Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Author Biography:
Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author who has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Amistad
ISBN: 0064407314
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Reader’s Annotation:
16-year-old Steve Martin is on trial for the death of a convenience store owner. Though Steve was originally approached by the criminals who initiated the heist, was Steve really involved? Did he agree to help them by being their lookout, or did he refuse and jailed for a crime that he didn't commit? Can the reader really trust Steve as a narrator?
Plot Summary:
Steve Martin has been thrown in jail and is awaiting trial for the death of a Harlem convenience store owner. Steve vehemently denies having been involved in the crime in any fashion, but he is unsure if he will be found not guilty during the trial, especially with the prosecution’s high-flying attempts to paint him as an a-moral monster. Locked in jail with real criminals, Steve has difficulty adjusting to their lifestyle and is constantly afraid and depressed. In an effort to calm himself and perhaps seize some control of the situation, Steve begins writing a movie script of his life and current events, describing the trail as it happens as well as about his own fears and uncertainties.
Yet in his script Steve claims that he did speak with the ones who planned the theft and explains he was supposed to be their lookout. He also claims that he had spent some time hanging around those people, and the story quickly becomes muddled as to if Steve really is innocent of the crime and if he really did act as the lookout.
All the while Steve struggles with his own personal identity, questioning who he is and if he could be the monster he is being portrayed as. As the end of the trial draws closer and Steve becomes increasingly nervous, it’s anybody’s guess as to what the final verdict will be and what it will ultimately mean for his future.
Critical Evaluation:
Monster takes the unusual path of storytelling through the form of a script. Some readers might find this off-putting if they are more used to third or first person narration, but it ultimately works as it gives an interesting perspective of Steve as he would describe himself and the events through the eyes of another. Furthermore, Monster explores whether a person can be guilty of a crime by simply knowing about it and doing nothing, as well as how simply being associated with the wrong crowd can be detrimental to your image.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talk Ideas:
Ever get blamed for something you've never done? What about being punished over knowing something bad was about to happen, but you said nothing? Do you think that's fair?
Why This Book?
Walter Dean Myers is a famed author, and as a result Monster frequently appears on required reading lists of schools. This alone necessitates a library to possess a few copies for those times students will go seeking them. Besides that, Monster is important as it touches on matters such as hanging out with the wrong crowd – which many teens will likely be exposed to in their lives – and how terrifying the legal and prison system can be.
Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author who has garnered much respect and admiration for his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. Winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award, he is considered one of the preeminent writers for children. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Amistad
ISBN: 0064407314
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Reader’s Annotation:
16-year-old Steve Martin is on trial for the death of a convenience store owner. Though Steve was originally approached by the criminals who initiated the heist, was Steve really involved? Did he agree to help them by being their lookout, or did he refuse and jailed for a crime that he didn't commit? Can the reader really trust Steve as a narrator?
Plot Summary:
Steve Martin has been thrown in jail and is awaiting trial for the death of a Harlem convenience store owner. Steve vehemently denies having been involved in the crime in any fashion, but he is unsure if he will be found not guilty during the trial, especially with the prosecution’s high-flying attempts to paint him as an a-moral monster. Locked in jail with real criminals, Steve has difficulty adjusting to their lifestyle and is constantly afraid and depressed. In an effort to calm himself and perhaps seize some control of the situation, Steve begins writing a movie script of his life and current events, describing the trail as it happens as well as about his own fears and uncertainties.
Yet in his script Steve claims that he did speak with the ones who planned the theft and explains he was supposed to be their lookout. He also claims that he had spent some time hanging around those people, and the story quickly becomes muddled as to if Steve really is innocent of the crime and if he really did act as the lookout.
All the while Steve struggles with his own personal identity, questioning who he is and if he could be the monster he is being portrayed as. As the end of the trial draws closer and Steve becomes increasingly nervous, it’s anybody’s guess as to what the final verdict will be and what it will ultimately mean for his future.
Critical Evaluation:
Monster takes the unusual path of storytelling through the form of a script. Some readers might find this off-putting if they are more used to third or first person narration, but it ultimately works as it gives an interesting perspective of Steve as he would describe himself and the events through the eyes of another. Furthermore, Monster explores whether a person can be guilty of a crime by simply knowing about it and doing nothing, as well as how simply being associated with the wrong crowd can be detrimental to your image.
Curriculum Ties:
- Crime
- Incarceration
- Guilt by association
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talk Ideas:
Ever get blamed for something you've never done? What about being punished over knowing something bad was about to happen, but you said nothing? Do you think that's fair?
Why This Book?
Walter Dean Myers is a famed author, and as a result Monster frequently appears on required reading lists of schools. This alone necessitates a library to possess a few copies for those times students will go seeking them. Besides that, Monster is important as it touches on matters such as hanging out with the wrong crowd – which many teens will likely be exposed to in their lives – and how terrifying the legal and prison system can be.