Rating: 
Summary: A Book That Covers All Emotions
Review: When I first picked up this book to read, I was not looking forward to it. But with in the first 10 pages I was hooked. When writing this book Laurie H. Anderson was on the right note as to how school can be for someone like Melinda. By this I mean a student who does not fit in with one of the clicks or a student who feels that they have something to hide. In Speak Melinda go though what every female fear most, loses all of her friends, and has to start high school. Oh and Melinda has one other problem, and that is she has to see the "Beast" or the cause of her problems at school. Any girl in middle or high school would love reading this book to see how Melinda deals with being in a new school, without any true friends, a secret to hide, parents to deal with, teacher to try to please, and an art project to do. Speak is truly a book the covers all emotions.
Rating:
Summary: Speak - A great read
Review: I completly enjoyed reading Speak. Eventhough, its not the type of book I would pick for myself, I usually go for a light read. It is a book I am glad I have read. I can very easily understand Melinda's character and her actions. The other characters;her friends, teachers, parents, etc. make the book believable and sometimes funny. The setting is very realistic of a typical high school and adds another degree of believability to the book. I would reccomend this book to any teen aged girl. It is a great story and you will be glad you have read it.
Rating:
Summary: Unspeakably Fabulous
Review: Wow! Every young girl should read this novel. I loved it from the first page to the last. I couldn't stop thinking about the main character after I had finished reading the book. Halse made Melinda seem so real to me. I could identify with her because we have all experienced the fear of what happened to Melinda. I think that we have all had a time in our lives too when we didn't quiet fit in with others around us and we have had to think about who we are in the world. Also, accepting ourselves for who we are without regard to what others think of us became an important part of this novel. When Melinda was shunned by her classmates she had to think about what caused them to behave in that way. Then she had to think about whether the decisions she had made previously have been the right decisions. What Melinda faces are real life decisions that teens have to face and I loved every minute of this read because it was so believeable.
Rating: 
Summary: Laurie Halse Anderson Speaks Volumes with Speak
Review: I found this book intriguing to say the least. After the first few pages, I was captured. I could just imagine the scenes in this book actually occuring in the high school I attended. Anderson captured the language and actions of the young adults in her story. Even the thoughts portrayed by the main character were right on target. I can just hear the voice of a high school student coming through in this book.
This book deals with many topics high school students face daily. It deals with family issues, peer pressure, cliques, dating, and social issues. I think every adult and young adult can find a character in this book that they relate to.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for reluctant readers
Review: After reading the first pages of this novel, your experience with the book will "speak" for itself. This novel is written in a journal form and would be excellent for students who are reluctant to read. It would also be a great read for those students who seem to not always "fit in."Melinda, who used to be a totally different girl, now hardly speaks to anyone since a situation that occurred at a party over the summer. The book takes the reader through Melinda's first year in high school and the difficulties she encounters due to that one fretful night before the new school year. Without any friends, Melinda has a hard time finding herself and figuring out where she fits in. Throughout her freshmen year, Melinda begins to open herself up through an art project her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, gives her. She begins to finally be honest with her feelings and finds the confidence to speak out about that summer night. This novel will make you laugh out but will also make you reflect on the bitterness that Melinda is experiencing. It is a book that emphasizes the importance of facing our fears and finding healing so we can move on in life. It will be a book that will leave you with something to "speak" about!
Rating:
Summary: An Empowering Book
Review: When I started this book I thought it would be too young for me and my 28 years of life experience. I am embarassed to say that I was completely wrong. This book is an inspiration for me and would be perfect for any girl. Although I can't relate directly to Melinda's life or experiences, I finished this book with a feeling of empowerment. I think Speak would make a wonderful gift for a flowering teenager!
Rating:
Summary: Teacher
Review: Melinda Sordino is starting her freshman year in high school as an outcast. She has no friends and the ones from the year before all hate her. She is known as the girl who called the police that broke up a wild end-of-summer party. The problem is that no one knows the real reason why the police were called that night. It is a secret she carries with her wherever she goes.The story is told from Melinda's perspective as she moves through the ninth grade. The readers can visualize her growth as the year progresses. She is a loner, but it really isn't by choice. She has to deal with what happened that night on her own. She has to find her own way to tell someone. She wants to. She's desperate to, but she can't. Her own voice won't let her.
The readers learn early on what the secret is and begin to hope that she is able to tell what happened to her. Her grades suffer. She skips school or is habitually late to class. She withdraws deeper into herself until the source of her problem begins to pay attention to her ex-best friend. It is through this that she finds the courage to voice what happened to her at the party.
Rape is a very violent topic, especially the rape of a high school freshman by a senior who is very popular. I was taken a back initially. How could this book be about the rape of a young teenage girl? The truth of the matter is, that teenage girls do deal with this. Date rape is very popular. It is a hot issue and needs to be dealt . Teenagers deal with a lot of issues and Melinda explores many of them. The rape added to Melinda's suffering. Yes, she wanted to forget that night and forget what happened, but more than anything she wanted to be accepted again. There are kids that go to school everyday feeling like an outcast and rejected. I read this book in one sitting because I needed to see Melinda strong again. I needed to see her fight back and she does. Anderson depicts the struggles of adolescence eloquently in this book and she gives teenagers hope of not always feeling alone.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding writing
Review: There is not much I can say about this book which has not been said already by the 515 reviewers before me! But I just wanted to put in my "adult" recommendation for "Speak". It was terrific, a book that drew me in and grabbed my heart. The writing was wonderfully done. The short "chapters" and first-person narration gave the book and the story an immediacy that propelled the reader forward. Every page I turned gave me hope that Melinda would somehow find the strength she needed to at last reveal what had happened to her and release herself from the pain and anguish she is living with. The book is funny, painful, and gut-wrenching at the same time. The author shows how cruel high school kids can be and are, and the heartbreak that comes from this cruelty. That part is very sad....one mis-step and someone is condemned. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain of having NO ONE to talk to. I would like to think that some high school students would read this book and change their attitudes; I would like to see this book discussed in our high schools. It should be mandatory reading.
Rating:
Summary: Lessons on Finding Yourself
Review: Speak is by Laurie Halse Anderson. I really enjoyed the meaning in this book; it told the teen readers that you have to find yourself before you get to know other people. Speak talks about a teen girl named Melinda who is just trying to make it through high school, when all of her old friends have turned their backs on her after she called the police at a party. Her mother wants to be around and talk to Melinda but she would never talk and didn?t want to. In school, her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, really influenced her to come out of her shell and be herself. He gave the class a project to draw whatever object they pulled from a hat. Melinda pulled out a piece of paper with a tree, she had to sculpt, draw, paint, and mold the shape of a tree. Through this art project he helped her find herself, how to express herself, and find the people she loved most. At the beginning of the school year she didn?t talk to hardy anyone and felt like she was all alone with no one she really liked to be around. At the end of the school year she finds herself in a lot of ways and has a brighter outlook in life.
Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: Speak is a very interesting book about a girl who's friends will not talk to her anymore. The reason is because they were at a party, and she called the cops, causing some of the people there to get in trouble. No one knows about this incident except for her, and her former friends. She needs to tell people of her feelings, but she cant.
| 
