Fact Friday: Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers

Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers. 214 p. HarperCollins Publisher, May, 2002. 9780756910495. (Own)

Revered children's author and former Ambassador of Children's Literature admits he was a handful as a child. He suffered from a severe speech impediment, had a bad temper and was prone to fighting. His father and stepmother sent him to live with a foster family in Harlem in the the 1940s. Though bright, he did not do well in school and often cut classes. He loved to read and wanted to become a writer. This slim volume vividly describes life in Harlem and is sure to please fans of Myers' many books. It's a great choice for the eighth grade memoir unit.