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 form. Interspersed throughout his screenplay are journal writings that give insight to 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 , 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. Even reluctant readers will no doubt be attracted to the novel's handwriting-styled type-face, 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, Amazon.com "

 

This book is part of a book series called Monster .

There are 320 pages in this book. This book was published 2004 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Christopher Myers is an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. He won a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in Harlem , and has received three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards. Myers has illustrated many books written by his father, award-winning author Walter Dean Myers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Walter Dean Myers is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry for young people. His many titles include the Newbery Honor Books Scorpions and Somewhere in the Darkness, and the Caldecott Honor Book Harlem in collaboration with his son Christopher, who also worked with him on Monster. Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem and now lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.