Book lovers, it was recently announced that Walter Dean Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and two Newbery Honors, has been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Myers will serve in the position during 2012 and 2013, succeeding Katherine Paterson. He has chosen “Reading Is Not Optional” as the heading for his platform. The inauguration ceremony will take place on January 10 at 11:00 a.m. in Room LJ 119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

“Walter Dean Myers is well-known to attendees of our National Book Festival,” said Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole. “He was a popular presenter in 2001, during our first festival, and also in 2003 and 2005. We look forward to his appearance at this year’s festival in September.”

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council (CBC), and Every Child a Reader, the CBC foundation, are the founders and sponsors of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature initiative which you can read more about here.

Walter Dean Myers boasts more than 100 published books, including the New York Times bestseller Monster, the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. He is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and in 2009 delivered the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, a distinction reserved for an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of children’s literature. He is among today’s most-honored authors. Myers grew up in Harlem, which is the setting for many of his books, and currently resides in Jersey City, N.J.