Monster by Walter Dean Meyers

A.S. 6th Grade

This month I read a book called Monster by Walter Dean Myers. This book has won three awards. Monster is about a sixteen years old boy named Steve Harmon. Steve is on trial for being involved in the robbing of a store and the murdering of its owner, Alguinaldo Nesbitt. At the same time another boy, James King, is also on trial with Steve for being involved in the same crime. This book is completely written in the form of a movie script because Steve is always thinking about how he could turn all of this into a movie because he likes to film movies. During the days when Steve is on trial he has to live in jail and while he is there, the guards give him a notebook in which he writes what jail really is like.

Steve’s part in the crime was said to be that he was supposed to be the lookout but, there is no way to prove that. With every question from the prosecutor, Sandra Petrocelli, and every answer from the witnesses only further more proves that someone is guilty, and that person is James King. After Steve’s lawyer, Kathy O’ Brian, asks him questions it shows even more that Steve is innocent, just because he knew King as a child, doesn’t mean he participated in this crime with him. Flashbacks from Steve’s normal childhood make you think that he isn’t really a bad person. The jury reaches a verdict of guilty for James King but a verdict of not guilty for Steve.