The book that im reading is called monster and the author is Walter dean Myers it's a realistic fiction. The book includes real events that happen in everyday life or in the ghetto. It has a lesson that its goes like you get in trouble cause your in a wrong place at wrong time or you hang with the bad people and there at the somewhere at the wrong time.The book monster has a three main chacters and they play a big part. Those chacter in there is Steve who is the victim but also imamate he stands as an almost criminal in prison until his court day is over. He was at wrong place at the wrong time he made his self value for getting arrested cause he help some one, Him doing that mad his life turn around to make itself in the stage of putting his life in jail. The other two are can a friends king and bo bo there the ones that got Steve in trouble its almost like they knew he was going to be there at that pacific time and that when they made a move but both men landing in jail because they got arrested a doing something else. So all three men are in a predicament where they are all fighting for there freedom.This book is very interesting it keeps me guessing and making me wonder what's going on next? Or what's going to happen? They have away before every scene is over or after his case is over to make him do a journal entry. It explain what going on or how he felt I liked it cause it made me want to read it faster so I could get back to the case. I was visualizing that I could be in the courtroom with them. To see how the judge was banging the paddle while the jury got sicken with the description of the case how it made me feel like I was in there with most words he use. One question that I had for the book was could a convict accuse another convict cause Bo Bo was. When they had accuse that Steve was there. One opinion that the author had was why would the author name it monster its because I think what had happen in the book was like a monster type. it kind of remind me of oj Simpson case it was like he had not a lot of evince that could make him guilty or not guilty its like what happen with Steve and his case that don't have vivid evince to make him guilty or not. One way is when I knew the book was going to change is when king had sad to Steve "how you doing? Are you scared? And Steve said yeah you. Then king had said naw, aint nothing you can do about it if the man wants you, he got you aint nothing to it man" {pg265} it mad me think wow he doesn't really care.I would recommend this book to all teens that goes some where or hangs with someone that's have a bad vibe don't hang with them cause you might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This book reminds me of Dutch just of the case part but ever thing else different. If you ever read Dutch you should read monster.The book monster is really good I like it a lot its very interestin
Sixteen-year-old Steve is on trial for the role he played in a robbery and murder of a shopkeeper. To cope with the stress of the trial, Steve starts recording his life as if it were a movie. Steve’s story is told through a mixture of diary entries, movie script, and illustrations.I was a little hesitant to read this book because I don’t like courtroom dramas. I usually find them tedious. Fortunately, the script format of Monster cuts out most of the boring parts. This book is fast-paced and very easy to read. I sped through it in a few hours. The majority of the story does happen in a courtroom, but the courtroom scenes are broken up with illustrations, flashbacks, and Steve’s diary entries about life in jail.The best part of this book is its ambiguity. Since most of the story is a screenplay, the reader becomes a jury member who is watching Steve’s trial. Like any good lawyer, the author is very careful about what information he reveals and how he reveals it. Steve is an unreliable narrator, so you’re never completely sure who you should trust. A lot of readers will come to a different conclusion than the jury at the end of the story. I love that this book encourages audience participation. The reader is forced to make judgments about the characters based on less-than-trustworthy testimony. It really does feel like you’re sitting on a jury. I know that the author wanted to create a sense of mystery and uncertainty about Steve, but I would have liked more backstory. How did he get involved with criminals? I also wanted to know more about the robbery and murder. If the teens were going to split the money four ways, would the crime even be worth it? How much money is in a convenience store register? I can’t imagine that the teens got very much from the robbery.The only time that I didn’t like the screenplay format was at the very end. Each of the lawyers has a multi-page monologue. I know that the closing statements are realistic, but they aren’t very interesting to read.Monster left me wanting more, but I wasn’t unsatisfied. This book provides a unique reading experience that I’ve never gotten from another book. I think it’s worth reading.
Monster HarperCollins Publishers, 2001, 281 pp., $8.99 Walter Dean Myers ISBN-13: 9780064407311tDid you ever wonder what happens after a person gets arrested? Well, I have always wondered what happen to the people that walk to a police precinct with handcuffs. What happen to the people that get sentenced to jail for life. Can a person come out and restore their lives again? How can people get back on their feet? Well, Steve Harmon did. Steve Harmon is a 16 year old African American boy, which is on trial for murder. In this book, you get to go behind the scenes to see what really happens behind those locked bars. He has to stand trail for killing someone in an attempted robbery, which he claims he never did. This is just the beginning of his adventure.Magnificent, that’s the word I would use to describe this book. The book is written differently than any other book I’ve read. It’s like a movie. Walter Dean Myers is a great author, so you are in for a treat. Once I started read this book, I wanted to read more to try to find out what happens next. There seems to be a motivation in this book to make you keep on reading. I really recommend this book if you like something that is unique. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. Mr. Myers has done an excellent job by getting into the mind set of an arrested man and writing this great book. -Calvin Lee
—Calvin
Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old boy who is on trial for murder, is writing a movie about his life and his mistakes. The book Monster is supposed to portray Steve as an easy to relate to character who is going to a rough time in life, and is on trial for murder. The book is set in a courthouse where Steve and his accomplices are on trial for the robbery and the murder of a store owner. The format of the book is similar to a movie script and shows the trail as Steve experiences it. Throughout the book there are series of testimonies that lead up to the final verdict of Steve Harmon. Steve fears for his life but he has no idea that his internal fears is being an outcast and seen as a liar. His family can no longer look at him and the people he trusted betrayed him. The books plot is solid; however the book lacks character development for certain key characters. You start off with Steve being in prison and feel bad for him because he has convinced himself he does not deserve prison nor death. Steve then goes to trial which is where most of the book takes place. The trial is long and somewhat boring after the first thirty or so pages due to lack of suspense and reason to keep reading. You turn page after page to find another testimony. There is a so called sudden twist at the end in which you have been expecting from the beginning, lacking suspense and does not leave you thinking about the book in a way is should.The book’s main ideas are that you should always think about your decisions in life and learn for old ones. The author uses Steve Harmon as a person the reader can relate to and be somewhat compassionate towards. Steve is a sixteen year old boy who grew up in a rough side of town and trusted the wrong people. Much like other stories this book shows the actual trial versus the events in detail that took place. I would personally not recommend this book due to the lack of interest in the plot, format, and organization. The book is not long and is a fairly easy read however, so if you're a reader looking for a book that’s fairly interesting and don't have much time to read, then this is the book for you.
—Brandt
This book had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I absolutely loved this book. The cover of the book had me liking it from the start. Monster is written like a movie script. this helps because it is less intimidating than most books that go in with more detail. Monster by Walter Dean Myers is truly a Mystery type of book. It is about a African American teenager who gets in trouble with the law. Steve Harmon is looking at Twenty-five years to life in Prison. Steve doesn't know what to think anymore. He is dealing with the trial he is on and being scared out of his mind with the nastiness that surrounds him in prison . He documents his feelings and experiences that he is faced with. The book is perfect for all age groups. The text is writing in a much larger than most of the young adult novels that i have read in the past. If your looking with a novel that every single page is full of mystery until the end. I would highly recommend this book to you.
—Kevin Bracety
