Editorial Review

"Monster" is what the prosecutor called 16-year-old Steve Harmon for his supposed role in the fatal shooting of a convenience-store owner. But was Steve really the lookout who gave the "all clear" to the murderer, or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? In this innovative novel by Walter Dean Myers, the reader becomes both juror and witness during the trial of Steve's life. To calm his nerves as he sits in the courtroom, aspiring filmmaker Steve chronicles the proceedings in movie script format.Interspersed throughout his screenplay are journal writings that provide insight into Steve's life before the murder and his feelings about being held in prison during the trial. "They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can't kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment."Read more

Reviews (606)

Monster is scary, not in a great way
I found that the story was too fast paced for something as dramatic as a 16 year old boy on trial for murder.The settings changed too quickly at the beginning, and I found the plot kind of confusing.The plot though, was believable and realistic, and there was very little profanity, if any.The language was not coated with heavy accents, the closest it got was gangsta talk. The point of view was from Steve Harmon, and there was a fair share of the plot jumping around. The characters were very real, and you could really picture it in your mind.Sadly, I could not say this for much of this book.
Is He Truly A Monster?
I'm not going to say much about the text in the book except that it was well written and well thought out. The format of the book was nicely put, because it is easy to read when the words aren't crammed together on a small page, and I liked how it was written in a script format.
Amazon book review by Karen
Monster by Walter Dean Myers was an excellent book.This book was about Steve Harmon.He was accused of being part of a robbery during which Mr. Nesbit was murdered.The book really puts the reader inside Steve's mind and emotions; the reader really hopes that Steve gets off trial and is let go without any charges.
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Law & Crime    7. People & Places - United States - African-American    8. Prisons    9. Self-perception    10. Social Issues - General    11. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    12. Social Issues - Violence    13. Social Situations - Prejudice & Racism    14. Social Situations - Violence    15. Trials (Murder)    16. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Prejudice & Racism    17. Reading Group Guide   

Editorial Review

Cole Matthews is angry. Angry, defiant, smug--in short, a bully. Hisanger has taken him too far this time, though. After beating up a ninth-gradeclassmate to the point of brain damage, Cole is facing a prison sentence. Butthen a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering analternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in whichvictim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution.Privately, Cole sneers at the concept, but he's no fool--if it gets him out ofprison, he'll do anything. Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to aremote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of amysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled almost to death, Cole awaits his fateand begins the transition from anger to humility. Read more

Reviews (234)

Toching Spirit Bear, and Me
Cole has many problems. His dad beats him, his mom says nothing about it, so his anger towards his parents is taken out on the world, and specifically at a schoolmate, Peter. Peter tells on Cole, so Cole smashes his head into the sidewalk, causing severe damage both emotional and physical. When Cole is put into a detention center, Garvey, a man working at the detention center, tells Cole about a Tlingit Indian justice ritual called Circle Justice. Cole will do anything to get of prison. He agrees to his terms and is sentenced to a year of banishment on an island off the coast of Alaska. There he encounters a Spirit Bear. After almost being killed by it, Cole is left thinking about his life, his choices, and the healing ramifications of Circle Justice.
Touching Spirit Bear
This book is about a boy name Cole who always gets into trouble and oneday he stole from the store.The Peter told on him,and Cole beat him up and he had to choose between jail or the circle of justice.He choose the circle of justice and for the first time he will be scared.

BEST BOOK EVER!!!!
I'm in sixth grade and this was the best book I have ever read. I read it twice over the summer and I am getting readey to read it again for my book report. Thls book is on my sixth grade reading list and I have recomended et to all of my friends and all of them are reading it.This book also teaches everyone a great lesson. This is a great book and you will be up all night and read it over and over again. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anger    2. Animals - Bears    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Fiction    6. Forgiveness    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile delinquents    9. People & Places - United States - Native American    10. Rehabilitation    11. Social Issues - Emotions & Feelings    12. Social Issues - Violence    13. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Bears   

Reviews (308)

boring, plotles, dull
I, Like many other unfortunate youth, had to read this book for school and do journal responses for each chapter. I did the assingnment with little difficulty without finishing the book. It was that predictable! I only read the first two chapters before I could do the responses with little trouble.
My brother sam is dead
Over the summer I read My brother sa is dead by James luneden Collier and Christopher Coliier. As one of my favorite books, there was many things i liked about I found interesting. When reading this book, you forget about reality and you start to feel as if you were in the story yourself.
Great Book to Spark an Early Interest in History
James Lincoln and Christopher Collier's story "my brother Sam is dead" begins at the dawn of the Revolution, a time when Loyalists felt much the same as Mr. Beach's remark to Sam in Chapter 1: "I think men of common sense will prevail. Nobody wants a rebellion except fools and hotheads." Doubtful or unaware of just how focused and set on independence from the Crown of England the Rebel militia actually were, the loyalists or tories of Colonial America were caught off guard when they realized "Live Free or Die" was more than a motto is was a commitment.
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Subjects:  1. 1775-1783, Revolution    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Historical - Military & Wars    6. Historical - United States - Colonial    7. History    8. Juvenile fiction    9. Revolution, 1775-1783    10. Social Issues - Death & Dying    11. Social Situations - Death & Dying    12. United States    13. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / General   

Reviews (1)

A Kids book about War
This is the most unusual book that I have ever bought for my children!And perhaps the most important!If you are concerned about war and what you can do to help your children understand what creates it then get this book.You will thank Dr. Webster-Doyle. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books - Young Adult    2. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Militarism    8. Military socialization    9. Peace    10. Social Issues - Violence    11. War    12. Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Situations / Violence   

Editorial Review

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnnykills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels thesame whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967. ... Read more

Reviews (1428)

my inspiration...
When I had to read THE OUTSIDERS in seventh grade, at first I was just like whatever because I thought it was going to be another boring book we had to read and why can't we ever get good books to read? But from the first chapter, that was it. I fell so hard I still haven't gotten up.
Battle Against The Socs - A Review By Izzy, age 11
A boy named Ponyboy, and his two brothers, Sodapop and Derry, turn into hoodlums when their parents die in a car crash. They join a group of hoods: Johnny, 2-Bit, Steve and Dally. They are in a battle against the Socs, who are spoiled and very rich. The Socs always jump the hoods (Greasers) when they are alone. They all have parts to play: Dally is the tough guy, 2-Bit is known for his switchblade, Steve is known to mess around a lot, Sodapop comforts people, Johnny is the pet of the gang, and Ponyboy is the youngest at the age of fourteen. There are two other gangs of greasers.
rockin book
I loved this book because you never know what is going to happen. Plus I think it's wierd that people would go into gangs. I feel sad for Johnny for dying saving other people. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adolescence    2. Children's 12-Up - Literature - Classics    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Classics    5. Family - General    6. Family life    7. Fiction    8. Gangs    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Social Issues - Adolescence    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Adolescence   

Reviews (4)

An important teen read with beautiful black and white illustrations
Teenager Jesse is writing the autobiography of his childhood friend and "blood brother" Rise, in a series of sketches, portraits, and comic strips from their times together.Rise is a little older than Jesse and is starting to be pulled in by the allure of the protection of gangs and the easy money of drugs.His biographer, Jesse, is confused by the change in his friend, and by Rise's attempts to turn the local boys' club into a street gang at war with neighborhood rivals.Given the title of the novel, one can only guess what the outcome of Rise's foray into drugs, guns, crime, and the power struggle is going to be.
The comic of Spodi Roti and Wise was brilliant.
This was an enthralling read. I liked the depth of this book and it painted a realistic portrait of poverty and gang life. The best part of this book was the incorporation of the comics and illustrations into the plot. The comic of Spodi Roti and Wise was brilliant. I also liked how most of the main characters in this book were not gang members or looking to be involved in gangs but simply wanted to survive long enough to explore their talents in music and artistry. It's nice to have a book about poverty and class that doesn't stereotype but gives a more realistic and in-depth picture.

An in-your-face tale of growing up and getting by in the inner-city
To pick up a book written by Walter Dean Myers is to expect nothing less than literary greatness. Among his many accolades, MONSTER was the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book. He has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults and has penned over 70 award-winning books intended for a wide age range of readers, from picture books to teen novels. His son, Christopher Myers, is a Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor recipient, and has illustrated a number of breathtaking books for young readers, including his solo effort entitled BLACK CAT.
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Drive-by shootings    5. Fiction    6. Friendship    7. Gangs    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. People & Places - United States - African-American    10. Social Issues - Death & Dying    11. Social Issues - Drugs, Alcohol, & Substance Abuse    12. Social Issues - Violence    13. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Drugs, Alcohol, Substance Abuse   

Editorial Review

It was only a slap. Well, maybe more than one. And maybe Nick used his fist at the end when the anger got out of control. But his girlfriend Caitlin deserved it--hadn't she defied him by singing in the school talent show when he had forbidden her to display herself like that? Even though he'd told her that everybody would laugh at her because she couldn't sing and was a fat slob? Both were lies. Because Caitlin was so beautiful, the only person who understood him. Out of his desperate need for her came all the mean words and the hitting. But now Caitlin's family has procured a restraining order to keep Nick away, and the judge has sentenced him to Mario Ortega's Family Violence class, to sit around every week with six other angry guys who hit their girlfriends. And to write a journal explaining how he got into this mess.Read more

Reviews (120)

Beathing Underwater was a good teen read
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn is a book about a 16 year old boy named Nick Andreas, who hits his girlfriend Caitlin and as a result, gets a restraining order placed upon him. At his court hearing, he has been ordered by the judge to write a 500-word journal telling the story of how he met Caitlin, why he was violent with her, and what he learned from the experience. Furthermore Alex was mandated to go to an anger management support group for 8 weeks to learn to cope with his rage. The books chapters alternate past with present and take the reader through his sophomore and part of his junior year at school. Nick himself is an abused boy, living with a violent father who often hits him.After losing Caitlin, Nick also loses his best friend Tom, who turns his back on his friend after the Caitlin incidents. This book covers the lessons in life through anger, emotions, teenage emotions, and loyalty.In the end, Nick completes the anger class, grows so much that he decides to enroll again, stand sup to his father for the first time, and renews his lost friendship with Tom.
Breathing Underwater
Ages 14 and up. Sixteen year old Nick Andreas is in his sophmore year of high school. He has a popular group of friends and is one of the star football players. Even though his life may seem perfect, it isn't. He goes through a lot with his father and with himself. He's trying to find his own identity but it's hard when he's influenced so much by his father's behavior. The first day of his sophmore year he meets the girl of his dreams, Caitlin McCourt. They begin dating and their realtionship is a beautiful one, until Nick becomes violent. "It was only a slap." He begins to beat her and treat her like garbage, things he never thought he would do to a girl he cared for so much. This book is about Nick's journey with finding himself, his realtionship with Caitlin and the aftermath of his sophmore year. By the end of his journey he learns that life is much better when you don't have to breathe underwater.

Review on "Breathing Underwater"
Breathing Underwater is a novel that fits into American culture because it has to do with domestic violence. It illustrates some of the many experiences that teenagers go through in everyday life.
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Subjects:  1. Anger    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Dating violence    5. Fathers and sons    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    9. Social Situations - Physical & Emotional Abuse    10. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Physical & Emotional Abuse    11. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (114)

A Great Book for Realistic Fiction Lovers!
Willie (Will) Beech, the likable main character in "Good Night, Mr. Tom", is a shy, scared, malnourished 8-year-old evacuated to the English countryside from London in World War II.Willie goes to live with a kind older man, Tom Oakley, whom Willie affectionately calls Mr. Tom.Willie, who was frequently abused by his mother in the past, learns new, loving ways of life while in the care of Tom.He grows both physically and emotionally during his stay, but many times this growth is interrupted by thrilling plot-twists.
A real tear jerker, but a great book.
My son had to pick a book from a long list to read over the summer for school.After reading the reviews for this book, we chose it.It was a very touching story, sad in places and happy in others.You really are cheering for Will and Mr. Tom.The author uses colloquial accents of rural England, but you really get used to it.My son is reading the book now and isn't having a problem understanding what the characters are saying.He is also enjoying the book a great deal, and having a hard time putting it down.

Love is Overpowering
Experience the life of a young boy who has never known what love is until he moves in with a man who loves him like his own. Good Night, Mr. Tom is a realistic fiction novel that everyone at any age would enjoy. The author, Michelle Magorian, uses such enthusiasm to make you feel like you are actually part of the story. This novel is not part of any series, but should be because all of the flashbacks and realistic dialog making it come to life.
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Subjects:  1. Child abuse    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Country life    5. England    6. Family - Orphans & Foster Homes    7. Fiction    8. Social Issues - Friendship    9. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    10. Social Situations - Friendship    11. Social Situations - Physical & Emotional Abuse    12. World War, 1939-1945    13. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Physical & Emotional Abuse   

Editorial Review

High school sophomores Gary Searle and Brendan Lawlor have had enough.Day in and day out, for more than two years, they have been harassed, beaten up,and cursed out by most of the jocks at Middleton High--especially by footballplayer Sam Flach. Armed with guns they've stolen from a neighbor's collection,Gary and Brendan storm a school dance, booby trap all the doors with homemadebombs, and prepare to turn their high school caste system upside down with aviolent show of force. When it's all over, Sam Flach is alive (but without anyhope of a future football career), Gary has killed himself, and Brendan is in acoma, after being beaten almost to death by other students who managed to disarmhim. Could this tragedy have been prevented? Who, if anyone, is to blame?Read more

Reviews (116)

Was this really fiction?
At times it was difficult to tell if this book was fiction.The detail that was given was beyond belief and the characters seemed to each have their own voice.The style is almost that of a news report you would see on television, where there are numerous people being interviewed at different times and the camera cuts from person to person to get all of their statements.Each paragraph was a new person's view on the situation and the instances that occurred.Little pieces of letters were included to have the main characters be able to be part of the story but the story was told through the eyes of others.Onlookers that witnessed and partook in many of these activities expressed the situations that occurred the night of the dance and of the years leading up to it.Each character had their own tone and there was never an instance in which you thought the person speaking was the same as another.The idea of bullying and school shootings were the main ideas for this book.The pain that you felt from the letters that the boys had written could make you feel how much they had been hurt.Bullying is a large factor in schools that is slowly tearing away at other students and will continue to do so until actions are taken by the small minorities, such as in this book.

This should be an adult book only!!!
My middle school student found this book in his library, wow.I am in the process of trying to get it pulled off ALL the shelves in the school district.Crimes are committed more often by copy cats and we certainly do not need another school shooting in the United States.It does not answer any students questions as to why school shootings happen I am not even sure adults can figure out all the reasons why.
Give a Boy a Gun
Give A Boy A Gun
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Fiction    4. High schools    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. School shootings    7. Schools    8. Social Issues - Adolescence    9. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    10. Social Issues - Violence    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Violence    12. Modern fiction   

Reviews (2)

Superb suspense and real life issues.
Edgar winner, Werlin, combines suspense with real life problems as Matt and his sisters Callie and Emmy try to keep their volatile and unbalanced mother happy. One day in the convenience store they witness Murdoch stopping a kid from being abused and become obsessed with him. For Matt's birthday, Callie finds Murdoch's address but their mother finds it and takes them all over to Murdoch's house. They begin dating and kids' lives look so much better but Murdoch quickly realizes that the mom is unbalanced and breaks up with her. Each day with their mom raises the question of survival. Will she drive the car with all the kids in it into oncoming traffic? The relationships between the siblings are richly depicted and Werlin's pacing is excruciatingly good. It is a page turner.

Richie's Picks: THE RULES OF SURVIVAL
As Matt explains, it was a sweltering Boston evening, and a date night for their mother. Matt was thirteen at that point, and Callie was eleven on that evening they left their five year old sister Emmy sleeping alone in the apartment, climbed out the window, and raced around the corner to buy a couple of Popsicles at the convenience store. They would return home a few minutes later with the dream that a stranger whose behavior they'd just witnessed might somehow be persuaded to intercede in the frightening and dangerous world they inhabited, a world controlled by Nikki, their nightmare of a mother.
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Subjects:  1. Brothers and sisters    2. Child abuse    3. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    4. Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction    5. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    6. Emotional problems    7. Family - General    8. Family - Siblings    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction    11. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    12. Social Issues - Domestic Violence    13. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    14. Suspense/Thriller    15. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Reviews (118)

If you can look past the agenda . . .
I read Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes when I was taking a young adult literature class in college.I'd just finished reading Chinese Handcuffs, also by Crutcher, and even though I'm not interested in sports at all, I really enjoyed it.Feeling in the mood for some more angst, but wary of the emphasis on sports in a lot of his books, I decided swimming would be an interesting sport to read about and picked up Staying Fat.It wasn't bad.In fact, it was very similar to other books of Crutcher's I've read in that it deals with sports and angst.
Two Teen's Couragous Battles Because ofBeing VeryDifferent.
When I began the book, I felt like it was going to be just some teen complaining because life isn't perfect.However, Eric was couragous and well beyond his years because he accepted himself completely.Beyond the teasing and tormenting that his peers gave him was a growing deep confidence in himself.
Can I get an extra star?
I'm an ELA teacher. This is one of my favorite YA novels. After you get comfortable with the main character and hisrelationship with Sarah Byrnes, it's impossible to put this book down. The characters are new/strange and well defined.The issues are a bit heavy as is the language, so I'd keep it at 14 or older.
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Subjects:  1. Child abuse    2. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    3. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    4. Fiction    5. Friendship    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Schools    8. Social Issues - Friendship    9. Social Issues - Physical & Emotional Abuse    10. Social Issues - Violence    11. Juvenile Fiction / Social Situations / Friendship   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (30)

BAD
BADCharlotte Cordell
A Good Read
This book is great.
Bad
Bad
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Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    3. Fiction    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Juvenile delinquency    6. Law & Crime    7. Social Issues - General    8. Social Issues - Violence   

Reviews (2)

In their own words
This book consists of a series of chapters, one per "former gang member," with each individual telling his own story; brief biographical sketches and photographs are provided for each. A bit simplistic
It was well written but provided only a glimpse into gang life and leaving it.Excellent photography but a bit disappointing overall. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Attitudes    2. Case studies    3. Children's 12-Up - Sociology    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Gang members    6. Gangs    7. General    8. Interviews    9. Juvenile Nonfiction    10. Juvenile literature    11. Social Situations - Violence    12. United States    13. Youth   

Editorial Review

Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown dreads and brilliant greeneyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With him she could be anybody,not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister, Cass. But now she isdrowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned her back on her family'sexpectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin wanders in a dream land ofdrugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists, lost in her search forherself.Read more

Reviews (152)

Dreamland
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is a book about a seventeen-year-old girl by the name of Caitlin who is going trough some hard times. Every year since this year she has been the one who always looks up to her sister and is expected to be more like her sister. Then one day her older sister decides to leave early one morning and go live with her boyfriend in New York. She is then faced with new conflicts such as boys, drinking, and smoking.
Vivid portrayal of dating violence
Dessen's "Dreamland" is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of dating violence that I've read in fiction.People often wonder why victims don't leave their abusers, and how they could continue to love the person who hurts them.Dessen vividly portrays how Caitlin understands that what Rodgerson is doing is wrong, but she is afraid to leave.Her self-esteem is so fragile that she assumes everyone will blame her for getting into such a dangerous situation.
WOW wonderful!
This is the most fantastic book i have ever read. I couldn't stop reading it and finished it within 2 days. I couldn't have said it better myself. It was as if the author was writing a story about when i was younger. She captured everything perfectly. I would recommend this story to anyone. And if all of Sarah Dessen books are this good i am going to be busy over the next few days lol. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Dating violence    4. Fiction    5. Girls & Women    6. Identity    7. Interpersonal relations    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction / Girls & Women