He was brought up and went to public school there. Walter Dean Myers was born on Augin Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. 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.' 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. The two friends must face down bullies, an abusive uncle, and the idea that they'll be stuck in the same place forever. But they are drawn together in the struggle to overcome the obstacles that life in Harlem throws at them. 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.ĭarius 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.

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.

Darius & Twig by Walter Dean Myers