Darius & Twig

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.

Maria Russo, writing in the New York Times, included Darius & Twig on her list of "great kids' books with diverse characters." She commented: "The late Myers, one of the greats and a champion of diversity in children's books well before the cause got mainstream attention, is at his elegant, heartfelt best in this 2013 novel. It's about two friends growing up in Harlem, one a writer, one an athlete, facing daily challenges and trying to dream of a brighter future."

Author: Walter Dean Myers
Publisher: Amistad Books for Young Readers
Published: 04/23/2013
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.20h x 5.10w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780061728235
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.6
Point Value: 5
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 158092 / Darius & Twig


Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2013
Booklist 03/15/2013 pg. 76
Romantic Times 05/01/2013 pg. 52 - Excellent
Publishers Weekly 05/13/2013
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2013 pg. 477
Voice of Youth Advocates 06/01/2013 - Recommended - Hard To Beat
School Library Journal 06/01/2013 pg. 138
Kirkus Best Young-Adult Books 12/01/2013 pg. 56
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2014 pg. 14
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2014 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Myers, Walter Dean: -

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.