Monster, by Walter Dean Myers

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, gives deep insight into a sixteen year old boy, Steve, convicted of murder. The victim was Mr. Nesbitt, who was the owner of the store that had been robbed. Steve is now on trial and writes his experiences into a movie and as a journal.

I have never wondered what happened in jail. All I really knew was the bad guy would get caught and spend his life in a cell room. Reading this book opened my eyes to what really happens behind the bars and how it can affect someone. It was crueler than I had ever thought it to be and at some points I had wanted to stop reading because the concepts of sexual abuse and violence were too abnormal for me to comprehend. Having Steve, the main character, write it in movie format made it for me even more enjoyable to read. At first it was complicated, having new terms to memorize and the format completely different. However, once it became familiar, the story actually turned into a movie in my mind. The characters were real, and the dialogue was just as it was written. Steve also caught my attention. I pitied him; he sounded as if he was only five years old, especially in the flashbacks. In the whole book, I believe the real question was: Who am I? Monster gave me a whole new outlook on the ordeal of prison life and trial. It kept me in suspense until the very end, right until his verdict which was...

I recommend this book to almost all teens, except for those extremely sensitive. I really makes a person rethink about themselves and may change for the better. I had grown up, a bit spiritually, when I read this book and I know that I will remember it for years to come.

-Reviewed by Sophia, grade 9.