Monster

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Summary:

Steve Harmon is only sixteen and is on trial for murder.  He is accused of being the lookout while two other boys robbed and killed Mr. Nesbitt, a drugstore owner. The prosecutor paints Steve out to be a monster.  He is not even sure if his defense attorney believes he is innocent. While in jail, Steve records his experiences in a journal. He feels that his life is like a movie and intends to one day turn be a filmmaker. Monster is written in two different points of view.  One view is from Steve’s personal journal.  The other view is from the screenplay that Steve Harmon is writing.  

 Commentary:

This book really keeps you in suspense waiting for Steve’s verdict. This book will resonate with so many young people today. So often in the news we see stories of people falling victim to being from living in the wrong neighborhood, being in the wrong place, or associating with the wrong people. Teen readers can learn from this story and have empathy with Steve Harmon. Walter Dean Myers did an outstanding job at allowing the reader to experience a gut wrenching situation through the eyes of the main character.

Other Books by Walter Dean Myers:

Fallen Angels

All the Right Stuff

Darius& Twig

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

 

Interview with Author, Walter Dean Myers: