"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."

Reviewer (EKU

First of all, I think this book would be excellent to use with middle school students, especially boys. I can not wait to use it with my students. I think it could be used with ages 11-19.
It seems as though the main character Steve Harmon made a costly decision. It is not easy growing up in the ghetto, but he seems to be a good boy based on his family and how they feel towards him. What will his bad decision cost him? You will have to read for yourself to see if he was really involved in the life changing experience. His decision to be remotely involved with the wrong guys has landed himself in jail. In order to pass the time he struggles to write the movie of his life. How will it end guilty or not guilty?
It was an excellent book; however, it takes a little while to get use to the format of how the book is written. It is written as a movie script. I think that in order to make this book fully effective Walter Dean Myers helped the main character create an escape from what awaited him by allowing him to tell his own story through all of the other characters.

Monster

Luis G.
I read the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers. The story is about a 16-year-old boy, Steve Harmon, on trial for felony murder. Steve, who wished that experience were only a movie, writes the story in a movie script format. There only needs to be enough evidence to say he was at the scene of the crime and participated in the drug store robbery, regardless of whether or not he pulled the trigger on Mr. Nesbitt, the person killed. If so, he might spend the rest of his life behind bars. Steve is the only dynamic character in the story; when the movie begins, he is a simple 16-year-old boy who had only seen the world through his somewhat happy life. Towards the end he realizes not all people in this life are decent, or anywhere close to decent human being, but rather there is a mix of good and bad living amongst each other. Steve's movie contains flashbacks that sometimes leave the reader wondering of their significance to the story. In them we see a Steve Harmon prior to him being in jail. We see him hanging out with his friends and family. Readers are able to relate with Steve regardless of whether or not they have experience a jail term. Walter Myers does an excellent job of characterization especially in those flashbacks, because Steve seems so much like a real. Because you are able to relate with Steve you begin to feel sympathy for him just because of the awful place he is at. Myers's imagery of the jail is excellent. You realize the brutality and the perverse minds of some inmates, and also the depressed state Steve is in. as a consequence, you begin to feel sorry for him and wish he be found not guilty. This book is on of a kind because you observe the brutal side of jail through the mind of a 16-year-old boy. I think that all teens might want to consider reading this book, and I also think they are the ideal audience.

Search for Identity

Written as a screen play, Monster is a unique look at a youth's loss of innocence and the justice system all in one. Steve Harmon, the protagonist, is on trial for his part in the murder of a convenient store owner. Although he is involved in the case, the reader is not sure to what extent he was a part of the crime, as there are other suspects.

The other main suspect on trial is James King. Unlike Steve, King is lacking youth and innocence. Steve's active interest in filmography gives him the idea to tell this story as though it is a movie. As he goes through the court proceedings, we learn bits and pieces of the case as told through Steve's perspective. There are a series of flashbacks in which scenes from the events leading up to the crime are shown.

We get to hear the entire trial as it progresses, the opening statements, the evidence, the witnesses for both sides, and the closing arguments. Steve's search for identity while incarcerated is the constant theme of the book, and Myers does an excellent job taking us through a series of character point-of-views and scenes that are pivotal to the case through Steve's eyes.

Perhaps Steve Harmon's journey is such a difficult one because we get the sense that his lawyer has some doubt about his innocence. The significance of the title, Monster, is apparent in how people sometimes prejudge a person without knowing what they are really about. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to read about the delimmas of court proceedings, and a minor's search for himself. This is a great book, especially for young adults.