Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers keeps producing wonderful award-winning books. Most recently, Monster was nominated as a finalist for the Young People's Literature category of the National Book Award (see front page). Myers' story focuses on a young African American boy and the difficult issues of guns, violence and drugs. He doesn't sugarcoat his stories and he shows kids the real consequences of his characters' actions.
In addition to his passion for writing about contemporary issues, Myers is also an avid collector of photographs and memorabilia that relate to African American life. To him, they represent what he is and where he comes from. He wants to expand the view of African Americans to let children appreciate the ordinary, not just sports figures and criminals. That lead to the creation of Brown Angels (1993, HarperCollins, Ages 8 up, $16.00) a collection of verses and turn-of-the century photographs.
Knowing of his interest, a rare-book dealer gave him a tip about a collection of letters and a trip to England ensued. The letters provided the material for his recent story about an African girl rescued from the slave trade. At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England (1999, Scholastic, Ages 10 to 14, $15.95) is a fascinating story inspired by this packet of old letters Myers purchased in England.
His research also revealed that thirty percent of the cowboys in the American West were either African American or Mexican. The result was The Journal of Joshua Loper: A Black Cowboy, which is part of the "My Name Is America" series (1999, Scholastic, Ages 8 to 12, $10.95). It is the diary of sixteen-year-old Joshua Loper who worked the Chisholm Trail in 1871. Reviewer Kathleen Karr remarked that "Myers makes his fictional hero very real as we follow Joshua's three-month stint as an apprentice cowboy earning his spurs on a cattle drive from Texas to the railroad lines in Abilene, Kansas. The dust, exhaustion, occasional danger, and loneliness of the job is well described. Photos and general true historical background to the cattle drive period are appended to the end of the book."
As Myers says, part of his job and that of teachers and librarians is to expand this world for kids and to provide positive images.
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Reviews
145th Street: Short Stories
Walter Dean Myers
Myers weaves a fine tapestry from the multifaceted life of Harlem with its shiny, shady and hazy ways. The marvelously developed characters in these ten short stories really pack a wallop. First, there is the very funny story of Big Joe staging his own funeral. Myers then takes the reader to the other extreme with his grim tale of an innocent child shot by the police. One discovers the desperation of Billy Giles who returns time and again to the boxing ring, and the reactions of a superstitious community to Angela Colón's "second sight." Elderly Mother Fletcher imparts wisdom and warmth in "A Christmas Story." Myers' use of first person narrative gives immediacy to these tales. His apt phrasing and the rhythm of the stories have a mesmerizing affect. Some special people await the reader here on 14th Street. And what stories they have to tell! Make sure you don't miss out. 2000, Delacorte Press, $15.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo
ISBN: 0-385-32137-6
At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England
Walter Dean Myers
This carefully constructed and well-researched story, inspired from a packet of old letters Myers purchased in England, traces the biography of an African princess saved from death in 1850 by a British ship's captain. She was sent to Queen Victoria to be raised in England. Sarah Forbes (for the captain) Bonetta (for the ship's name) spent time in England living as a guest of a wealthy white family, suffered ill health and was returned to a Female Institution in Sierra Leone where she was treated by the missionaries as a special visitor when the Queen continued to send gifts, letters, and inquiries. Determining that she was not happy, the Queen ordered her back to England where she was placed with a former missionary family whom she came to regard as her own Dear Mama and Dad. Later married by arrangement to a black African missionary, she had three children, taught in the Female Institution, and died of tuberculosis in 1880. Myers lets the reader in on his sources as he fleshes out her schooling from records, her life from society notes in the newspapers, her emotions from her own letters, and the royal viewpoint from the Queen's journal entries. While the reader longs for more than the few photos and a sketch of Sarah, Myers gains sympathy for the girl and her times with his personal telling of the story and the reader may be moved by the Queen's personal interest in Sarah and her family-Sarah's daughter Victoria was one of the Queen's last visitors before her death.
1999, Scholastic, Ages 10 to 14, $15.95.
Reviewer: Susan Hepler
Critically acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers found letters by and about a young African woman in an old London bookshop and began to piece together her life story. Around 1848 the Dahomans, an African tribe engaged in the slave trade, raided a village, killed the king and queen, and sold all able-bodied men and women into slavery. The five-year-old princess was slated as a human sacrifice in a Dahoman ritual ,but saved by Commander Frederick Forbes, a British naval officer sent to help put an end to the slave trade. Forbes christened the child Sarah Forbes Bonetta and brought her home with him to England, where she was presented to Queen Victoria. Over the course of her life, Sarah regularly visited the queen. Her first daughter became the queen's godchild. Liberal use of period photos gives a sense of late nineteenth century England. Including excerpts from Queen Victoria's journals and Sarah's letters allows young readers to know these women through their own words.
1999, Scholastic, Ages 9 up, $15.95.
Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum
ISBN: 0-590-48669-1
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
Walter Dean Myers
Hot on the tail of the movie comes the book. Hollywood may have resurrected this story from historical oblivion, but it takes a book to put the incident in perspective. Myers does this with his background on both period Africa and the U. S. abolitionist movement. Excellent illustrations (maps, sketches of the Amistad group, photos of politicians and lawyers involved) also help, as does putting greater emphasis on the four children who were members of the party. Myers has written a good, accessible history of the entire affair that will fill in the gaps and put Spielberg's dramatic film in perspective for kids.
1998, Dutton, Ages 8 to 14, $16.99.
Reviewer: Kathleen Karr
ISBN: 0-525-45970-7
Glorious Angels: A Celebration of Children
Walter Dean Myers
As heartwarming a group of children as pictured in the Kindersleys' book, Children Just Like Me, grace the pages of Walter Dean Myers' Glorious Angels. Mr. Myers' nineteen sepia and black-and-white photographs, however, were taken long ago and the poetic comments that accompany them are his. This exquisitely designed album, serene in muted colors, is for quiet contemplation and reflection. Mr. Myers notes that his first book of antique photographs, Brown Angels, inspired young students to write about their old family photographs. Suggest yours do the same.
1995, Harper, Ages All, $15.89 and $5.95.
Reviewer: Beverly Kobrin
This beautiful collection of poems and antique photographs celebrates the uniqueness of children from around the world including Africa, India, China, and the United States. Myers wrote simple, lyrical poems to accompany the stunning photographs of children from the turn of the century.
1995, HarperCollins, Ages 5 up, $15.95 and $5.95.
Reviewer: Rebecca Joseph
ISBN: 0-06-024823-8
ISBN: 0-06-446726-0
The Glory Field
Walter Dean Myers
In the tradition of Roots, Myers's novel follows one African-American family starting with its patriarch, Muhammad Bilal, who came to America in 1753 aboard a slave ship, to the present day Lewis family. Generation-skipping vignettes focus on the struggles of this family to maintain both their dignity and their precious land base, the Glory Field on Curry Island, South Carolina. Critical turning points in African-American history motivate each short glimpse into the Lewis psyche: emancipation during the Civil War; emigration North to the cities; and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. While some of the incidents cry out for a book of their very own, Myers has managed to sketch a valid portrait of the subject through his microcosm family.
1994, Scholastic, Ages 12 up, $14.95 and $4.99.
Reviewer: Kathleen Karr
This book is an astounding fictional study of the African-American Lewis family traced through two hundred and forty years. Myers wrote this novel to express the changes he saw in the texture of life from one generation to another. He succeeds brilliantly because of the authenticity of his characters; from Muhammad, brought in leg irons from Sierra Leone, Africa, to Curry Island, South Carolina, in 1753, to his descendant, urban-dweller Malcolm, who blends techniques to compose his own kind of music in 1994, and battles to bring his drug-addicted cousin to their family reunion. Myers never lectures; he only creates a stage for his heros and heroines to tell history. His characters expose differences of culture and sentiment by their actions and decisions, while struggling against the societal constraints of each period. They all show love for, and pride in, a family that builds a reputation of self-respect and determination through successive generations.
1994, Scholastic, Ages 12 to 14, $ 14.95 and $4.99.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-590-45897-3
ISBN: 0-590-45898-1
Harlem
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher have created a moving tribute to Harlem. Walter's poem pulsates with the jazzy rhythms and street sounds, the color and the people that make Harlem distinctive. Christopher's collage paintings interpret the text with powerful images of strong men, thoughtful women, and carefree children playing in the street, their playground. The colors are suffused with shadings that create a sense of movement, that startle and yet please. If ever a book was Caldecott calibre, this is it, Harlem. Listen to the words: "They brought a call, a song/ First heard in the villages of/ Ghana/ Mali/ Senegal/ Calls and songs and shouts/ Heavy hearted tambourine rhythms/ Looses in the hard city/ Like a scream torn from the throat of an ancient clarinet..."
1997, Scholastic, Ages 9 up, $16.95.
Reviewer: Jan Lieberman
The father and son-Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers have outdone themselves in this spectacular book. The Walter Dean has written a lovely poem about the rich history of Harlem, ."..a promise / Of a better life, of a place where a man didn't / Have to know his place / Simply because he was / Black." Not only is the journey of African-Americans to Harlem and their lives described lyrically in words but also it is beautifully illustrated in Christopher Myers' vivid collage art. The pictures tell their own story of the powerful impact Harlem had on the lives of its residents.
1997, Scholastic Press, Ages 10 up, $16.95.
Reviewer: Rebecca Joseph
ISBN: 0-590-54340-7
The Journal of Joshua Loper: A Black Cowboy
Walter Dean Myers
The "My Name Is America" series continues with the diary of sixteen-year-old Loper on the Chisholm Trail in 1871. Myers makes his fictional hero very real as we follow Joshua's three-month stint as an apprentice cowboy earning his spurs on a cattle drive from Texas to the railroad lines in Abilene, Kansas. The dust, exhaustion, occasional danger, and loneliness of the job is well described. In addition, photos and general true historical background to the cattle drive period are appended to the end of the book.
1999, Scholastic, Ages 8 to 12, $10.95.
Reviewer: Kathleen Karr
ISBN: 0-590-02691-7
Monster
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon has been charged as an adult accomplice to murder. Steve resorts to his passion for filmmaking to make some sense of his ordeal; and his case is presented as a movie. The reader feels his panic over the possibility of spending life in prison and his fears of being beaten and sexually abused there. The attorneys present their cases before the jury and the drama builds just as it would in a movie. Steve feels the surrealism of the stark reality he is facing. The reader is drawn into the trial, trying to determine, as is Steve himself, if he is the Monster that the prosecutor says he is, or a victim of circumstance. The film script concept works well on many levels. The illustrations, intermittently placed, present Steve in various ways: photos with his mother, on the drugstore surveillance camera, in a courtroom drawing, and in his mug shots. They give an added sense of reality to the narrative. This is a powerful, intense, thought-provoking story. It is great for discussions about the judicial system, pre-judging, self-perception, parent-child relationships and our prison system.
1999, HarperCollins, Ages 12 up, $15.95.
Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo
ISBN: 0-06-028077-8
Mouse Rap
Walter Dean Myers
"My tag is Mouse, and it'll never fail/ And just like a mouse I got me a tale," begins this lively account told in distinctive rap language, of the adventures of a group of fourteen-year-olds during one summer in Harlem. Are Bev, Sheri, and Ceil going to trick the macho boys into performing a dance with them in a contest? Are the Bev person's kisses for real? Is Moms going to let "Mr. D (I'm not calling him Dad)" move back in? Are Gramps and his old friend Sam telling the truth about their long ago encounters with 1930s gangster Tiger Moran? And what's with Booster, whose grandma was a crook and taught him tricks, who carries a gun under the long coat he wears even on the hottest summer day? And the treasure rumored to have been stashed away by Moran-does it really exist, and can the kids find it with the help of Pops and Sam? There's lots going on that will keep readers guessing until the end of this lively tale, told as only The Mouse could tell it.
1992 (orig. 1990), HarperTrophy, Ages 10 up, $12.95, $12.88 and $4.95.
Reviewer: Linnea Hendrickson
ISBN: 0-06-024343-0
ISBN: 0-06-024344-9
ISBN: 0-06-440356-4
Now Is Your Time! : The African-American Struggle for Freedom
Walter Dean Myers
There are voids in the European accounting of American life, but now African-American voices come forth to correct history. Walter Dean Myers' Now Is Your Time! documents the African-American struggle for freedom through events, people, photographs, documents, and even his personal history. His foreword and afterward are stirring statements of belief.
1991, HarperCollins, Ages 10 up, $17.89 and $10.95.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-06-024371-6
ISBN: 0-06-446120-3
Scorpions
Walter Dean Myers
This Newbery-honor book tells of the predicaments and moral crises encountered by twelve-year-old Jamal. His tenuous home and hood life brings into play choices about joining a gang and using a gun, whilw struggling to fight the tensions of inner city life and to be seen for who he really is.
1996 (orig. 1988), HarperCollins, Ages 13 up, $14.95, $14.89, and $4.50.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-06-024364-3
ISBN: 0-06-024365-1
ISBN: 0-06-440623-7
Shadow of the Red Moon
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Christopher Myers's haunting black and white illustrations effectively capture the feelings and experiences of the characters featured in this fantasy-survival tale written by his father, award winner Walter Dean Myers. The Okalians rely on storytelling to maintain the history of their people. Over the years they have overcome many obstacles to become a strong and great people. Having journeyed far, the Okalians built a crystal city as their refuge. When plague came, they closed their gates to the others-the Na'ans, the Kargs, and the Fens. The Fens became most profoundly affected by the plague, and they believe that their salvation lies in overtaking the crystal city. As the tale unfolds, Jon escapes through the city's secret tunnels and navigates the Wilderness by relying on descriptions of places contained in the stories he has heard throughout his life. Jon allies himself with Lin, and her brother Kyraaas and together they search for the Ancient Land. During this perilous journey they must overcome fear, hatred, racism, drugs, violence and their own self-doubts. Myers has woven strong characters, complete with human foibles, into situations that parallel human history in this engrossing tale. An excellent choice for the middle school reader.
1995, Scholastic, Ages 11 up, $14.95.
Reviewer: Mary Sue Preissner
ISBN: 0-590-45895-7
Slam!
Walter Dean Myers
Slam! tells the story of a Harlem high school boy who has basketball in his heart and trouble with academics at the challenging new school he's beginning, Those aren't the only storms he faces: his grandmother's sick and his Moms is grieving. His Pops is out of work again and drinking. His young brother won't go out to get dinner because "they had a drive-by on 141st Street . . . a little girl got nicked." His white coach is on his case and readers will wonder who's the one with attitude. Slam deals with the difference between sexuality stemming from want and that coming from love, learning his closest friend is dealing crack and keeping his cool amid the prejudice of teachers and peers. As his girlfriend Mtisha says, "you're letting everything mess with you, you need to have your emotional immune system checked out." This is a character and story adolescent boys will love; it's got sex, drugs, sports and drama. To an adult, the most admirable part might be Myers' refusal to be glib or pretty in telling his story, making characters and dialogue so real they can't help but be felt. For example, Slam and a white student embark on a video project; he films and she edits. She begins to see the commercial potential of this "ghetto" portrayal while Slam views his 'hood living its life. A teacher affirms his talent in seeing and the girl's "immature attitude" and then later the same teacher almost provokes Slam to violence by slandering his use of "be," asking if "that's directly from your African background? Maybe from the We-Be tribe?" Myers asks readers to see beyond the race lines. Slam's best advisor, retired white coach Coldy, tells him "the only difference between on the court and off the court is that everybody is in the game off the court. You're in the game, Slam whether you want to be or not."
1998 (orig. 1996), Scholastic, Ages 12 up, $15.95 and $4.99.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
Myers' novel is set in Harlem. Its narrator is a 17-year-old basketball player, Greg "Slam" Harris, who has transferred to a citywide arts magnet school. He struggles to keep up academically, and the adults on and off the basketball team give him a hard time. Along with adjusting to his new school, Slam must confront his best friend who appears to be slipping into the nether world of drugs. The book is filled with fast-paced dialogue and action-packed basketball scenes that help show Slam's identity crisis as he tries to decide where he belongs. An excellent book for older teenage readers.
1996, Scholastic, Ages 14 up, $15.95 and $4.99.
Reviewer: Rebecca Joseph
ISBN: 0-590-48667-5
ISBN: 0-590-48668-3
Smiffy Blue, Ace Crime Detective: The Case of the Missing Ruby and Other Stories
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by David J. A. Sims
Smiffy Blue is a bumbling detective with a strange sense of logic and a lot of luck as he takes on four cases with his sidekick Jeremy Joe and his faithful dog, Dog. Young readers will delight in the slapstick silliness and the amusing names of the people that Smiffy interrogates as he strives to solve each crime. They can also stay one step ahead of Smiffy in identifying the criminal through clues in the illustrations by Sims.
1996, Scholastic, Ages 6 to 10, $14.95.
Reviewer: Tim Whitney
ISBN: 0-590-67665-2
Somewhere in the Darkness
Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers tells of a boy who's surprised one day by the appearance of his father. Crab, the boy's father, has escaped prison so that he can win the respect of his son before he dies. Meyer's telling is a harsh, intense tightrope that a young boy walks to find out the truth. This book is the winner of numerous awards including a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor.
1992, Scholastic, Ages 12 up, $14.95, $3.50 and $3.99.
Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-590-42411-4
ISBN: 0-590-42412-2
ISBN: 0-590-34186-3
The Story of the Three Kingdoms
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Ashley Bryan
The power of a shared story, intelligence and cooperation are the messages conveyed in Myers' original fable. He begins by telling how the earth was divided into three kingdoms that were ruled by Elephant, Shark, and Hawk. They each claim to be the most powerful beast, but when people appear on earth, their combined efforts to use what they learned in storytelling help them overcome their fear of the beasts and the resulting oppression. Bright, bold, primitive art are a perfect match for the text in this unusual-sized picture book.
1995, HarperCollins, Ages 4 to 8, $14.95, $14.89, and $4.95.
Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-06-024286-8
ISBN: 0-06-024287-6
ISBN: 0-06-443475-3
Street Love
Walter Dean Myers
College-bound 17-year-old Damien Battle is a Harlem success story in the making, but when he connects with streetwise Junice Ambers, he embraces a whole new world. In a varied series of carefully crafted poems, free verse and rap in different voices, a master writer brings freshness to an old story. Will their love be strong enough to withstand the obstacles set up by their family and class differences as well as the decisions of the New York family court? Myers is wise enough to leave that question unanswered, focusing on the emotional dance as they slowly come together. The gritty city background is clear but not obtrusive; the contrast between Damien's dreams of success and his rival Sledge's embrace of hate is presented early on, as is the contrast between his successful family and the dissolution of Junice's when her mother is sentenced to 35 years in jail for drug-dealing. The form of the narrative allows readers to get inside the head of both participants and onlookers. For the adult reader, like Damien's parents, the tragic waste of his promise is akin to Romeo's death; for teens the romance of this accessible love story will probably be the attraction. 2006, Amistad/HarperTempest/HarperCollins, Ages 12 to 16, $15.99. Reviewer: Kathleen Isaacs
ISBN: 0-06-028079-4
ISBN: 978-0-06-028079-6
ISBN: 0-06-028080-8
ISBN: 978-0-06-028080-2
Toussaint L'Ouverture: The Fight for Haiti's Freedom
Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Jacob Lawrence
This compelling book crosses several common boundaries of the picture book genre. Its expressionistic paintings are dark and angular, but fit the story. The text focuses on a perplexing historical figure who is a hero with flaws. The text also faces the challenges of making the complexities of slavery and revolution accessible to young children. L'Ouverture is an important historical figure who played a pivotal role in Haiti's fight for freedom against the French. Many children may initially resist reading this book, but it's an excellent vehicle for expanding literary horizons and may be a perfect choice for the older reluctant reader.
1996, Simon and Schuster, Ages 8 to 12, $16.00.
Reviewer: Alexandria LaFaye
ISBN: 0-689-80126-2
Added 09/01/06
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