Synopses & Reviews
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 whose only escape is his alter ego, a peregrine falcon named Fury, and Twig is a middle-distance runner striving for athletic success. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that life in Harlem throws at them. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever.
Review
“Myers at his impassioned best.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
Myers has written another gritty, suspenseful, street-smart novel with a viscerally real setting in which young men must struggle to overcome obstacles by finding the best within them...Surely will inspire their readers to seek to do the same. Booklist (starred review)
Review
* "Schmidt writes with an elegant simplicity in this paean to the power of love...Readers will not soon forget either Joseph Brook or this spare novel written with love and grace."
—Kirkus, starred review
Synopsis
Darius
A supersmart writer. His two escapes: his alter ego, Fury, a peregrine falcon; and hanging out with Twig. Darius thinks Twig could go far as a top-notch runner. But Darius isn't so sure about himself. Is it possible for an artist's life to lead anywhere?
Twig
An outstanding middle-distance runner. When Twig runs, he's the only one to beat.
Darius & Twig
Best friends. They need to navigate their Harlem world: the gangs, the bullies, an absent dad, an abusive uncle, the sleazy side of sports, the uncertainty of an artist's prospects. And they need to figure out how to grow up together, but apart.
Author Walter Dean Myers says, "You cannot live someone else's dream. Darius & Twig is about needing to live your own dream."
Synopsis
Jack, 12, tells the gripping story of Joseph, 14, who joins his family as a foster child. Damaged in prison, Joseph wants nothing more than to find his baby daughter, Jupiter, whom he has never seen. When Joseph has begun to believe he’ll have a future, he is confronted by demons from his past that force a tragic sacrifice.
Synopsis
The two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt delivers the shattering story of Joseph, a father at thirteen, who has never seen his daughter, Jupiter. After spending time in a juvenile facility, he’s placed with a foster family on a farm in rural Maine. Here Joseph, damaged and withdrawn, meets twelve-year-old Jack, who narrates the account of the troubled, passionate teen who wants to find his baby at any cost. In this riveting novel, two boys discover the true meaning of family and the sacrifices it requires.
About the Author
Five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Walter Dean Myers was the acclaimed author of a wide variety of nonfiction and fiction for young people. His nonfiction includes We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart; Now Is Your Time!: The African-American Struggle for Freedom; I've Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Malcom X: A Fire Burning Brightly; and Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award winner. His illustrious list of young adult novels includes Darius & Twig; All the Right Stuff; Lockdown; Dope Sick; Autobiography of My Dead Brother; New York Times bestseller Monster, the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award; and many more. He was a National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree.