[.ca] Monster (ISBN 0739355562)

From 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

Guilty or not?!?:
The book "Monster" is written by Walter Dean Myers and is about an african-american boy called Steve, woh is on trialHe is accused of murder and robbery but nobody knows if he is guilty or not.It maybe a think of moraly guilt. In the court it makes a big suspense, because there were no real witnesses, so it is testimony against testimony. Walter Dean Myers known from other famous books has with this book a new bestseller. He wrote this book in two different ways. On the one side you can read diary entries from Steve(his point of view) and on the other side it written like a filmskript. That makes the reader beeing both Jury and witness. It's not like other books. It has an open ending so it makes you thinking about the bokk an makey your an own opinion about Steve an the wohle trial.

Steve is Innocent:
The Book "Monster" written by Walter Dean Myers is about a young African American whose name is Steve Harman and who, is on trail because of taking part in a murder. I liked the book because the main character is a black person and not as usually a white person and it`s about the realyty. Another reson the book is good because the autor uses also the camera positions, and a diary to feel and make a picture of all. I would recomended the book to students or people.

Review of the Book "Monster"...:
Steve Harmon is a 16-jears-old black Boy. He is on trail because he took part in a robbery where one man was killed... The book doesn`t really say if he is guilty or not. I think this book is quiet good. It makes you to think about Steve and his live in prison and bevor. The question weather he is guilty or not makes a lot of suspense...

Monster : Review:
The book Monster by Walter Dean Myers was an amazing book on, how a young boy can make him spend the rest of his life in jail. Also the author put a lot of descriptive words to make the book better. (This book is based on a true story) I like this book because it was easy to relate to. This was easy to relate to because this was based on a true story. You can relate to the charters by the mistakes you could of made in the pass. This book also makes you think about what you would go through in jail. They do that by showing what he was writing about in jail. In the book Steve Harmon went to jail for murder and in real life people go to jail all the time for murder. So overall monster was an amazing book, because of the detail and expression used through out the book. Also the charters were easy to relate to. So at the end this book was an amazing book. By:THE BO$$ $$ cash money $$

Courtesy of Teens Read Too:
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