Walter Dean Myers

Almost every child grows up reading a book by Walter Dean Myers. Born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, he grew up in Harlem, New York, and draws on his experiences there to shape his writing. His books have special meaning for young people coming of age in urban environments. A prolific writer of poetry, novels, and picture books, Myers has won many awards: two Newbery Honor Book awards; several Coretta Scott King Honor Book awards; the first Virginia Hamilton Literary Award; a Caldecott Honor Book award; the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam; and numerous other citations. His latest book, the highly acclaimed Monster, received the first Michael L. Printz Award and was a National Book Award Finalist, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. Myers often does extensive research for his books and collects documents, photographs, and other evidence to support his work.

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