I had to read Monster for library school, and I was blown away by this novel. There's parts of this story that will stay with me forever. Books such as this open up worlds that a reader may not be aware exist, or it may highlight a world that a reader knows all too well exists but no one writes about it.
Steve Harmon is 16 and he is on trial for his life. He is accused of being a lookout in a robbery. The truth is Steve is scared, and to deal with the situation he has developed a coping mechanism of thinking about his life as a movie.
The book reads like a screenplay. I feel this is a unique and effective trick to keep the reader tense, but not so involved they feel crushed by the weight of what is at stake here-Steve's future.
Steve is kind of an everyteen, everyone should be able to identify with him. The people who surround him are rather complex, and life is like walking on eggshells for Steve.
Without creating spoilers, I just want to say that I appreciated that the font in the book was rather large, but the verdict was written in smaller letter so that the eye could not read it before the exciting climax. The book would have been ruined for me if I had known how it ended before I was supposed to.
Also, this book left me questioning who the real monster is in this story. Steve? Or the people who whether or not Steve is innocent or guilty?
I'll leave you with this sound advice from Steve: "Think about all the tomorrows of your life" (pg 206).
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