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by: Walter Dean Myers
Amazon.com's Price: $8.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780064407311
ISBN: 0064407314
Label: Amistad
Manufacturer: Amistad
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 281
Publication Date: May 01, 2001
Publisher: Amistad
Reading Level: Young Adult
Release Date: May 08, 2001
Sales Rank: 2440
Studio: Amistad
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
FADE IN: INTERIOR: Early morning in CELL BLOCK D, MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER.
Steve (Voice-Over)
Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady prosecutor called me ... Monster.
Amazon.com:
'Monster' is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. But was Steve really the lookout who gave the 'all clear' to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this innovative novel by Walter Dean Myers, the reader becomes both juror and witness during the trial of Steve's life. To calm his nerves as he sits in the courtroom, aspiring filmmaker Steve chronicles the proceedings in movie script format. Interspersed throughout his screenplay are journal writings that provide insight into Steve's life before the murder and his feelings about being held in prison during the trial. 'They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can't kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment.'
Myers, known for the inner-city classic Motown and Didi (first published in 1984), proves with Monster that he has kept up with both the struggles and the lingo of today's teens. Steve is an adolescent caught up in the violent circumstances of an adult world--a situation most teens can relate to on some level. Readers will no doubt be attracted to the novel's handwriting-style typeface, emphasis on dialogue, and fast-paced courtroom action. By weaving together Steve's journal entries and his script, Myers has given the first-person voice a new twist and added yet another worthy volume to his already admirable body of work. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - From a Teacher/ School Librarian's perspective...
"Monster" was an outstanding book and should be read by any child that is heading in the wrong direction. Over the years, there were so many students I could have recommended this book to. This story is about a black teen and the inner city, but please do not feel this book could not help a child in the suburbs or Asian/Hispanic/White teens. The main focus of this book is to talk about the consequences any teen can face by associating themselves with the wrong people. So many teens want to be cool ... Read More
Rating: - The Most Realistic Story
"Monster the story of my miserable life." "This film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. MONSTER"
Monster is about a teenage boy named Steve Harmon the age of 16 who is in jail and on trial because was a part of a robbery as a look out, along with his "friends" Bobo and King. Throughout this whole book it takes place in the courtroom except for at night when Steve is writing in his journal. ... Read More
Rating:  - Monster
Synopsis
The novel begins with the main character, Steve, explaining in a journal type format, that the best time to cry is during the nighttime. Steve is in jail awaiting the outcome of his trial after being arrested for felony murder. He was allegedly involved in the murder of a local grocery store clerk. As the book progresses, it shifts between journal entries and a movie script format. As the courtroom drama unfolds other characters are introduced through the eyes of Steven and the lens of ... Read More
Rating: - Using Monster in the Classroom
Reading Monster out loud in class helped my students practice their fluency and inflections on a daily basis. Furthermore, the issues that Steve Harmon faces in the book help to start meaningful discussions in class. Going over definitions of exactly what a "sidebar" and "felony" are in addition to other vocabulary words helped to widen students' knowledge base as well. The book also exposes students to question what their beliefs and morals are and what they would do if faced with similar dilemmas. ... Read More
Rating: - Calling all Middle School Students
Raise your hand if you are in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and are feeling as though life is coming at you too fast. You are not alone. Take a minute to reflect on your current situation: friends, family, school, freedom. Now think about what life would be like if you were stuck behind the bars of a maximum security prison, waiting to hear whether or not you will spend the rest of your life in the same location. Such is the case for Steve Harmon. "Monster" is a fictional novel that tracks the life of 16 year ... Read More
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