Speak

Rating:
Summary: The title is the lesson
Review: This novel is a very important novel for young people to read. As a school librarian I think this book was excellent. The story was engrossing, and the lesson unequaled in the many books I've read this year. It should be a must read for middle and high schoolers!

Rating:
Summary: WoW
Review: Im not sure if my last review of this book went through, so im writing another. this book knocked me off my feet. My englsih teacher mentioned it to us when we were talking about the book She Said Yes, and a few of the people in the class went out and got it and started reading it. I am the first one finished, and i loved it. The two other girls are partway through and are also astounded. Melinda's voice, or rather, the lack of an outer one, but her inner monologue, is so real. Her emotions are so understandable, and Anderson's portrayal of high school life as an outcast is written so well. This book was amazing. If you are a teen, I suggest you read this. My guess is that you'll like it.

Rating:
Summary: Finally some genuine teen angst
Review: Teenage outsiders unite, we have finally found our voice in the form of Laurie Halse Anderson. Unlike a lot of other so-called realistic teens, Melinda has bad skin and embarassing clothes and she couldn't care less about Dawson's Creek. Her journey through 9th grade seems to be at first like any other but little by little the book reveals a more painful and tragic story behind Melinda's silence. I suggest you discover it for yourself instead of reading the reviews because it is more meaningful to read it for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: This book spoke the truth!!
Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, is an excellent book. I found this book at my friends party and I thought the summary was great. I'm mostly a book worm, and as I was reading it, I could not put the book down at all! Melinda's freshman year in highschool was really tough. I liked how the book was Melinda's diary and how Melinda expressed her feelings and emotions with everything that had happened in it. Even though Melinda didn't try hard to improve her awful grades or not trying to socialize with anyone or even make friends, I can't blame her. It was sad how she had to keep that secret of being raped by Andy Evans, and how she had to go through in highschool. But in the end, she finally spoke out the truth. I recommend this book to ages 13 and above!!!

Rating:
Summary: Her Voice Broke The Piercing Silence
Review: Melinda was thirteen years old when IT hurt her. IT ruined her life, and forced her to silence. At a Senior party Melinda is hurt by IT, she gets so scared and since she is drunk she calls 911. The cops arrive and arrest a few kids. Now everyone hates her for ruining the party. All her friends desert her, she is stuck as a mute out cast. She has no friends. Finally she stands up to IT, her voice is finally heard. Her silent cries for help were found, and she became a stronger person inside. Her voice broke the barrier between her and lonliness and hurt. This was an amazing book that I couldn't put down! Usually it takes me awhile to finish books, but this one took me 2 days! I almost cried when Melinda confessed what happened at the party. It was exciting yet very sad when IT would come near her and hurt her. I am 12 years old and this book is my favorite book of all times!

Rating:
Summary: Surviving from Muteness
Review: Andy Evans, a man with a twisted mind but, why is he the one who is accepted socially? Melinda,has been a victim of HIM, when she had gone to the party, she had gotten drunk, he took advantage of her state of mind,she had called the cops becuase she scared and frightened, not to break up the party. Andy Evans had hurt her and taken something precious, her pride, happiness,voice, and innocence. She has been stamped,marked,and painted as a outcast...all for the wrong reasons.

Rating:
Summary: If You Think That School is Horrible for You...
Review: ...then you need to read this book. When I feel left out or like life is "crappy", I always think of this book and read it if I can. It will surely make you appreciate your friends and the fact that things might not be so bad as you thought. Also, it has a really serious point to it. If you've ever been raped or sexually assualted in any way and you are scared to speak up, please read this.

Rating:
Summary: Words Of Emotion
Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is one of those books that comes along once in a great while. It is a novel that will touch the hearts of many young teenage outkasts, who have yet to find their place in high school. We meet Melinda, and are taken away into her depressed and sedated world. We wonder why this young freshman is the way she is, why she feels so alone, why she has a horrible outlook on life, and why she never speaks. The novel symbolizes the typical teenage life, being exact on every topic and opinion that is addresses. Laurie Halse Anderson is a phenomenol writer, one who knows her audience and strikes home with them. She writes words of emotion, and makes us feel weak at heart, which is the message the book is trying to deliever.

Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: This one of the best books I have ever read. It was so powerful it moved me to tears. Words can not express the praise I have for Anderson. I congradulate her for writing such a compelling novel. She really captured the heart of Melanie and what it's like for abuse victims. It was so truthfully written and real I thought it was a true story(it isn't, is it?). When I finished the book I felt a sense of peace. I recomend this book to everyone. This book needs to be read. It will have a permanent home in my library. "Speak" will not be forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: A stunning and sympathetic novel
Review: Speak is one of the best novels I have ever read. Anderson lets the reader go into the mind of a heroine. The descriptive language and active monologue allowed me to actually feel the torment and confusion of a teen victim of being raped. This novel makes you feel what an outcast feels like and what it is like to be in their shoes. The main character, Melinda has always wanted to fit in, but since she called the police at a summer party, everybody dispises her and she is called an outast. She also has losed her best friend. As the ninth grade school year goes on, Melinda is invited to a spring break party and gets raped by an upper class man at Merryweather High. As she starts to get over this incident, she has another encounter with the rapist, Andy Evans, in a closet and he tries to get his hands on her, but she gets over her silence and screams which she has never done before. Melinda demonstrates the way to speak up for yourself. Melinda ends up being accepted by her peers, which is what she has always wanted. She gains her friends back and is not considered an outcast anymore. I highly recommend this book for a person who would want to see how an outcast would feel in their high school years and what could happen in it.