CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2004
"A worthy introduction to a fascinating subject. (timeline, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 9-14)"
A solid history of Antarctic exploration takes readers from the times when it was known simply as Terra Australis Incognita to the present—and beyond.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 15, 2004
"Still, this readable, well-deserved tribute to a recently restored national treasure, currently docked in Baltimore, will reach a wider audience than the locally published profiles currently available. (Nonfiction. 10-12)"
The Constellation hasn't received the press accorded the Constitution, "Old Ironsides," but it was built at the same time (though broken up and rebuilt just prior to the Civil War), and also has a long, successful history in battle, as a hunter of slave ships, and as a training vessel.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2004
"Though the volume is not as effective in its innovative format as Myers's Monster (1999), the subject matter, as current as today's headlines, will attract readers. (Fiction. YA)"
When a shooting occurs at Madison High with two students killed and six injured, investigators try to get to the heart of the tragedy in hopes of preventing further occurrences.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2004
"Doreen Rappaport's Martin's Big Words (2002). (Picture book/biography. 5-8)"
Following up their portrait of Malcolm X (2000), Myers briefly traces Dr. King's career, and Jenkins adds kaleidoscopic collages that both depict major incidents and figures of the Civil Rights movement, and capture the time's turmoil. Dr. King certainly doesn't lack for biographers, but Myers is unusually even-handed, highlighting King's nonviolent philosophy while viewing the Movement's angrier, more violent outbursts with a certain degree of—not sympathy, exactly, but understanding.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2003
"If there are no magicians waving helpful wands, at least there's the possibility of hope, promise, and belief "in a heart that sees beauty and a soul that prays for love." (Fiction. YA)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 1, 2003
"Moses's dreams offer no easy solutions to David's problems, but they become part of him, add to his knowledge, strength, and understanding, and nudge him toward a renewed relationship with his father and an appreciation of the danger and the magic of Harlem. (Fiction. 10+)"
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 15, 2003
"Children will see both replies in the pictures and in the sweet dark rhythm of the words. (Picture book. 6-11)"
A powerful union of text and image transmutes itself into a work of art—and it explains what the blues is, besides.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 1, 2002
"This, alas, cannot possibly be what they are hoping to get. (Fiction. 7-10)"
A turgid animal fantasy features Spanish cat musketeers crossing swords with thuggish dog invaders.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2002
"Not exactly a fun read, but highly effective and very important. (Picture book. 8-12)"
Myers returns to the setting of his award-winning Fallen Angels (1988) with a stunning, unsettling picture book that attempts to put the reader into the heart and mind of an American soldier in Vietnam.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 1, 2002
"Although compositionally flawed, this has such important things to say to adolescent boys that it deserves a wide audience. (Fiction. 10-15)"
In a self-help treatise in the guise of a novel, Myers's (Bad Boy, 2001, etc.) passion and concern for adolescent boys infuses the material and gives it a heartfelt urgency.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 31, 2001
"Myers is arguably one of the most important writers of children's books of our age, however, and this glimpse into his own childhood is wonderfully valuable, fascinating, and even inspiring. (Autobiography. 12+)"
Catalogues of books alternate with battles against educational authorities in this memoir from one of the deans of young-adult literature.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2001
"Rich historical context, fully realized characters, great baseball action, and trademark Myers humor combine to make this one a homerun. (Fiction. 9-14)"
Biddy Owens, 17, "equipment manager, scorekeeper, errand boy, and sometimes right fielder" for the Birmingham Black Barons, narrates in diary form the twilight time of the Negro Leagues.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Jan. 1, 2001
A fascinating and fast-paced biography weaves together the remarkable career of fighter Muhammad Ali with the political movements of the '60s and '70s.
Read full book review >
ADULT
Released: Feb. 1, 2000
ADULT
Released: Jan. 31, 2000
"What emerges most clearly is a portrait of a complex, compelling spokesman who was growing and changing up to the moment he was cut down. (Picture book/biography. 6-8)"
With but a light sprinkling of names and dates, Myers condenses his Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary (1993) to picture- book length.
Read full book review >
ADULT
Released: May 31, 1999
In a riveting novel from Myers (At Her Majesty's Request, 1999, etc.), a teenager who dreams of being a filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form of a movie script, with journal entries after each day's action.
Read full book review >
ADULT
Released: April 1, 1999
"The hallmarks of Myers's work—thorough research and solid writing—are evident here. (Fiction. 8-14)"
The teenage son of a former slave joins a cattle drive from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, in an entry in the My Name is America series.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 1999
"This solidly researched biography will enthrall readers, and ranks among Myers's best writing. (Biography. 11-13)"
Working from a packet of letters found in a London bookshop, Myers reconstructs the life of one Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a child of royal African descent who was rescued by a British sea captain from a sacrificial rite in Dahomey, became a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, and grew up in a succession of upper middle-class households.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 30, 1998
Myers (Brown Angels, 1993; Glorious Angels, 1995; etc.) has gathered another collection of vintage photographs of African-American mothers and children, with a few fathers thrown into the mix, and a good number of solo shots of babies, young gentlemen, and young ladies.
Read full book review >
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 1, 1997
"Put this on the shelf next to Chris Raschka's Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop (1992) and see if anyone can sit still when the book is read aloud. (Picture book. 5+)"
A hot new artist and his distinguished father fashion a picture book with a stirring sound at its center.
Read full book review >
