African American Darius dreams of getting out of his impoverished Harlem neighborhood and into college, but his grades aren't scholarship material and a scholarship is the only hope he has. A talented writer, he has a story under consideration by a literary journal but they want him to rework it and he's not sure he wants to do so. Darius's best friend, Dominican American Twig, is in his first season on the track team, where his success is a surprise to almost everyone. But Darius knows how hard Twig works at running. Darius's mother cautions him to not take too much satisfaction in Twig's accomplishments, implying he shouldn't abandon his own dreams. Most of Darius and Twig's peers think the future holds nothing but unemployment and hanging out on the street, and the two boys feel like they get hassled for daring to want more. A purposeful novel reveals small scenes and big dramas in the lives of Darius and others in his community. Older adults disgusted by and sometimes quick to dismiss the troublemaking kids they see, the track coach's astonishingly racist thinking about Twig, the frustration of other teachers who want more for their students, and the daily struggle for economic survival of Darius's mom are all vividly revealed, as is the dramatic impact of violence. Racism, poverty and the danger of hopelessness are palpable, but so, too, is hope. Darius and Twig are two boys who in spite of challenges are learning to be, as Darius finally understands it, their best selves. (Age 13 and older)

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."