Summer by walter dean myers

Myers American poet, memoirist, biographer, historian, and author of picture books, juvenile nonfiction, and young adult novels. The following entry presents an overview of Myers's career through For further information on his life and works, see CLR , Volumes 4, 16, and A five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and a two-time winner of the Newbery Honor Book Award, Myers is one of the most prolific and versatile authors of contemporary young adult novels.

Myers's fiction and nonfiction frequently utilizes realism and urban vernacular to reach underrepresented adolescent readers, making him a unique voice in children's literature. In addition to the frank dialogue of his characters, Myers's fiction recreates many of the difficult scenarios confronting modern children, including teen pregnancy, gangs, and school shootings.

Though he is best known for his young adult novels, Myers has also developed a reputation as a skilled author of histories for juvenile audiences, penning biographies of such notable figures as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. While giving birth to his sister, Imogene, Myers's mother died; Walter was two years old at the time.

Walter dean myers poems

His father struggled with the sudden responsibility of being a single parent during America's Great Depression , and subsequently, Herbert and Florence Dean—friends of Myers's parents—offered to care for Walter and two of his seven siblings. Moving their foster children to Harlem, New York , the Deans made ideal parental figures for Myers, though he was never formally adopted by the couple.

Myers soon began attending an integrated school in New York City where he excelled as a student. He suffered from a speech impediment and found solace in books. Given his speech problems, one of Myers's teachers suggested that he write his own material that avoided the words he found difficult to pronounce. As a result, Myers began writing poetry and, recognizing his literary talent, his teachers placed him into college preparatory classes.

Ultimately, he was accepted at Stuyvesent High School, a prestigious magnet school within the New York City public school system.