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    Monster: A Printz Award Winner
    Monster: A Printz Award Winner
    Monster: A Printz Award Winner
    Ebook198 pages2 hours

    Monster: A Printz Award Winner

    By Walter Dean Myers

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    This New York Times bestselling novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial.

    Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.

    Monster is a multi-award-winning, provocative coming-of-age story that was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist.

    Monster is now a major motion picture called All Rise and starring Jennifer Hudson, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Nas, and A$AP Rocky.

    The late Walter Dean Myers was a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, who was known for his commitment to realistically depicting kids from his hometown of Harlem.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061975028
    Monster: A Printz Award Winner
    Author

    Walter Dean Myers

    Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

    Read more from Walter Dean Myers

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    Reviews for Monster

    4/5

    235 ratings156 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I appreciate the creative approach the author used to tell this story. By framing the “murder mystery” aspect as a movie script was very interesting, especially since the write/narrator was the protagonist. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of true depth after reading raving reviews. I think the story was good for what it was. It hooked me & I finished reading in just 1 sitting! It’s a light read & I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys discussions afterwards. I enjoy the questions I am left with as a reader at the end.
    • 5/5
      I finished this book in a few hours.
      Very Good Read
    • 4/5
      My favorite part of this book was the end because of its perplexing twist. But that is not to say the rest of the book isn’t good! Myers gives his readers an excellent story of a court trial through the perspective of Steve Harmon, a boy on trial for felony murder. This is no ordinary book since it is presented like a movie, complete with directions for the camera man. There were many changes of scenery and it is often difficult to keep track of what is going on. However, the riveting court drama, insider’s look on prison life, and reminder of who said what more than makes up for it. It will get you thinking about who is guilty and who is not like a detective mystery. This book should be read in a short time span so the reader can synthesize the material all together.
    • 5/5
      I read this book yeaaarrss ago when I was probably 15 or 16 years old, I loved the book then & I am re-reading this book at age 21. I feel like this is a book the black community should read!
    • 5/5
      Top tier, a must read for black men of all ages.
    • 5/5
      Reading a good story like this one, I suggest you join Novel Star’s writing competition on April
    • 5/5
      It's a great book that has a wonderful plot to it you'll fall in love with the book after you read it
    • 5/5
      very good book
    • 5/5
      great. must read
    • 5/5
      awesome
    • 3/5
      This is a very raw and real look at a minor in prison, written for the YA crowd. Written in an intriguing screenplay-manner, it is easy to read and provides a clear mental image of what the author, the young man on trial, is going through.

      I liked his viewpoint of the effects of his arrest and trial on the attorney, his mother, and especially his father. It is a real look at the consequences of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I highly recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      planned on skimwitting but ended up reading it for real because got it good! These started as 1 1/2 stars and became 3 stars. it became a mystery in a way did he or didn't he? i thought he did.
      also his fear and his questioning of whether or not he was a monster really started to interest me.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the format of this story. I appreciated the ending and the thought this story provokes.
    • 2/5
      Unusual format: handwritten journal juxtaposed with a screenplay written by the protagonist who is a juvenile in jail. Both chronicle his court case and his feelings about it. It was okay. Warning for parents and teachers: in one moment in the beginning, the protagonist explains that he goes to bed hearing the sounds of a boy being beaten repeatedly by a 2-3 other boys and then being sexually assaulted by those boys. It's really the only time the novel crosses into "too inappropriate for my classroom" territory. There's no swearing, other sex, or graphic scenes. Meyers engages readers with simple vocabulary and syntax to convey the theme of tolerance, prejudice, and the consequences of peer pressure. A quick read, both for me and my 13-year-old. We both finished it in approximately 3 hours (separately).
    • 4/5
      Steve Harmon is on trial as an accomplice to murder. Written as a movie screenplay with Steve’s journal entries scattered throughout, the story shows how one single decision can change your whole life. A case of guilty until found innocent, young adult readers will find the variety of texts formats intriguing as they realize Steve’s perception of himself is quite different from what others think of him and his situation. Through Myers deft and intriguing storytelling multiple sides of a story are presented in a thoroughly engaging manner.
    • 3/5
      Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. As a way to hold it together through his terrible nights in prison and the stress of the trial, he records events as part diary and as though he were writing a movie script about his life. It was an interesting structure and fits with Steve's personality, since one of his passions is to make films. But while the structure suits the character, it also created emotional distance from me, like I was looking at events through a lens instead of getting into Steve's head. The most moving moments in the novel were those written in diary format, where we were able to see more than just the surface and really get into his head.
    • 2/5
      This is a multicultural novel about a man who is wrongly put in jail and also on trial for the killing of police officer during a robbery. He writes his point of view in jail as a script like a play of what would have been acted out from his point of view. He is wrongly put in jail and ends up being released as innocent. This book goes through his trial and how he has to prove that he is innocent. He goes through a lot of pain and anxiety and he tells us his point of view in his wrongful accusation of killing a police officer. This is an example of a realistic fiction book.
    • 5/5
      This book was about a man who was put on trial for being involved in a murder. It is written in movie script. It shares all of the recorded court proceedings. It also includes journal entries about what happened that day that the victim was murdered. Everyone just assumes that this man was involved because he is black. This makes him feel like a monster, even though he claims he didn't do anything. His attorney fights for his innocence, and in the end they win. This book was fantasy.
    • 5/5
      In this realistic fiction book, we are told the story of Steve Harmon, a boy who was on trial for felony murder. According to the police report, he had been the person to scope out if there were any police officers in the store that his "friends" wanted to stick up. This book is written like a screen play because Steve was in a film class, and it was his coping mechanism to get through the rough experience of jail, and the trial. Throughout the course of the book we are shown the fear that the boy is feeling, and how his fear is ruling what he is doing. It seems like he is guilty, and I guess that is why he is on trial. After the long and suspenseful trial, and many things leading up to that, we are told that the jury found him not guilty, and he was free to go.
    • 5/5
      This is a great and relevant read for any young adult audience. It evokes many feelings, frustrations, and questions. The style (written as a moviescript) pulls you in and helps you visualize the story and understand Steve's point of view.
    • 4/5
      Monster offers a unique look into the judicial system through the eyes of a sixteen year old charged as an accessory to felony murder. I thought that the journal added more charter to the story and was a major part of the story. the format was a little off but didn't effect me much. this book kept my interest throughout the whole book. and was really happy to see how the ending turned out. I sagest this book to anyone that likes realistic fiction. I think this book is great for high school students, because it give them a look into the judicial system and how bad there life after high school will be effected by the choice they make in high school
    • 4/5
      Gritty and at times difficult to read, Monster offers a unique look into the judicial system through the eyes of a sixteen year old charged as an accessory to felony murder. The book's display of it, through screen writing and a diary format, is refreshing and adds to the realism portrayed. It also leaves characters up to interpretation and many things unclear in the reader's mind, allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. This very impactful book is one that will make you think about what it means to be guilty and what a life is worth.
    • 4/5
      An interesting book told in an unusual format. I believe that this will speak to high school students (especially any who have become inadvertently tangled in a scenario they didn't much care for). I highly recommend the dramatic audiobook.
    • 3/5
      So I confess, I read this book because I encountered it on a list of book someone felt young people should not read (because of the references to violence and prison rape, apparently). As I'm a little rebellious, I took note of the titles which sounded particularly dicey and requested this one from the library. After finishing this book, I must say that I completely disagree with the opinion that this book should not be read. Monster chronicles a young man accused of a crime through the creative means of a diary and screenplay he writes about his trial. Yes, there is violence and rape in this book, but even more powerful is the critique of the social system - which might have been the real reason this book ended up on a Do-Not-Read List. On the contrary, I found it well-worth the read.
    • 3/5
      Reread in 2014....can say it's any better. Checked it out from the library to read along with the African American read along for February....because I forgot that I had read it. This wouldn't typically be a "must reread!"

      Read it as a potential to read with students...It's ok in that sense (the read with students sense)...but not life-altering....
    • 3/5
      Gritty and at times difficult to read, Monster offers a unique look into the judicial system through the eyes of a sixteen year old charged as an accessory to felony murder. The book's display of it, through screen writing and a diary format, is refreshing and adds to the realism portrayed. It also leaves characters up to interpretation and many things unclear in the reader's mind, allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions.

      The illustrations also help pull the story together, along with the mental images provided through the script format.

      It was an easy read, taking me less time than normal, and although it was, as I've stated, difficult to read at times, one had to know how it ended, had to know whether he was found guilty or not guilty. Coming from a background in Justice Studies, the legal system was more familiar to me than perhaps to other readers and I could see how the arguments were going to proceed before they actually did. This tended to eliminate more suspense than I'd have liked.

      All in all, it was a decent book, rather disturbing to be a young adult novel.
    • 5/5
      Very intense novel about a young 16 year-old black boy from Harlem, Steve, who is on trial for murder. Told through a screenplay and Steve's diary entry, this very impactful book is one that will make you think about what it means to be guilty and what a life is worth.
    • 4/5
      I think this book really helps young people understand the criminal justice system. Myers uses a screenplay format to tell Steve Harmon's story, which makes the book easier to read . I often recommend this book to my more reluctant male readers, and 9 times out of ten, they really enjoy it.
    • 4/5
      There are certain books that I have read in my lifetime that stick with me for better or for worse. I first read Walter Dean Myers's Monster in ninth grade. At that time, I honestly detested even the thought of reading the book. I thought that books that centered on the plight of an African American were overdone, possibly to the point of being cliche. Of course, I had not read a great deal of books about that topic; nonetheless, I despised my teacher for making us read Myers's novel. As a result of my negativity towards the book, I finished it with a bitter taste that I attributed to the work itself. Throughout the years, however, the book has stuck with me. I think I knew that I didn't give it the fair shake it deserved. Maybe it could be chalked up to my immaturity and ignorance of the concepts Myers attempts to convey, or perhaps it could be the environment in which I read the book (a predominantly White, private, all-boy, Catholic high school) that influenced my feelings towards it. Regardless of my prior feelings, while reading this book as an adult, I had a slightly different experience. During my second reading of Myers's novel, I was first reminded of the book's format--a collection of journals interwoven with screenplay both written by the main character, Steve Harmon. This format was the only reason I gave this book four stars. Although it is always interesting to get a change in pace versus the more traditional style of novels, I felt this story could have been better told through one medium alone (i.e. only journals or only screenplay). As it stands, the format distracts from the central message of an otherwise powerful novel.Other than the format of the book, I found my second reading fairly enjoyable. Like watching a movie for a second time, there were several subtleties that I had--understandably--missed as a ninth-grader. For example, I found myself relating to some of Steve's feelings of wanting to do something great with his life (i.e. becoming a filmmaker) that conflicted with the uncontrollable issues that held him back. Would he ever live his dream?Undoubtedly--without even mentioning race--this is an excellent book to use in the classroom as a way to connect young readers to text due to the age of the main character and his thoughts expressed throughout the story. I can easily see it being used as a supplementary text in a unit on identity or labeling. Any teacher who would have the urge to teach Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird should have the same urge to teach Myers's Monster.
    • 2/5
      To be blunt, I really wasn't a fan of this book. The style was unique and interesting in the way that it transitioned between journal and screenplay. However, I didn't find the story compelling. Much of the development of the characters seemed shallow and uninteresting. The focus on trial proceedings was boring and really didn't add much to my own perspective or opinions of our own judicial system. I suppose that there are students for whom this story may resonate though. The book is also a relatively easy read, once you get used to dealing with stage direction notes in the script. This could be a way to tap in to reluctant readers, especially if they have backgrounds similar to the main character. By reading the book, there are obvious connections that can be made to the judicial system, the concept of justice, how people treat each other and what it's like to be involved in the criminal courts system.

    Book preview

    Monster - Walter Dean Myers

    Prologue

    The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help. That way even if you sniffle a little they won’t hear you. If anybody knows that you are crying, they’ll start talking about it and soon it’ll be your turn to get beat up when the lights go out.

    There is a mirror over the steel sink in my cell. It’s six inches high, and scratched with the names of some guys who were here before me. When I look into the small rectangle, I see a face looking back at me but I don’t recognize it. It doesn’t look like me. I couldn’t have changed that much in a few months. I wonder if I will look like myself when the trial is over.

    This morning at breakfast a guy got hit in the face with a tray. Somebody said some little thing and somebody else got mad. There was blood all over the place.

    When the guards came over, they made us line up against the wall. The guy who was hit they made sit at the table while they waited for another guard to bring them rubber gloves. When the gloves came, the guards put them on, handcuffed the guy, and then took him to the dispensary. He was still bleeding pretty bad.

    They say you get used to being in jail, but I don’t see how. Every morning I wake up and I am surprised to be here. If your life outside was real, then everything in here is just the opposite. We sleep with strangers, wake up with strangers, and go to the bathroom in front of strangers. They’re strangers but they still find reasons to hurt each other.

    Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. It is a strange movie with no plot and no beginning. The movie is in black and white, and grainy. Sometimes the camera moves in so close that you can’t tell what is going on and you just listen to the sounds and guess. I have seen movies of prisons but never one like this. This is not a movie about bars and locked doors. It is about being alone when you are not really alone and about being scared all the time.

    I think to get used to this I will have to give up what I think is real and take up something else. I wish I could make sense of it.

    Maybe I could make my own movie. I could write it out and play it in my head. I could block out the scenes like we did in school. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I’ll write it down in the notebook they let me keep. I’ll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me.

    Monday, July 6th

    Monster!

    FADE IN: INTERIOR: Early morning in CELL BLOCK D, MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER. Camera goes slowly down grim, gray corridor. There are sounds of inmates yelling from cell to cell; much of it is obscene. Most of the voices are clearly Black or Hispanic. Camera stops and slowly turns toward a cell.

    INTERIOR: CELL. Sixteen-year-old STEVE HARMON is sitting on the edge of a metal cot, head in hands. He is thin, brown skinned. On the cot next to him are the suit and tie he is to wear to court for the start of his trial.

    CUT TO: ERNIE, another prisoner, sitting on john, pants down.

    CUT TO: SUNSET, another prisoner, pulling on T-shirt.

    CUT TO: STEVE pulling blanket over his head as screen goes dark.

    VOICE-OVER (VO)

    Ain’t no use putting the blanket over your head, man. You can’t cut this out; this is reality. This is the real deal.

    VO continues with anonymous PRISONER explaining how the Detention Center is the real thing. As he does, words appear on the screen, just like the opening credits of the movie Star Wars, rolling from the bottom of the screen and shrinking until they are a blur on the top of the screen before rolling off into space.

    Monster!

    The Story of

    My

    Miserable

    Life

    Starring

    Steve Harmon

    Produced by

    Steve Harmon

    Directed by

    Steve Harmon

    (Credits continue to roll.)

    The incredible story

    of how one guy’s life

    was turned around

    by a few events

    and how he might

    spend the rest of his life

    behind bars.

    Told as it

    actually

    happened!

    Written and directed by Steve Harmon

    Featuring . . .

    Sandra Petrocelli

    as the Dedicated Prosecutor

    Kathy O’Brien

    as the Defense Attorney with Doubts

    James King

    as the Thug

    Richard Bobo Evans

    as the Rat

    Osvaldo Cruz, member of the Diablos,

    as the Tough Guy Wannabe

    Lorelle Henry

    as the Witness

    José Delgado . . .

    he found the body

    And Starring

    16-year-old Steve Harmon

    as the Boy on Trial for Murder!

    Filmed at the Manhattan Detention Center

    Set design, handcuffs, and prison outfits by the State of New York

    VO

    Yo, Harmon, you gonna eat something? Come on and get your breakfast, man. I’ll take your eggs if you don’t want them. You want them?

    STEVE (subdued)

    I’m not hungry.

    SUNSET

    His trial starts today. He up for the big one. I know how that feels.

    CUT TO: INTERIOR: CORRECTIONS DEPT. VAN. Through the bars at the rear of the van, we see people going about the business of their lives in downtown New York. There are men collecting garbage, a female traffic officer motioning for a taxi to make a turn, students on the way to school. Few people notice the van as it makes its way from the DETENTION CENTER to the COURTHOUSE.

    CUT TO: PRISONERS, handcuffed, coming from back of van. STEVE is carrying a notebook. He is dressed in the suit and tie we saw on the cot. He is seen only briefly as he is herded through the heavy doors of the courthouse.

    FADE OUT as last prisoner from the van enters rear of courthouse.

    FADE IN: INTERIOR COURTHOUSE. We are in a small room used for prisoner-lawyer interviews. A guard sits at a desk behind STEVE.

    KATHY O’BRIEN, STEVE’s lawyer, is petite, red-haired, and freckled. She is all business as she talks to STEVE.

    O’BRIEN

    Let me make sure you understand what’s going on. Both you and this King character are on trial for felony murder. Felony murder is as serious as it gets. Sandra Petrocelli is the prosecutor, and she’s good. They’re pushing for the death penalty, which is really bad. The jury might think they’re doing you a big favor by giving you life in prison. So you’d better take this trial very, very seriously.

    When you’re in court, you sit there and you pay attention. You let the jury know that you think the case is as serious as they do. You don’t turn and wave to any of your friends. It’s all right to acknowledge your mother.

    I have to go and talk to the judge. The trial will begin in a few minutes. Is there anything you want to ask me before it starts?

    STEVE

    You think we’re going to win?

    O’BRIEN (seriously)

    It probably depends on what you mean by win.

    CUT TO: INTERIOR: HOLDING ROOM. We see STEVE sitting at one end of bench. Against the opposite wall, dressed in a sloppy-looking suit, is 23-year-old JAMES KING, the other man on trial. KING looks older than 23. He looks over at STEVE with a hard look and we see STEVE look away. Two GUARDS sit at a table away from the prisoners, who are handcuffed. The camera finds the GUARDS in a MEDIUM SHOT (MS). They have their breakfast in aluminum take-out trays that contain eggs, sausages, and potatoes. A Black female STENOGRAPHER pours coffee for herself and the GUARDS.

    STENOGRAPHER

    I hope this case lasts two weeks. I can sure use the money.

    GUARD 1

    Six days—maybe seven. It’s a motion case. They go through the motions; then they lock them up.

    (Turns and looks off camera toward STEVE.)

    Ain’t that right, bright eyes?

    CUT TO: STEVE, who is seated on a low bench. He is handcuffed to a U-bolt put in the bench for that purpose. STEVE looks away from the GUARD.

    CUT TO: DOOR. It opens, and COURT CLERK looks in.

    COURT CLERK

    Two minutes!

    CUT TO: GUARDS, who hurriedly finish breakfast. STENOGRAPHER takes machine into COURTROOM. They unshackle STEVE and take him toward door.

    CUT TO: STEVE is made to sit down at one table. At another table we see KING and two attorneys. STEVE sits alone. A guard stands behind him. There are one or two spectators in the court. Then four more enter.

    CLOSE-UP (CU) of STEVE HARMON. The fear is evident on his face.

    MS: People are getting ready for the trial to begin. KATHY O’BRIEN sits next to STEVE.

    O’BRIEN

    How are you doing?

    STEVE

    I’m scared.

    O’BRIEN

    Good; you should be. Anyway, just remember what we’ve been talking about. The judge is going to rule on a motion that King’s lawyer made to suppress Cruz’s testimony, and a few other things. Steve, let me tell you what my job is here. My job is to make sure the law works for you as well as against you, and to make you a human being in the eyes of the jury. Your job is to help me. Any questions you have, write them down and I’ll try to answer them. What are you doing there?

    STEVE

    I’m writing this whole thing down as a movie.

    O’BRIEN

    Whatever. Make sure you pay attention. Close attention.

    VO (COURT GUARD)

    All rise.

    The JUDGE enters and sits behind bench. He is tall and thin. He pushes his fingers through wisps of white hair and looks over the COURTROOM before sitting. He is a 60-year-old New York judge and already looks bored with the case. The COURT GUARD signals for people to sit.

    JUDGE

    Prosecution ready?

    SANDRA PETROCELLI, the prosecutor, stands. She is dressed in a gray business suit. She looks intense while still being attractive. Her hair and eyes are dark.

    PETROCELLI

    Ready, Your Honor.

    JUDGE

    Defense?

    ASA BRIGGS, the lead counsel for the defense of JAMES KING, stands. He is dressed in a dark-blue suit and a light-blue tie. His eyes are also blue, and his hair is white.

    BRIGGS

    Ready.

    O’BRIEN

    Ready, Your Honor.

    JUDGE

    All right. I’m ruling the kid’s testimony is admissible. You can bring up your motions relative to that ruling this afternoon or if there’s a break. Hope everyone had a good Fourth of July?

    BRIGGS

    The usual barbecue

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