<Tr> <Th> LC Class </Th> <Td> PZ7. M992 Mon 2004 </Td> </Tr> <P> Monster is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers and was published by Harpercollins in 1999 . It was nominated for the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2000, and was named a Coretta Scott King Award Honor the same year . </P> <P> The book uses a mixture of a third - person screenplay and a first - person diary format to tell, through the perspective of Steve Harmon, an African American teenager, the story of his trial along with James King for felony murder in the state of New York . </P> <P> The novel begins with 16 - year - old Steve Harmon writing in his diary awaiting for his trial for murder . Musing on his short time in prison so far, he decides to record this upcoming experience in the form of a movie screenplay . Kathy O'Brien, Steve's lawyer, informs him on what will happen during the trial . At this stage, only two of the four accused - James King and Steve - will be tried, since the other two accused - Richard "Bobo" Evans and Osvaldo Cruz - have entered into a plea bargain . When the trial first begins, Steve flashes back to a movie he saw in his school's film club and the discussion he had with his teacher in which they discuss the idea of predictability with queers . </P>

What point of view is the book monster written in