Monster: Pages 1–43

by Walter Dean Myers
Told in the form of journal entries and a screenplay, this novel tells the story of a teenager on trial for murder.

This list covers pages 1–43 in the 1999 HarperCollins edition.

Here are our links to our lists for the novel: List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4
15 words 16056 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. prosecutor
    an official conducting criminal cases on behalf of the state
    I'll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me.
  2. detention
    a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
    Early morning in CELL BLOCK D, MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER.
  3. subdued
    quieted and brought under control
    STEVE (subdued): I'm not hungry.
  4. felony
    a serious crime, such as murder or arson
    Both you and this King character are on trial for felony murder. Felony murder is as serious as it gets.
  5. attorney
    a professional person authorized to practice law
    At another table we see KING and two attorneys.
  6. admissible
    deserving to be accepted or allowed
    I'm ruling the kid's testimony is admissible.
  7. mentor
    a wise and trusted guide and advisor
    We see MR. SAWICKI, film club mentor, and 9 STUDENTS , who are casually dressed.
  8. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    She stands at the podium in front of the JURY.
  9. contend
    maintain or assert
    The State will contend that one of those men was Richard "Bobo" Evans. The State will contend that the other man who entered the store at that time, and who participated in the robbery and the murder, was James King.
  10. impede
    be a hindrance or obstacle to
    Another of the planners of this crime was to stand outside the drugstore and impede anyone chasing the robbers.
  11. conspirator
    a member of a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    Yet another of the conspirators, the planners of this robbery that left a man dead, was to go into the store prior to the robbery to check it out, to make sure that there were no police in the store.
  12. defendant
    someone against whom an action is brought in a court of law
    The 2 defendants you see before you will be shown to be participants in that act and are being charged with felony murder.
  13. redress
    act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil
    When a crime is committed, it is the State that must apply the law in a manner that offers redress and that brings the guilty parties to justice.
  14. grandiose
    impressive because of unnecessary largeness or magnificence
    Miss Petrocelli, representing the State, has presented this case in very broad and grandiose terms.
  15. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    TONY (taking a tentative step): What?
Created on Mon Oct 17 14:09:00 EDT 2016 (updated Thu Jul 31 15:02:37 EDT 2025)

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