Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter D, and Christopher A. Myers. Monster. New York: HarperCollins, 1999. Print.  ISBN 9780060280789; Hardcover; $15.89.

Annotation:
Steve is in prison awaiting trail for murder and his own lawyer isn't sure if he's innocent.

Book Talk:
16 year old Steve Harmon has landed in prison and is awaiting trial for felony murder in a robbery gone wrong.  In order to deal with life behind bars and what awaits him before a State Prosecutor who refers to him as a "monster" Steven writes in a journal and creates a screenplay of his experience.

Check out this notebook entry:

"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 Walter Dean Myers award-winning book to find out whether Steve is destined to spend the rest of his life behind bars, whether his lawyer truly believes he is innocent, and whether he can figure out for himself whether or not he's a monster.

Available in paperback, hardcover and on audio CD.

Awards: 
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award 2000
Nominated for the National Book Award 1999
Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book 2000
Nominated for the Edgar Award 2000

Forever...by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy.  Forever.  Scarsdale, N.Y: Bradbury Press, 1975. Print.  978-1-4169-3400-4; paperback; $8.99.

Annotation: 
Katherine falls in love with Michael and he wants them to be together forever, but she isn't so sure.

Book Review:

Written and set in the mid-1970s, Forever follows the life of suburban high school senior Katherine as she navigates the choppy waters of first love, losing her virginity, family illness, drinking and drug use and friends in emotional crisis. Katherine meets Michael at a New Year’s Eve party and isn’t quite sure how she feels about him, especially when she sees him kissing someone else, but Michael is definitely sure how he feels about Katherine.  He wants her.  He wants to be her boyfriend.  He wants to tell her everything.  He wants to teach her about sex and intimacy.  He wants them to be together forever.   When they are separated by their parents and their jobs over the summer holidays, Katherine meets a sexy, older tennis instructor named Theo and she begins wondering if maybe forever isn’t what she wants after all.

While it was refreshing to see a female protagonist grappling with questions concerning fidelity, birth control, attachment, and desire in the mid-70s, today’s teens may be looking for something a little edgier or more culturally diverse.  Katherine is an alarmingly thin, white, heterosexual teen whose father is a pharmacist and business owner and her grandparents and uncle are accomplished lawyers in New York City.  She plays tennis and skis in Vermont.  Going to university is a given.  The narrow confines of Katherine’s world may alienate many young adult readers and I would be quick to recommend something like Maryjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Heather O’Neill’s Lullabies for Little Criminals or Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell in its place.

Available in paperback, hardcover, braille book, and e-book.

Did you know this book has been banned so many times and has sparked such controversy that Judy Blume has to travel with a security guard?  All the more reason to read it and keep it in your library!

Award:
Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner, 1996