Beast is a 2006 young adult novel by Ally Kennen. It won the 2007 Manchester Book Award,^[1] and was shortlisted for the 2006 Booktrust Teenage Prize,^[2] the 2007 Carnegie Medal^[3] and the 2007 Branford Boase Award.^[4]

Stephen is a 17-year-old foster child living on the edge of the law. He has moved from family to family, all the time guarding a great secret. He harbors a huge crocodilean beast, ferocious from birth, bequeathed to him by his criminal father when Stephen was a child. Beast tells the story of his murderous intents toward this monster and his growing relationships, as well as frequently reliving his childhood through flashbacks.