The Monster in Me

This is a remarkably well-written book. Harrison has done a fine job of establishing and maintaining tone, drawing believable characters, and telling a story that is both compelling and poignant.

Believable and intriguing are words I would use to discribe Natalie Wills, the thirteen-year-old foster child in The Monster in Me. Her story is equally compelling. I loved this book. Trudy Harris

"I'm lying flat with my arms and legs strapped to the corners of a large metal table. There are vials and tubes everywhere and it's dark, with mist covering the floor. I'm in Frankenstein's laboratory -like in the movies. And I'm the monster. I'm the creature Dr. Frankenstein has made, the creature who wants desperately to be human, but isn't." Natalie has been having these nightmares ever since she was put into a group home because of her mother's problems. She can't escape these nightmares no matter how hard she runs in the mornings. When she moves in with a new foster family, they really seem to like her, but she knows that they are going to send her away, it's just a matter of when. Natalie believes that no matter how kind her foster parents are, no stranger can love her because her own mother doesn't. Natalie needs to learn to trust and accept people before she can escape her monster. I would recommend this book, The Monster In Me, to any one who is alone in feeling unloved, out of place, and who needs to learn what trust really and truly means.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are likeable and real, with weaknesses and quirks that are subtle enough that they don't turn into caricatures. I liked that Natalie, the main character, learns to like and trust people who are legitimately annoying in some ways, since that's how life really is. I thought her development was realistic and important; she discovers that she has more control over how she sees the world than she thought at the beginning. That's a great message and an important one these days.