Monster
By Walter Dean Myers
A teenager's childhood is about to be wasted in prison for a crime he didn't do.
16 year old Steve Harmon has been accused of being the accomplice to the murder of drug store owner, Alguinaldo Nesbitt. With no one he trusts, Steve must endure the horror of prison life and the suspense of being tried in court. Can he make it through this terrible experience at such a young and inexperienced age, or will he be found guilty and spend years and years in a jail cell?
"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." (Myers)
Awards and Nominations
- Michael L. Printz Award
- National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- Edgar Award for Best Young Adult
- Coretta Scott King Award for Authors
The Man Behind the Masterpiece
Walter Dean Myers was born August 12, 1937 in West Virginia. His mother died during childbirth when he was at a young age, so he went to live with his biological father in Harlem, where he was raised. When he was a teenager, he would love to write and read saying, "My books. They were my only real friends growing up." He was rewarded the Margret Edwards Award in 1994 and the Michael L. Printz award in 2000 for young adult literature.
Thousands of people go to prison, but several of them are innocent.
Only later do police investigations prove that they haven't committed any crimes, yet they still have to endure the horrors of a jail cell. Join the hundreds of people trying to keep the guilty behind bars and the innocent as free people. Donate to http://www.innocenceproject.org to do what's right.