Walter Dean Myers
3) Jazz
Author
Series
Language
English
Formats
Description
A collection of illustrated poems that celebrate the roots and various styles of jazz music, such as ragtime, bebop, and swing.
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 6.5 - AR Pts: 8
Language
English
Formats
Description
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
...5) Shooter
Author
Language
English
Description
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...
Author
Series
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 5 - AR Pts: 12
Language
English
Formats
Description
Follows a family's two hundred forty-one year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendants, as their dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina that they call the Glory Field.
7) Crystal
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 4.3 - AR Pts: 7
Language
English
Formats
Description
Fifteen-year-old Crystal has difficulty trying to reconcile her personal and school life with the sexy, sophisticated persona her career as a quickly advancing high-fashion model has forced upon her.
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG - BL: 8.7 - AR Pts: 4
Language
English
Formats
Description
Tells the story of the 369th Infantry, an African American regiment that risked their lives for the country they loved during World War I and emerged triumphant, in spite of the bigots and racists who did everything possible to make them fail.
10) The Dream Bearer
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
David Curry doesn't know what to make of his father, Reuben, who's violent out bursts and chilling nightmares torment his family. His older brother, Tyrone, says Reuben is crazy. But lately, even Tyrone isn't acting like himself. Then David meets the mysterious Mr. Moses, who tells him that dreams might be the only things we have that are real. And it is Mr. Moses's gift of dreams that gives David a new way to see inside his father's troubled heart....
11) Kick
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
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 thirteen years old. And heading for juvie. He's a good kid, a great friend, and a star striker for his Highland, New Jersey, soccer team. His team is competing for the State Cup, and he wants to prove he has more than just star-player potential. Kevin's never been in any serious trouble…until...
12) Lockdown
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: MG+ - BL: 4.7 - AR Pts: 7
Language
English
Description
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...
13) Scorpions
Author
Language
English
Description
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...
14) Slam!
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 4.5 - AR Pts: 8
Language
English
Formats
Description
Greg "Slam" Harris can play basketball, period. On the court, he's almost unstoppable. As he says, "I can hoop. Case closed." But off the court, it's a different story. Every day is a struggle to keep things together. Leaving his best friend Ice behind, Slam transfers to a top-notch academic school and is easily the best player on the basketball team. But his grades are slipping, and the coach doesn't appreciate Slam's attitude. On top of that, Slam...
15) The Cruisers
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
Eighth grade is hard enough, but when you're a Cruiser, you're really put to the test. The launch of a new middle-grade series from bestselling award-winner Walter Dean Myers.
Zander and his friends, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi start their own newspaper, The Cruiser, as a means for speaking out, keeping the peace, and expressing what they believe. When the school launches a mock Civil War, Zander and his friends are forced to consider the true meaning...
16) Darius & Twig
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 4.6 - AR Pts: 5
Language
English
Formats
Description
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...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
"Myers' fun picture book about a junkyard dog turned celebrated blues musician works wonderfully as a book/cassette kit 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...
18) Invasion
Author
Accelerated Reader
IL: UG - BL: 4.9 - AR Pts: 8
Language
English
Formats
Description
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...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
These fifty-four poems, all in different voices but written by one hand, do sing. They make a joyful noise as the author honors the people-the nurses, students, soldiers, and ministers-of his beloved hometown, Harlem. Worship with Deacon Allen, who loves "a shouting church," and study with Lois Smith, who wants "a school named after me." Don't get taken by Sweet Sam DuPree, who "conned a shark right outta his fin." And never turn your back on Delia...
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
Life in Harlem isn't easy, but Tippy and his grandmother are doing okay. Then Grandma Carrie gets sick, and Tippy goes to live with Lonnie, his father. Lonnie's got his own thing going on, and he doesn't have much room in his life for a son he barely knows -- unless, that is, Tippy is willing to walk the far side of the fine line between right and wrong. Grandma Carrie always said if he had Jesus in his heart there wasn't anything to worry about,...