Monster by Walter Dean Myer

What do you think about Monster? Compared to the books you mentioned as some of your favorite, where would it rank?

When I first flipped through the book, I was worried that it might be too graphic to be taught to younger adolescents (6-9th), but the more that I read, the more that I realize how important that it would be to teach this book to younger students. I think one of the main supporting arguments for teaching this book to any classroom would be because of the diversity and prejudices that it confronts. Coming from a small, white town in Alabama, I have never encountered the crime rate that is portrayed in this Harlem narrative. I think that many students may base their perceptions of big city crime on books like The Outsiders, but even then, the time is so far removed, and the kids are white. It doesn't specifically target the prejudices that Monster's main character faces during his trial.
As far as ranks go, I think it is in the top 20 books I might want my students to read one day.

I loved it!! From the very first line of the book, was hooked! I realized that it is very important to teach this to adolescents because of the diversity of the book. Adolescents of this generation are getting into these type of situations more frequently than ever before. With this book, I would be able to show my students the importance of making right decisions. Not only that, I would be able to show how stereotyping can play a part in society. After finishing the book, I am giving it a rate of 4 out of 5 stars. I definitely enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed Monster. I thought that it had a unique style for a book, screenplay with a mixture of diary entries. I thought that Myers's did an excellent job captivating the real life issue of stereotyping and the effects that it can/has on today's society. At first, I was unsure if I would like this book, but before I realized it I was half way through and I could not put it down. I would have to say I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my own personal library of books.

I really liked Monsters. I am not a big reader, but I really got into this one and was done reading the whole book in no time. I think the font draws attention to the adolescent age and works well in this book. The way it is written really gives the visual of how it really happened. You know what is going on and how it looks and how each character feels at each certain point of the book. It almost becomes like a movie in your head as your reading it. I think it is a good book for Adolescents to read and gives them a view of how things can be by making just one bad decision, even if it is as small as just giving two guys a signal if there are cops or not in a drug store. I would give this book a four out of five. I really enjoyed it.

I enjoyed reading this book, but at first I thought it was going to be difficult transitioning between diary entries and Steve's movie scrips. However, it wasn't difficult at all. I enjoyed how the reader was allowed into Steve's thoughts and ideas because this made a connection with me. I felt as if I were along side of him in his jail cell and I felt his fears of being alone in the matter. This book is a good teaching text because students learn that becoming involved with the wrong people can harm you as well as your future. I rate this book as a 4 out of 5 and would tell others about reading it as well.

I enjoyed reading Monster for the first time, but I did not like it enough to want to read it again. I liked that it was easy to read and didn't take long to complete. The format of the book was interesting and a nice change of pace. The story was good, I think high school students would enjoy reading Monster for school because it is relatable to teens. Monster is good; it just isn't a book I would have picked up off a shelf and started reading because the subject matter is not something that I would have chosen to read.

Walter Dean Myers's book Monster was a captivating story narrated by Steve Harmon, a possible suspect in the murder of Mr. Nesbitt. This book was an easy and enjoyable read. The descriptive details of the jail cell, court room, and characters allowed the film to play out in my mind. The diverse perspectives of the case given by the attorneys and others in the courtroom allow the reader to take a stand based on the given evidence. In relation to my favorite books, I would rank this one as a six out of ten. The simplicity of the plot and the suspense throughout the entire story keeps the reader entertained and eager to continue reading until the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed Myer's book "Monster". I liked the way the story was told, through the eyes of Steve Harmon. I thought it was an easy read and it also kept your attention. At the end, it caused me to be on my toes for the verdict. I had to force myself to not read ahead and as corny as it sounds, i had butterflies waiting to read the verdict. Your heart goes out to Steve because it is told in his perspective. For me, it was never really clear whether he was actually innocent or not although i want to believe that he is so badly. I don't really know if i liked the way it ended. I wish that we would have been told for sure that he was innocent or not, especially with the way his lawyer acted at the end. I guess though that questioning his innocence was kind of the whole point of the story. Everyone character questioned Steve's innocence the entire story, including himself. So i guess that was the way it needed to end and leave the reader wondering. Overall i really enjoyed it. I would rank it about a 5 on the scale of books I enjoyed in high school

The book Monster by Walter Dean Myers confused me at first when I began reading it and was given a page that listed characters as if I were watching the credits of a movie. The confusion I was having had me hooked. I had to read on to identify the reasoning for this. As the narrator, a sixteen year old boy growing up in Harlem by the name of Steven Harmon was put on trial for the murder of Mr. Nesbitt a store owner, he had to create this movie in his mind to relieve him of the reality of what was happening to him. I loved the way the story is portrayed through the mind of a young man scared to death about something he did not do and had no control over it. Although it is very different from the Giver, I liked the story a lot. It was intriguing to the very end as I read on for the verdict and even past the verdict as to why Ms. O'Brien would not hug Steve in the end. The book is one I will pass around and one day read again.

Monster is much different that any book that I ever read in middle school. The movie script style was something completely new to me, but I must admit that it was very effective; I approached it as if reading through a play's script. This odd style should be attractive for young minds. I do believe that this would be a good piece of adolescent literature mainly because of its ability to express several moral themes. I feel that many students may be able to relate to the character of Steve if they or their family has a history in crime, or even if that students is struggling with his own identity.

I really enjoyed this book. I think that the old adolescent children should read this book. I thought at first, that the boom was going to be very graphic but to my surprising, Walter Dean Myers did a wonderful job. I thought how he incorporated history elements were added tastefully. I also thought that the book would be hard to understand, because it was told through the eyes of Steve Harmon but it was creatively done. Once getting into the story and finding out why Steve was on trial the book became harder to put down. Im indifferent on the way it ended, I liked the way the reader experienced the verdict like Steve was going through the emotions but I wish it would have been in third person so the reader could see everyone's emotions.
I liked this book, it's not my favorite, but I liked the mystery and thriller.

Monster is a book that I both enjoyed reading and think young adults would enjoy reading. The reasons I enjoyed it are: it places the justice system in a truthful and thought-provoking light, it has subtle political commentary about new laws in New York and the way it affects people in certain social situations, and, lastly, the way it turns the reader into a juror, forcing them to create an opinion of blind justice. I think this book is great for young adults. One reason is that this novel is written in a very accessible way that I think creates a more approachable and non-intimidating experience unlike the general novel form. Due to the script form, there are few dense paragraphs, which I think most young adults find intimidating or exhausting. Another reason young adults would like this book is the dramatic nature of the story (mainly the fact that a teenager's life is on the line) and the settings of the jail and the courtroom. Finally, the simple fact that the protagonist, Steve Harmon, is a 16-year-old, would probably draw many young adults into the storyline, since they can relate to him, and easily imagine being in his situation. Overall, the book was hard for me to put down, and probably the same way for most readers, especially young adults, and any book that can have that effect on a young adult and interest them in reading is a good book in my eyes.

I was impressed with Myers' innovative style of writing--telling the story mostly through screenplay form, giving the reader just as little about the different facets of the trial as a shrewd defense lawyer would a juror. As a whole, though, I read the story but was never really able to get into it. Myers touched on a lot of interesting themes, but due to the narrative style of the book, he was unable to fully explore very many of them because of the limited point of view of the book, which in my opinion was one area where the story fell short.

I hated this book. It was too scattered for me, lacked details, and the ending sucked. It's hard for me to read a book that I don't enjoy reading so this one ended up pretty low down on my list. By pretty low, I mean the last on the list.

I thought Monster was different in the way that Myers decided to write it. I appreciated his creativity. Overall that thought the book was ok. I dont think it will make my favorite list just because I felt like I was kind of left out of the story as a reader. For example, when I read I want the author to take me and tell me in full detail how a character is in the story and by the end of the book I want my questions to be answered. This book kind of left me wondering about alot of things. Like whether or not Steve's lawyer felt he was gulity or not? or did King get a break off his sentence for telling the truth? In my rank of favorite books I dont this one would of made my list.

I really loved Monster from the start. I feel like it is important that adolescent should read this book. This book show that being at the wrong place and the wrong time could get you into trouble. Steve Harmon is a 16 year old who would draw many young adults into the storyline and since they can relate to him and imagine his situation. It was a really good book and I really enjoyed it.

I thought the book was interesting enough, I think it would be a book in my class library that I would recomend to my students. I think it would be a good book to try to inspire students to stay on the straight and narrow. I believe that alot of our youth is at risk and that they need poitive influences in their lives. I would hope that reading them this book and having group discussions will help them to be able to better understand situations that they do not understand. I'd rank the book as one of the top fifty in my library.

I am also from an "all-white" Alabama community. Since young adulthood, I have lived among very diverse populations. This book is where many children live today.

I loved "Monster." I think it would be very applicable and effective in an adolescent classroom. It not only is educational in illustrating the American judicial system but incorporates diverse culture. It is written as an "easy to read" narrative that I think students will be intrigued by. I definitely would like to place this book on my classroom shelf. I will be interested to see one or more students' written critiques/responses to "Monster."