Myers, Walter Dean.  Monster.  Harper Collins Publishers (1999), 281 pages.

            This book follows a young African-American, 16-year-old boy, named Steve Harmon.  We find out that Steve loves film and did pretty well in school, up until he was accused of playing an active role in a gang related murder as a lookout, that is.  Steve’s love for film motivates him to tell his story as a screenplay.  Writing in an “as-it-happens” style, we follow Steve and his court proceedings in an exciting narrative of his pursuit of freedom.  At the same time, we also receive monologue-like snippets of him reflecting on what is going on and his feelings throughout the entire process.  We learn about the juvenile detention center and how Steve struggles in the conditions of the jail; his screenplay is the one thing he can rely on to keep him out of trouble and entertained.  This gripping and emotion packed novel that is set in Harlem provides a great description of the court system and what it is like to be convicted of a crime that puts your life in the hands of 12 peers.

This novel is great for 7^th and 8^th graders with a potential to be taught in 6^th grade as well.  The reading and vocabulary is fairly easy, however it does require some understand or pre-teaching of screenplay writing and the court system.  This novel is relatively fast paced and can be very interesting, especially for males.  It includes themes of gang related violence which may be awkward at times, so the audience needs to tackle it with maturity.  I think this is a great book for both independent reading and reading as a class.