Kwame Alexander | |
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 Alexander at the 2019 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | Edward Curtis Kwame Alexander II August 21, 1968 Germany |
| Occupation | Children's Book Author |
| Alma mater | Virginia Tech |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable awards |
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| Spouse | Stephanie Stanley |
| Relatives | Sia Alexander (sister), Nataki Alexander (sister) and Ade’ Alexander (brother) |
| Website | |
| kwamealexander | |
Kwame Alexander (born August 21, 1968) is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.
Alexander was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Virginia. [1] His father was a scholar and book publisher and his mother was an educator, so he was always surrounded by books.
Alexander attended Virginia Tech, where he began premedical studies before taking a writing class with award-winning poet [2] Nikki Giovanni. [3] On May 11, 2024, Alexander received an honorary doctorate degree from American University in Washington, DC. [4]
Alexander's picture book Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band was selected for the 2014 "Michigan Reads! One State, One Children's Book" program. [5] He won a 2020 Newbery Honor for his illustrated poem The Undefeated . [6]
Alexander runs the Bookinaday program to introduce children to writing and publishing. [7] He is a regular contributor to National Public Radio's Morning Edition program. [1]
The Door of No Return, a historical verse novel set in Ghana in 1861, told from the perspective of 11-year-old Koffi, was inspired by Alexander's visits to Ghana. [8]
Alexander has received many awards as a writer, among them the 2017 Pat Conroy Legacy Award (an award that honors the example of acclaimed author Pat Conroy and recognizes writers who have achieved a lasting impact on their literary community), [9] and his verse novel The Crossover won the 2015 Newbery Medal and was selected as an Honor book for the Coretta Scott King Award. [10]
The Crossover, [11] Booked, [12] Out of Wonder, [13] Solo, [14] Becoming Mohammed Ali, [15] The Undefeated, [16] and The Door of No Return [17] are New York Times bestselling books. The Undefeated is also an IndieBound bestseller. [16]
In 2014, The Crossover was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews [11] and Shelf Awareness . [18]
In 2016, Booked was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews. [12]
In 2017, Out of Wonder was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews [13]
The same year, Solo was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews. [14]
In 2018, Rebound was named one of the best books of the year by The Horn Book Magazine. [19]
In 2019, The Undefeated was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews [16] and The Horn Book Magazine. [19]
In 2020, Becoming Mohammed Ali was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews. [15]
In 2022, The Door of No Return was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Reviews, [17] The Horn Book Magazine, [19] and Shelf Awareness. [20]
In 2023, the adaptation of The Crossover, the Newberry-award winning verse novel won the Outstanding Young Teen Series award at the second annual Children's and Family Emmy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on 17 December 2023.
In 2024 Unspoken, was awarded School Library Association Winner for the Children’s Choice Award. [21]
Suzanne Collins is an American author and television writer. She is best known as the author of the young adult dystopian book series The Hunger Games. She is also the author of the children's fantasy series The Underland Chronicles.
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The Crossover is a 2014 children's book by American author Kwame Alexander and the winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor. The book, which is told entirely through verse, was first published in the United States in hardback on March 18, 2014, through HMH Books for Young Readers.
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As Brave As You is a young adult novel written by Jason Reynolds, published May 3, 2016 by Atheneum. The book describes two African-American brothers from Brooklyn who are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather in Virginia.
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets is a 2017 collection of poems for children's by Kwame Alexander with co-authors Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth and illustrated by Ekua Holmes. The book won the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. Each of the 20 poems is written in tribute to and in the style of a well known poet.
The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog is a young adult novel written by Adam Gidwitz and illuminated by Hatem Aly, published by Dutton Children's Books in 2016, and inspired by The Canterbury Tales. It is set in medieval France and describes how three magical children meet each other and become outlaws. It was named a Newbery Honor book in 2017.
Before the Ever After is a middle-grade novel in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, published September 1, 2020 by Nancy Paulsen Books.
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks is a young adult novel written by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Alexander Nabaum, and published October 8, 2019 by Atheneum Books. The book is a New York Times best seller, National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist (2019), Coretta Scott King Award honor book (2020), and Carnegie Medal recipient (2021).
Stephen Wilkins Jenkins was an American children's book author. He illustrated, wrote, and art-directed over 80 books.
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Concrete Rose is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas, published January 12, 2021, by Balzer + Bray.
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Ryan T. Higgins is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his Mother Bruce and Penelope Rex series, both of which have had a book on The New York Times Best Seller List and have won the E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Books.
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