Speak

Rating:
Summary: A Hauntingly Realistic Book for Teens
Review: Speak tells of a teenager caught in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong guy. It shows how easily a girl can be raped and then not fully understand what has happened to her, especially when the crime is committed by a guy that never lacks for a date. Another book that deals with the emotional aftermath of teen sexual relations is If I'd Only Known... by Edee Wilcox.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best books I've ever read and possibly my favorite book. The main character Melinda Sordino broke up the party of the summer by calling the cops and you don't find out ti'll later why. At school no one will speak to her and her sanctuary is Art Class.

The portrayl of High School is accurate and funny. I laugh every time I read it. Even though I almost know it by heart. If you like Laurie Halse Anderson or just books about struggling teens in general. I would definitely reccomend this book.

~Other Books by Laurie Halse Anderson:
Catalyst and the Wild at Heart series

If you like this you may like books by:
Louise Rennison
Megan McCafferty
Sonya Sones
Cecily Von Ziegesar

Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: This book is about freshman Melinda Sordino. Over the summer she went to a party with her best friend Rachel. She called the cops at the party and now the entire school hates her. So when she gets back to school she has no friends only a new girl named Heather and Heather isn't the best friend a person could have. This is a great book. It shows how many teens struggle in high schools today. I felt like I was in the story watching it all happen. The author Laurie Halse Anderson does an excellent job painting Melinda's world so that you can see every detail. It has a lot of things teens can relate to also. Losing friends to high school, the struggle to fit in, bad grades, and a disenigrating family. And in the middle of this she is trying to draw the perfect tree for art, the only class she is doing good in this year. Hair Woman, Mr. Neck, David, Heather, Nicole, Ivy, Rachel, Melinda, her parents all memorable characters.

Rating:
Summary: all teenagers should read this book
Review: There's nothing more that needs to be said. All teenagers, and parents of teenagers should read this book. It touches wonderfully (with wit and raw emotion) on a subject far too overlooked in high school education and society today, and offers a character many girls can relate to and others could learn from. From someone who cried with Melinda, not just for her, I recommend this book with all my heart.

Rating:
Summary: There are hardly any words for "Speak"
Review: My English class never got the chance to read this book during the year, so my teacher let me take it home for the summer. As soon as I started it, I wouldn't stop reading. The author captures the reader and never lets go until the last page. The haunting story of Melinda is easy for teens to relate to, whether they've gone through the exact experiences as the character or not. Everyone has problems talking to some people, whether it is from humiliation or fear, and it's tough to overcome. This book is a quick read, but there's so much to get out of it it's not the usual young adult novel. The symbolism of Melinda's problems and the problems she has trying to make her art project (a tree, of all things!) "tell a story," is very clear and very clever. "Speak" is filled with so much raw emotion you can't help but laugh in some parts, and reach for the Kleenex box in others. And you'll remember the powerful ending for a long time.

Rating:
Summary: I'll SPEAK highly of this one!
Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a phenomenal book! She writes beautifully, casting an image in your mind. This book is fantastic as well as it is slightly dark and witty. I wouln't reccomend it to kids under the age of 13 as it deals with some mature issues but anyone 13+ will love it! I definetly reccomed it! You'll love Speak.

Rating:
Summary: The courage to ... grow.
Review: If you have just a few days to read a book, this is the book for you. If you rail against the cynicism of high school, of cliques, of violence, of self-deprecation, this is the book for you. I was enthralled by Melinda and her inability to speak. That inability is both physical, verbal, and symbolic. For a young-adult novel symbolism is sown with practically every word here (planting pun intended). The author's handle of high school and the unfairness and weirdness that occurs there every day is concrete, extremely accurate. I kept rooting for Melinda, feeling her pain and the difficulty she would have if she just spoke, but all the while encouraging her to just speak so that her pain...no, it wouldn't be completely gone of course, but at least it would move to a more manageable size. Written in a kind of multi-genre style the book is divided into four grading periods. The uniqueness of the way Melinda's story is told will definitely satisfy those who have been craving a different book.

Rating:
Summary: A great story
Review: This book sends a very powerful message to young women. It sends the message to stand up for yourself. As you can figure out during the book, Melinda is raped the summer before her freshman year in high school. The problem is that the rest of the school has no idea. They think she called the cops to bust a party. Due to this, Melinda has no friends and she starts to lose herself a little. Melinda is lucky to find a love for art. Art gives her a way to express herself and form a relationship with her teacher. Her teacher believes in her and soon Melinda believes in herself. She starts to regain past friendships and before you know it, she is in a situation to get raped again. This time she stands up to IT and stops him. Melinda is then seen as a hero to the rest of the girls in the school. This book shows that sometimes you just don't fit in. And when you don't, you can't give up. You need to find your identity. If you do the right things, and stand up for what you are believe in, you are eventually going to find friends who are just like you. This book lets girls know that it is right to say no and it is right to stand up for yourself. It also shows all high school kids that things will get down for you at some point, but if you keep your head high and keep going, you will eventually find everything working itself out.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic and Engaging
Review: I was immediately drawn into Melinda's world. The reactions were normal. Melinda is struggling with coming to terms with what happened to her. She shuts down. It's no wonder her friends don't believe her because the truth is that awful and it doesn't benefit her former bff when she is dating the guy who attacked Melinda does it? People just want to fit in and many teens can go unnoticed in a big school. Sometimes it's easier to blend into the background even if that hurts. 'Speak' was much more engrossing then most of the other teen novels I've read. I highly reccommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: A Good book for TEEN readers and Adults
Review: All Teens should read this book. Peer pressure does a lot of bad things, one of those things is convincing victims to feel like they have done something wrong.

Speak is a fast-paced read that involves the reader emotionally from the very start. Speak is an accurate portrayal of the very common existence of high school cruelty and peer pressure. Every reader should identify with most of what happens in this novel, no matter what their age.

You will get mad at the good characters as well as the bad. I found myself talking out loud to the characters, which is why I know the book involves you.

Speak passes my Young Adult novel test. The book allows you to read without wanting to put it down, and it flows straight to ending. Laurie Halse Anderson has written a book that will be around for a very long time.