Monster by Walter Dean Myers

genre: young adult fiction

Steve is in jail.  He knows the truth about what he did or didn’t do, but knowing that isn’t going to be enough to save him from serving serious time if he’s found guilty.  Despite only being in high school, Steve’s got a real passion for film making and to help himself manage his feelings about what’s happening in his life - he decides to write it all out in third person, as a movie script. As we read between Steve’s diary entries and his screenplay, we follow along in the trial as well as look back in the past at his own experiences.  We can see his heartbreak and fear as the legal system wreaks havoc on Steve's life and sense of self.

This is a fast but pretty powerful read.  Steve is an extremely empathetic character - by the end of the book I had strangely motherly feelings for him.  The screenplay plot devise was an interesting twist - but I felt like his diary sections really dug into the heart of it.  The idea of knowing that there are adults who see you as a "monster" and trying to process whether to believe that or not, despite everything.  That's traumatic stuff.  For a look at the criminal justice system and a kid caught in it - this book has a lot to think about and discuss.  I think even upper middle schoolers could appreciate it the depth of what's happening here.