Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir

Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir Book Cover Enlarge Book Cover

Bad Boy: A Graphic Memoir

About the Book

A gripping graphic memoir adaptation of iconic, multi-award-winning author Walter Dean Myers’s autobiography, telling the story of his coming-of-age in Harlem, adapted by Guy A. Sims and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile.

Legendary author Walter Dean Myers was once a troublemaker and a truant.

Just how bad was he? From instigating mischievous pranks at home to fighting in the classroom—especially when teased about his speech impediment—irrepressible Walter was more than a handful. Underneath it all, he had a tremendous love for books, and by high school he longed to become a writer. But financial troubles at home made him feel his options were so limited that he dropped out of school. Still, his desire to write was as irrepressible as Walter himself. If he could only be given the chance…

Walter recounts what growing up in Harlem was like in the 1940s and 1950s—when seeing Langston Hughes and Sugar Ray Robinson on the street was the norm and Jackie Robinson ruled the baseball field.

Gripping. Funny. Heartbreaking. Walter Dean Myers’s memoir is unforgettable. This is the award-winning story of one of the strongest voices in children’s and young adult literature.

Product Details

ISBN: 9780063099944
Imprint: Quill Tree Books
On Sale: Sep 30, 2025
List price: $8.99
No of pages: 128
Trim Size: 1.000 in (w) x 1.000 in (h) x 1.000 in (d)
BISAC 1: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Biography *
BISAC 2: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / Literary *
BISAC 3: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Boys & Men *
BISAC 4:
BISAC 5:
BISAC 6:

Walter Dean Myers

Biography

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers was recognized by every single major award in the field of children’s literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and five Coretta Scott King Book Award winners. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and a three-time National Book Award finalist as well as the first ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Guy A. Sims

Biography

Guy A. Sims is a poet and fiction writer as well as the cocreator of Brotherman Comics. He is the author of Living Just a Little: A Novel; The Cold Hard Cases of Duke Denim; The Kwanzaa Handbook; and The Kwanzaa Kids Learn the Seven Principles.

Dawud Anyabwile

Biography

Dawud Anyabwile is an Emmy Award–winning artist and the cocreator and illustrator of the groundbreaking comics series Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline, which is cocreated and written by his brother, Guy A. Sims. Dawud has also worked as a character designer on television productions such as The Wild Thornberrys and Rugrats as well as served as a production artist on a variety of music videos, commercials, and game animations.

Reviews

“Sims presents a graphic adaptation of late children’s literature giant Myers’ 2001 autobiography, in which he describes his adventures growing up in New York City. Illustrator Anyabwile effectively captures the 1940s and ’50s Harlem setting, using a bright, expressive color palette offset by sepia tones and background details to immerse readers in the life of a Black boy who wrestled with how to fit into his environment.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Anyabwile and Kellman’s artwork blends the vibrancy of Harlem with the comic books beloved by young Walter, nicely differentiating this newly visual exploration of the adolescence of one of the most respected youth authors of our time. An illuminating companion to the original.” — Booklist

About the Book

A gripping graphic memoir adaptation of iconic, multi-award-winning author Walter Dean Myers’s autobiography, telling the story of his coming-of-age in Harlem, adapted by Guy A. Sims and illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile.

Legendary author Walter Dean Myers was once a troublemaker and a truant.

Just how bad was he? From instigating mischievous pranks at home to fighting in the classroom—especially when teased about his speech impediment—irrepressible Walter was more than a handful. Underneath it all, he had a tremendous love for books, and by high school he longed to become a writer. But financial troubles at home made him feel his options were so limited that he dropped out of school. Still, his desire to write was as irrepressible as Walter himself. If he could only be given the chance…

Walter recounts what growing up in Harlem was like in the 1940s and 1950s—when seeing Langston Hughes and Sugar Ray Robinson on the street was the norm and Jackie Robinson ruled the baseball field.

Gripping. Funny. Heartbreaking. Walter Dean Myers’s memoir is unforgettable. This is the award-winning story of one of the strongest voices in children’s and young adult literature.

Product Details

ISBN: 9780063099944
Imprint: Quill Tree Books
On Sale: Sep 30, 2025
List price: $8.99
No of pages: 128
Trim Size: 1.000 in (w) x 1.000 in (h) x 1.000 in (d)
BISAC 1: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Biography *
BISAC 2: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Biography & Autobiography / Literary *
BISAC 3: YOUNG ADULT NONFICTION / Boys & Men *
BISAC 4:
BISAC 5:
BISAC 6:

Walter Dean Myers

Biography

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers was recognized by every single major award in the field of children’s literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and five Coretta Scott King Book Award winners. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and a three-time National Book Award finalist as well as the first ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Guy A. Sims

Biography

Guy A. Sims is a poet and fiction writer as well as the cocreator of Brotherman Comics. He is the author of Living Just a Little: A Novel; The Cold Hard Cases of Duke Denim; The Kwanzaa Handbook; and The Kwanzaa Kids Learn the Seven Principles.

Dawud Anyabwile

Biography

Dawud Anyabwile is an Emmy Award–winning artist and the cocreator and illustrator of the groundbreaking comics series Brotherman: Dictator of Discipline, which is cocreated and written by his brother, Guy A. Sims. Dawud has also worked as a character designer on television productions such as The Wild Thornberrys and Rugrats as well as served as a production artist on a variety of music videos, commercials, and game animations.

Reviews

“Sims presents a graphic adaptation of late children’s literature giant Myers’ 2001 autobiography, in which he describes his adventures growing up in New York City. Illustrator Anyabwile effectively captures the 1940s and ’50s Harlem setting, using a bright, expressive color palette offset by sepia tones and background details to immerse readers in the life of a Black boy who wrestled with how to fit into his environment.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Anyabwile and Kellman’s artwork blends the vibrancy of Harlem with the comic books beloved by young Walter, nicely differentiating this newly visual exploration of the adolescence of one of the most respected youth authors of our time. An illuminating companion to the original.” — Booklist

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