Books like Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Steve Harmon is a sixteen‑year‑old accused of being an accomplice to murder. While awaiting trial, he documents his time in prison and the courtroom in the form of a film script, using the process to wrestle with questions of identity, responsibility, and his future.
First publish date: 1999
Genre: Children's Fiction/Children's Adventure
Authors: Walter Dean Myers
★
★
★
★
★
3.8 (19 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Monster by Walter Dean Myers are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Monster (28 similar books)
Of Mice and Men follows two migrant ranch workers—George and Lennie—who dream of owning land while struggling with the hardships of the Great Depression; their friendship is tested by tragedy.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In Camp Green Lake, a boy named Stanley Yelnats must dig endless holes for a supposedly reformatory camp that really hides a buried truth.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
The Hate U Give tracks 16‑year‑old Starr Carter, a Black teenager from a poor Bronx neighborhood who attends an elite private school, as she confronts police violence, social media battles, and community turmoil after witnessing her friend’s shooting.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Sandra Cisneros’ celebrated coming‑of‑age tale follows Esperanza Cordero as she grows up in Chicago’s Mexican-American community, exploring identity through poetic vignettes.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In 1936 Flint, Michigan, ten‑year‑old Bud Maclean, an orphan on the run, sets out to find his missing father by following clues from a jazz band flyer.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a tense sixty seconds, a young boy faces a choice that will determine whether he seeks revenge for his brother’s death or walks away from violence.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Armpit, a young man with cerebral palsy, struggles to rebuild his life in Austin after leaving Camp Green Lake, finding hope in a friendship with a disabled boy named Ginny while confronting the past that lingers.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
At eleven, piano prodigy Isabella struggles to feel whole amid a custody battle, racial tensions at school, and new family dynamics.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In "Day of Tears" Julius Lester weaves a gripping tale of a slave named Emma, who dutifully cares for her master's daughters while striving to instill compassion amid a society divided over slavery, culminating in a historic slave auction.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After a nuclear war, teenage girl Ann believes she is alone on Earth—until she encounters another survivor, forcing her to confront survival, hope, and human connection in a bleak, post‑apocalyptic world.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
At thirteen, Benjie struggles with heroin addiction in a bleak Harlem reality, hoping someone will see his worth beyond the junkie label.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Virginia Hamilton gathers a lively mix of folktales, animal stories, fairy tales, and true "herstories," offering readers a vibrant exploration of African‑American folklore and the lives of remarkable women.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is a juvenile fiction set in the World War I era, exploring friendship, family and the challenges of living in a small Texas town.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Thirteen‑year‑old Koly in India faces an arranged marriage that turns into deception when she learns her life has been sold for dowry. The novel follows her brave journey to reclaim her future amid rigid tradition.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A teenage boy joins his recently released father on a cross‑country trip, confronting their past and forging a new bond in an emotionally charged story of family, redemption, and self‑discovery.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis race against a dangerous inmate’s foreknowledge to stop a string of brutal murders in Los Angeles.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Thirteen‑year‑old Zinny receives a series of surprising gifts from her friend Jake Boone—a cricket, 99 bottle caps, a turtle, a puppy, and a diamond ring—sparking a summer of adventure and unexpected feelings.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A Long Way from Chicago follows city kids Joey and Mary Alice as they visit Grandma Dowdel’s small-town Illinois community over the Great Depression, discovering humor, family, and the spirited life of country towns.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Twelve‑year‑old Ariana and her cousin Laila band together to protect their family grocery shop in San Francisco after a rival Afghan market threatens their livelihood.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In Harlem, writer Darius and runner Twig forge an unlikely friendship as they confront bullying, family hardship, and their own dreams of a brighter future.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A thirteen‑year‑old African‑American boy recounts how his family confronts anger, hope, abandonment, and fear when his father, who had temporarily left, returns home.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Akilah and Victoria, raised in Queens, New York, are inseparable best friends—until Victoria returns from a Nigerian summer, where she participates in a coming‑of‑age ceremony. Now she behaves differently, raising questions about identity and change.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In the small town of Middleburg, Indiana, constant church bell chimes and a mysterious bat sighting stir chaos. Bernie Magruder and his friends investigate the rumors of the elusive Indiana Aztec bat and the cause of the relentless ringing.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In 1880s Martha’s Vineyard, twelve‑year‑old Merry Skiffe runs away after being accused of murder, embarking on a perilous journey that tests her courage and resilience.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Jesse presses a sketchbook to the quiet beats of Harlem, using comic strips to process his brother’s death and a friendship lost to gang life.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Robert K. Ressler, who coined the term "serial killer," offers a behind‑the‑scenes look at international homicide cases, sharing interviews, case studies and his insights into the psychology and global spread of serial murder.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A twelve‑year‑old slave, Ann Maria Weems, escapes from her Maryland plantation with the help of a daring white man and travels the Underground Railroad to Canada, discovering independence and love along the way.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Teenager Steve Harmon imagines his courtroom ordeal as a movie while awaiting trial for murder and robbery.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
The Brick House by Tamara Will WissingerMonster on the Run by Geronimo Stilton
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
Forged by Fire by Sherman Alexie
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!