The Library of Congress has just announced that author Walter Dean Myers is the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, 2012-2013. Myers has decided to focus on the platform 'Reading Is Not Optional.' Walter Dean Myers has received numerous honors for his books, including the first Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Basing some of his books on his own experiences as a teen, Myers writes about urban African American youth living in harsh circumstances, although he has also written a few books of poetry and some picture books.
Myers received the 1989 Coretta Scott King Award for Fallen Angels, his book about the Vietnam War. Walter Dean Myers was awarded the 2000 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature for his teen novel Monster, about a teen accused of murder. His book Shooter is a powerful novel about the deadly consequences of bullying. His books have been both praised and subject to book banning and censorship.
"Walter Dean Myers is a wonderful storyteller and authentic voice," said Robin Adelson, executive director of the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader. "His pioneering novels are hard-hitting and, at the same time, deliver a powerful sense of hope and dignity, and we believe he will do the same as the next ambassador." (Source: Library of Congress 1/3/11 press release) See Walter Dean Myers: His Life, Books, and Views on Censorship, from teen librarian and writer Jennifer Kendall, to learn more about this extraordinary writer and strong advocate for the power of reading.
(Photo courtesy of Walter Dean Myers)
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