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5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, 21 Dec 2006
Sixteen-year-old Steve is on trial for murder. But he's having trouble understanding why. "What did I do? I walked into a drugstore to look for some mints, and then I walked out. What was wrong with that? I didn't kill Mr. Nesbitt" (p. 140). Nothing is wrong with that, of course--unless the purpose of that casual trip was to give the "all clear" for a robbery that ended in the murder of the store's owner. Then, something is very wrong.
By structuring the book as a movie script being written by the character as he spends his days in prison, faces his jury, prepares with his lawyer, confronts his mother and father, and, most importantly, examines his own life, Myers presents Steve as a talented young man who may have made a single poor choice. However, Myers retains conflict necessary for
building a compelling storyline by having Steve refuse to acknowledge his part in Mr. Nesbitt's death. The result is that the reader wants to sympathize with the teen, but cannot help but wonder, if Steve truly does not understand why what he did was wrong, what is going to keep him from going astray in the future? Maybe, as the prosecutor stated, Steve really is a monster.
Overall, MONSTER sends an excellent message to young adults: You, and only you, are responsible for the choices you make, and the consequences for those choices may ultimately affect not only the rest of your life, but the lives of the people around you--and maybe those you do not even know. Therefore, think about what you are doing, consider the
consequences of your actions, and choose wisely.
Boston Globe--Horn Book Awards, Honor Book,1999
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Young Adult Fiction, Finalist 1999
Coretta Scott King Awards, Honor Book, 2000
Edgar Allan Poe Awards, Nominee, Best Young Adult Novel, 2000
Michael L. Printz Award, Winner, 2000
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Grades 9-12, Winner, 2002
Reviewed by: Mechele R. Dillard
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Guilty? OR Innocent?, 2 Jun 2005
A 16-years-old black boy called steve harmon is on trail for felony murder.The story is set in the 1990's in a courtroom in New York.Steve is accussed for beeing the lookout in a drugstore robbery where the owner was killed and something was stolen.It does not become clear how far steve was involved in the robbery and if he really only played the role of a "lookout".The whole story is written as a script from steve's point of view.To get more information about steve's feelings.I found the book very well,because the book was written realistically and the topic is also up-to-day.Force is everyday life for the young people.I think Walter Dean Myers want show the reader the force of young people,more exactly of black people. written by volkan
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Who Am I ?, 2 Jun 2005
The book "Monster" written by Walter Dean Myers is about a 16 - year old black boy. This boy is called Steve Harmon and he is on trial for felony murder. Steve was at the wrong time at the wrong place. He is part of a robbery in a drugstore. But: did he really wanna take part? We don't learn if Steve is guilty or not. We have to think about it. Steve isn't sure about his identity, therefor he shows his trial in two parts: diary and filmscript. When he writes his diary he shows feelings but when he writes the filmscript he is objective.
In the beginning it is hard to read because of the filmscript and the diary entries but then it is pretty easy. During the whole story we learn a lot about the American court system. It is a good experience to read this book.
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by S E Hinton
