1937-

Autobiography of Mary Tyler Moore in which she recounts her life from her childhood in New York and Hollywood through her career as an actor, describing her personal experiences as a mother, wife, and activist.

Tim Podell leads a panel of middle school students in a discussion of the characters, themes, and impact of Avi's "Crispin: The Cross of Lead," in which an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village after being falsely accused of theft and murder, and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.

Author Walter Dean Myers describes his childhood in Harlem in the 1940s and 1950s, discussing his loving stepmother, his problems in school, his reasons for leaving home, and his beginnings as a writer.

A critical introduction to the life and work of the prolific writer of young adult and children's books.

Discusses the life and work of the well-known author of award-winning young adult literature who grew up in Harlem as a foster child and struggled with his identity as an African American writer.