Monster

Monster
By Walter Dean Myers
HarperCollins, 1999. 281 pgs. Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for a murder. Accused of being the lookout for a robbery that ended in murder, Steve is incarcerated and scared as his case goes before judge and jury. In order to deal with the horrible situation he finds himself in, Steve, an amateur film maker, transcribes his trial as a movie script.

Walter Dean Myers has created an interesting and enlightening book. The movie script format makes it a quick read and invites the reader to read between the lines to determine Steve's guilt or innocence. This book raises questions of moral behavior and guilt and innocence, as well as those about the American justice system. This first-ever Printz-award winner is one to read and discuss.

AE