From the press release:
Walter Dean Myers, the critically acclaimed author of Monster, Sunrise Over Fallujah, and many other books for children and young adults, will be in Champaign to share a hard-hitting message for young people: “Reading is not optional.” His visit is part of a two-year tour as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The Champaign Public Library will host the author for two free public events.
On Monday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m., students in grades 4 and up, parents, and educators are invited to hear Myers speak at the Main Library, at 200 W. Green St. A book signing and question-and-answer session will follow a 45-minute presentation. Books can be purchased at the event and CPDUs will be available to educators.
On Tuesday, March 26, at 3:45 p.m., the author will stop by the library’s Douglass Branch, located at 504 E. Grove St., for an hour-long meet-and-greet with teens.
While in Champaign, Myers also plans to talk with students at Central High School and visit the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center.
Myers’s books focus on the lives of urban teens, particularly at-risk African Americans, facing the challenges of drugs, gang violence, military service, or imprisonment. His many awards include two Newbery Honors and five Coretta Scott King Awards. His book Monster, about the murder trial of a young man in Harlem, was a 1999 National Book Award finalist. Myers is also known for his poetry, including the collection Jazz, a picture book, and Harlem, a book for older children that earned a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations by the author’s son, Christopher Myers.