits, is alive and well. And now there''s plenty to report on when LaShonda, one of the Cruisers, steps into the spotlight with her costume designs for an upcoming play. LaShonda''s designs get rave reviews, but she soon learns that show business is filled with challenges and choices. LaShonda is forced to consider what''s more important--fame, or loyalty to her autistic brother. Whether she gets a standing ovation or the curtain pulled down on her is up to LaShonda. And she can''t help but wonder if the Cruisers have got her back and will be there for her whether she’s center stage or waiting in the wings. With signature humor and thought-provoking questions, Walter Dean Myers once again delivers a Cruisers novel that will keep readers at the edge of their seats, and have them applauding after the drama ends on the book’s last page.

In 1920s Harlem, sixteen-year-old saxophonist Mark Purvis struggles to advance his jazz career while working as a gopher for the new African-American magazine, "The Crisis," and becoming involved with mobster Dutch Schultz.

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.

Abdullah Syed Hari is fourteen years old. He loves his family and his friends. And he is a Somali pirate. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

In the second book of the CRUISERS series, Walter Dean Myers explores the world of competitive chess as seen through the eyes of a group of middle school misfits.Sidney Aronofsky is one of the best chess players under age 16. When he''s arrested for trying to buy drugs, it comes as a total surprise to those who know him. The expectations of parents, schools, and tutors pressure the young players. Sidney loves and wants to play chess, but dislikes the constant spotlight. He thinks that if he appears to be involved in drugs he''ll be excused from playing on the school''s team. In this book Zander and his creware back, using the Cruiser school newspaper express their frustrations and triumphs.

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)

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

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

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."

The itch starts when things get too heavy for Lil J. Skin popping or stealing pain pills from his mom help him relax. But Lil J''s focus is wandering because money is short, and his man Rico knows a way to make some quick cash. It''s supposed to be an easy deal, but it isn''t so simple when the buyer is an undercover cop. With a gunshot wound to the arm, Rico in jail, and a police officer clinging to life, Lil J is starting to get dope sick. He''d do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned crack house, it actually might be possible. . . . Walter Dean Myers weaves elements of magical realism into a harrowing story about drug use, violence, alternate perceptions of reality, and second chances.

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

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.

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

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.

In this Harlem story told in free verse, seventeen-year-old Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.

"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.