Monster

A 16-year-old boy is on trial for murder and is trying to determine how he arrived in such a position. As a coping strategy the boy tells the story of his life as if it were a movie. The novel serves as a good impetus for discussing different socio-economic levels and how poverty can propel a person into risky situations. The format is a screenplay, interspersed with journal entries. This makes the book easy to read for most students at this grade level.