"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.
This would probably be a high interest book because it deals with dramatic events our students would be drawn to, however, it is written as though it is a screenplay which can get a bit frustrating/annoying at times and might turn off some of our more reluctant readers.
ReplyDeleteOne of my 10th graders saw it sitting on my desk and said, "Oh, I read that book in the 5th grade." This might take it out of the running for being an appropriate schoolwide read.