St. Mark's Library Lion Links wiki / Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers

"Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. ..Walter has been writing since childhood and publishing since 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. Since then he has published over seventy books for children and young adults. He has received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He has been awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he has received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists." Walter Dean Myers - Official Website

"Myers is arguably one of the most important writers of children's books of our age..." -Kirkus Review

Green Library Catalog search - Walter Dean Myers

Multimedia and Reading Tools

Biography and Background

A Video Interview with Walter Dean Myers

Biography, bibliography, video clips, and transcripts.

View online

Before the crack of dawn (1:20)
Watch this video clip for an insight into the daily routine of this successful author.
Working with Christopher Myers (:50)
Walter Dean Myers explains how his son pushes him to take more chances.
Words they can relate to (1:00)
Walter Dean Myers thinks that young African-American readers relate so well to his books because they recognize the environment.
The rhythms of Harlem (:50)
Myers talks about the cultural role of music in communities like Harlem.
Reading is like air (1:00)
In this video clip, Walter Dean Myers explains why knowing how to read is more important today than it was when he was growing up.
The urban experience (1:00)
Myers' books are unique partly because they take place in the city, not in the suburbs.
Inner-city kids (1:30)
Walter Dean Myers explains why many kids put on a defensive "tough guy" act.
Books were my friends (2:00)
In this video clip, Myers recalls the important role that books played in his childhood.

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

Thirteen discussion questions. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

Fallen Angels

Fallen Angels

Anticipation guide, vocabulary mapping, and other activities, including support for the video Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam.

Fallen Angels Anticipation Guide

Students respond to statements before and after reading. Access requires MS-Word or compatible application.

Fallen Angels: Multimedia Project on the Vietnam War

Students use a combination of music, images, carefully chosen quotations from the novel Fallen Angels and excerpts from research to make readers care about the Vietnam War from a particular perspective. An excellent project. Rubric included.

Fallen Angels Teaching Guide

This site offers theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for related reading.

Fallen Angels WebQuest

Five postreading activities.

The Glory Field

The Glory Field Teaching Guide

Theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments.

Study Guide for The Glory Field

Background information, prereading, vocabulary, graphic organizers, and writing prompts. This guide requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for access.

Harlem

Harlem Connections: Teaching Walter Dean Myers's Scorpions in conjunction with Paul Laurence Dunbar's The Sport of the Gods

A classroom teacher reports on this pairing of works.

Harlem

Listen and watch an adaptation of the poem, which runs just under 7 minutes.

The Legend of Tarik

The Legend of Tarik

Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and enrichment. Note the statement at the top and bottom of the page.

Monster

A Guide to Teaching Walter Dean Myers's Monster and Scorpion

This page includes suggestions for reading skills and strategies, thematic connections, and crosscurricular activities.

Monster

Students assume the role of a juror, journal their perceptions as they read, and write their assessment of the verdict. Two rubrics are available, one for the essay and one for a role-playing activity. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader for access.

Monster Anticipation Guide

This printable handout requires MS-Word or compatible application for access.

A Question of Truth

Students compare and contrast Monster with Avi's Nothing But the Truth.

Monster and Scorpions Teaching Guides

Reading skills, thematic connections, and crosscurricular activities.

Walter Dean Myers: Monster

A brief biography of Myers and three approaches to the novel.

The Treasure of Lemon Brown: An Extension Lesson on the Blues

As a post-reading activity, students investigate jazz and blues music. They pretend they have attended one of Lemon Brown's performances and write a short music review.