What is it to be an American? In lyrical, soul-searching free verse and seamless, evocative paintings, the father-son team who presented Jazz, delivers a heartfelt and thought-provoking homage to this country. Reflective and non-judgmental, stretching across a tumultuous history, following dreams of and struggles for freedom, this is a masterful and stunning presentation of patriotism through poetry, quotations and depictions of myriad Americans—from Tecumseh to Abraham Lincoln to Jimi Hendrix—and the heart and soul of this land.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. This was one of the most famous catch-phrases of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. Rising from poverty-stricken Louisville in the 1950s he became one of the world's greatest athletes. Beginning life as Cassius Clay, Ali would struggle against opponents both in and out of the ring. Segregation and racism stood as obstacles in his path, but as he climbed the boxing ranks, his social conscience grew. He refused to be pigeonholed as a stereotypical black athlete in the 1960s and changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam. Fighting for social justice even as his brutal profession took its toll on his body and mind, his spirit was never defeated. Best-selling author of the Coretta Scott King Honor book Monster (RB# 96335), Walter Dean Myers pens this inspirational biography of a true champion. Acclaimed narrator JD Jackson adds the perfect voice to this triumphant true story. "... the kind of universal story that needs a writer as talented as Myers to retell it for every generation."-Booklist
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.
For a young adolescent, David Curry has a lot to contend with. He loves and fears Reuben, his troubled father. His older brother, Ty, is turning into someone David doesn't know anymore -- or trust. And his mom is struggling to hold everything together.
But then David meets Mr. Moses, an elderly man who tells him that dreams are the key to understanding reality. And with Mr. Moses's gift of dreams, David begins to see the world through his father's eyes.
Printz Award winner Walter Dean Myers weaves a richly layered tale of a boy's journey of self-discovery and the acceptance and compassion he learns along the way.
The Cruiser, the 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.
Zander Scott and his friends Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi are in trouble. Even though they're students at DaVinci Academy for the Gifted and Talented in Harlem, their grades are slipping, and Mr. Culpepper, the assistant principal and chief executioner, is ready to be rid of them. When the school starts a unit on the Civil War, and kids split up into Union and Confederate sympathizers, Zander and his crew are given a charge - to negotiate a peace between both sides before the war actually breaks out. That's when Zander comes up with the idea to launch an alternative school newspaper called The Cruiser. What he and his friends learn is that their writing has power to keep the peace, but that words can be weapons, too. Soon everyone at DaVinci is forced to consider the true meaning of democracy and what it costs to stand up for a cause. The result is nothing they could have expected - and everything they could have hoped for. Acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers delivers the first book in a series that will have boys and girls cheering for a group of outsiders who just may be the coolest kids in town.
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.
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 suspects that Ice has started selling drugs, just as their opposing teams prepare for a showdown on the court. If Slam wants to hold everything together, he’ll have to apply his passion for basketball to everything else in his life. With an urban, teenage voice, Walter Dean Myers earnestly reflects the hopes and desires shared by many budding hoop dreamers. Narrator Thomas Penny vividly captures both the internal and external challenges Slam faces while chasing his dream from the streets, to the classrooms, to the hardwood floors.
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 Da Vinci 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 dialogue and 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.
As a fourteen-year-old he was Malcolm Little, the president of his class and a top student. At sixteen he was hustling tips at a Boston nightclub. At twenty "Detroit Red" was in prison. It was there Malcolm Little started the journey that would lead him to adopt the name Malcolm X, and develop his beliefs about what being black means in America: beliefs that shook America then, and still shake America today. His significant role in the Nation of Islam and eventual split from it, along with his journey to Mecca, followed by his assassination in Harlem are chronicled in this fascinating portrait.
Martyr. Prophet. Hustler. Dealer. Troublemaker. Revolutionary. A BIOGRAPHY BY As a fourteen-year-old he was Malcolm Little, the president of his class and a top student. At sixteen he was hustling tips at a Boston nightclub. In Harlem he was known as Detroit Red, a slick street operator. At nineteen he was back in Boston, leading a gang of burglars. At twenty 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. From streetwise teenager to the militant leader of hundreds of thousands in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X was one of the most respected, and most feared, men in American history. Even today, years after his assassination, young people still listen to his speeches and read his autobiography. In this forthright and courageous account, Walter Dean Myers, two-time winner of the Newbery Honor and four-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, depicts a complex man whose life reflected the major issues of our times.
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 and Christoper Myers celebrates every child, and every thing that child can be. Jeremy notices that everyone sees him differently: to his sister, he's a little brother; to his teacher, he's a writer; to his mother, he's a dreamer. With hip-hop verse and vibrant artwork that resonates with urban verve, this extraordinary tribute to oneself will resonate with children and adults of all ages and backgrounds.
A Live Oak Media audio production.
