 He was a two-time runner-up for the annual Newbery Medal, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children", in 1989 for "The Scorpion" and in 1993 for "Somewhere in the Darkness".The ALA split the Newbery several years later, establishing the Michael L. Printz Award for young-adult literature.Myers was the inaugural winner for "Monster" (HarperCollins, 1999), which was thereby designated the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit".