Rating: 
Summary: LCHS-Jen
Review: melinda is anineth grader and she has problems and she's a loner and she don't like to talk to any body she has no friends but except a new girl and she don't hardly go to her classes and she won't tell any body what happended and she tried to tell rachell and then she said she was lying and her teacher know's something is wrong with her and then it all comes out in the open and then she feels relieved and about it and she's friends with her old friend's again and it is a really great book and i think kid's should read it.
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Summary: Amazing book.
Review: Speak is now one of my favorite books of all time. The plot moves consistently from beginning to end, never once pausing to overexplain like many other books do. The reader will feel as if they have known Melinda their entire life. I was amazed by Laurie Halse Anderson's ability to capture teenage life so perfectly and realistically. I could so closely relate to Melinda in everything she said, thought, and did, that I felt like we could actually share the same mind. Melinda's problems were real ones, not stereotyped, media-produced problems like the ones you see on television. Readers will be able to feel Melinda's emotions all the way through the book, from the first day of school when she is nailed with mashed potatoes at lunch, to the middle of the school year when Heather ditches her for The Marthas, all the way to the last day as Melinda finally perfects her tree. I literally have to make an effort to come up with one thing that I can criticize in the entire story, and that is the name of the "clan" that is The Marthas. I have never seen firsthand a school clique that actually had a name known throughout the school, but from what I have heard, it actually does happen. I highly suggest this book to ANYONE.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic -take 2
Review: Melinda is a nineth grader in high school. Before school started she had several friends and was accepted through out school. The August before school started all that changed. Melinda becomes a quiet girl that no one wants to be around. She has no friends. All this stems from her calling the cops at a summer party. No one knows why she did this. No one asked. The only person that will speak to her is Heather, a new girl. Melinda's art teacher also tries to reach her. He assigns the students to create one piece of art from a theme that they have drawn. Melinda draws a tree. As the year progresses, she struggles with the art project. He teacher encourages her. He knows she is hiding something. When the school year is over half finished the principal becomes concerned with her behavior. Her parents are called in. They can not believe that he is speaking about "their" Melinda. Strategies are taken to help Melinda improve her grades. Still no one knows the truth. In the end the secret is revealed and time starts to heal her wounds. This is an excellent book for young adults. Young adults will be able to relate because of the setting and the theme of keeping a secret. The setting is Merryweather High School and Melinda's home. Anderson does a fabulous job of capturing the readers attention by keeping the conflict a secret. Due to the secret conflict I would not recommend this book to students younger than nineth grade.
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Summary: Superb performance of a wonderful book.
Review: I'm an adult reader who happened onto this audio book at the library. I liked the cover design and saw that it was a finalist for the National Book Award. I started listening, and could not stop. It is riveting. Siegfried's performance of this first-person narrative is so real. I feel as if the character has told me the story herself, just to me. It's a rewarding read about being 13 for anyone of that age or older (content includes a rape, and the girl's slow recovery of her power). Beautifully written--moving, funny, so true-to-life. Economical and elegant. A fine example of good first person narrative. This recording will make any long drive fly by, and--if you arrive before the story's over--you won't want to get out of the car.
Rating: 
Summary: speak
Review: Speak is a book that touches many social issues in today's society. High school students today face the issues of rape and peer acceptance. Anderson uses these issues of our times in an emotional story of a young girl's self-growth. The theme is one of self-growth and self-worth. The story is written in first person, which allows the reader to experience Melinda's emotion's through her words and actions. Anderson's use of the tree is symbolic in this story. Melinda connects the idea of cutting off the unhealthy parts of a deseased tree to her own life. By the end of the year she has gained the confidence to speak about the rape.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting- take 2
Review: Steve is a 16 year old adolescent that is in trouble. He is accused of a felony murder along with James King. Steve, King and 2 other guys were to hold up a drug store and split the cash 4 ways. The crime gets carried away. The owner pulls a gun and gets shot. The story is written from Steve's perspective and in movie format. He struggles trying to convince himself that he is innocent. Is he really? O'Brien, his lawyer shows no signs of believing he is innocent. He wonders if the jury will? The setting of the story switches back and forth from a Manhattan Detention Center and the courthouse. Steve receives support from his family while in the dentention center. He wonders if his family will believe him in the end. Will you? This story is geared toward young adolescents. It would be helpful to show teens consequences of their actions. The lesson learned is to be careful with who you hang with. They may get you in trouble like Steve's friends.
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Summary: REALISTIC
Review: The author gets the reader hooked on the book by keeping the problem a secret. After reading the book, I realized how helpful and realistic this book is for troubled teenagers. Some young people can and will be able to relate to some of the issues within the story.
Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is a perfect example of high school life. The main character, Melinda, seems to have no friends and the underlying impression is that no one likes her. Her parents do not seem to really know or care about what is going on in Melinda's life. Something happens in the book that causes her to have problems dealing with relationships. The kids at school have nothing to do with her and she just feels lost. Melinda finds the oddest places to cope with her pain. She realizes by the end of the book, how much she has grown and learned to cope with her problems. I would highly recommend reading this book. It was easy to follow and to understand. What happens to Melinda could happen to anyone.
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Summary: Very touching novel
Review: Laurie Halse Anderson's novel, Speak, is very well written. It's an entertaining, riveting tale about a girl who calls the police to a party which results in several of her peers getting busted. Something happened at the end-of-summer party that changed her life forever.
Upon returning to school in the fall, the main character, Melinda Sordino, is blackballed by her classmates. She chooses to deal with her problem and those around her by silencing herself. There is an internal battle going on inside Melinda's head throughout the novel. She finally finds refuge in one of her classes, art. The art instructor is a very caring individual who notices that Melinda is acting strangely and that she is different and withdrawn. He wants to help her so he shows empathy toward her. She begins to use art as an outlet and finds meaning and symbolism in it.
Anderson does an extraordinary job using symbolism throughout the novel. She deals with a very serious subject, yet her writing is extremely witty and funny. I found myself laughing aloud while reading it.
School can be a very negative experience for many young people. The life of a ninth grade student is told from Melinda Sordino's point of view. She is unpopular and berated. The cruelty displayed by her peers, comfortable in their cliques, is something many young adults will be able to identify with. By the end of the novel, Melinda finally speaks! She tells why she called the cops that night. At first no one believes her, then another event happens that turns her life around. You have to read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: A work of fiction that reads like non-fiction. Melinda is a fourteen year old girl that is shunned by her friend. She calls the cops at a party and her friends don't understand why. She holds a terrible secret inside and doesn't tell anyone about what happened at the party that night. This is a story of not fitting in; of personal voyages; and of discovering the strength we all have inside ourselves to stand up for what's right. I would recommend this book to all young adult readers.
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