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New York — Best-selling children’s author Walter Dean Myers‘ books allure young, black male readers because he writes about what they are interested in, as well as what they experience.

The Promise Academy in Harlem told the Associated Press that Myers’ books appeal mostly to many of the boys at their school; an impressive feat for a school that has trouble encouraging the young males to read.

Some fellow sixth-graders at The Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy, a charter school in Manhattan, are also Myers fans. Devon Johnson likes “Slam,” calling it “a real world situation” about a basketball guard living in a harsh neighborhood. Elijah Blades has read “Game,” the story of a high schooler conflicted between sports and academics.

Among the kids at the Promise Academy and around the country, Walter Dean Myers is a must-read whose books have sold millions of copies and have a special appeal for the toughest of people to reach, boys. He is able, like few writers, to relate to his readers as they live today.

Read more at The Associated Press

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