Speak

Rating:
Summary: A Window into Life in High School!!!!
Review: Speak was a really wonderful novel that I really enjoyed.It gave you a picture into the life of a teenager & the hellishness of high school. This book was so beautiful because of how it portayed Melinda's life & her witty sarcasm was very remarkable for a debut novel. I didn't want to put it down & you almost felt her struggle & the end was very triumphant & touching & it made the book worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book For High Schools
Review: I Love this book I mean it's a sad story the Mel is so funny! like when she listed the groups of the her high school. Or the 10 top lies they tell you in high school. I mean it's sad about how all the kids treated her but she had such a funny way to look at things. READ THIS BOOK!!!! It's very very good

at least I think so!

Rating:
Summary: Good book, mysterious
Review: This book was about a girl who didn't really have any friends. No one ever really talked to her because before school started, she was at a party, and she called the police. Everyone thought she just did it to get busted, but there was a reason behind it that she didn't tell anyone. She doesn't really talk anymore, but enjoys spending time with herself in her closet. She also likes working on the art project her teacher assigned her. Towards the end, she tells people the reason for her calling the police, and people begin to understand why she did it. It was a really good book, and there's a really good lesson behind the whole plot. It was fun to read, and I think a lot of people would enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: BORING!!!
Review: Speak is one of those books that you keep reading thinking it will get better. Thinking you will finally reach the climax. Well, there is no climax, and it definetly doesn't get any better. There is no plot to this story. Speak is written through the eyes of a teenage outcast. It is in the form of her journal. If you like books that don't follow a story line and have no definite point, you will love this one. By the end you are tired of hearing this girl complain. I definetly do not recomend this book to anyone! I give it two thumbs down.

Rating:
Summary: Darkly funny -- one of the best YA books I've read.
Review: This is definately one of the best books I've ever read. Melinda's voice was caustic at times, but very funny. Like she was whistling in the dark. I liked the parts about the school mascot. I think David Pedrakis was my favorite character, and Andy was obviously my least favorite. I could see and feel Melinda's trauma and pain. I'm homeschooled, but I have friends that go to high school and from what they say the book's descriptions of the high school classes and cliques seemed pretty accurate. I hope to buy more of Laurie Halse Anderson's books soon; they'll probably be just as good or better than this one!

Rating:
Summary: the most realistic book i have ever read!
Review: this book was one of the best i have ever read. all of it seems very real. people who have allready been through high school can relate to some of Melinda's problems. If your in high school you can especially relate to this. Most of all if you are still waiting, like me, to expierince highschool you can appreciate the humor. even if the book is meant for high school kids i was still able to understand it. i would suggest this to anyone who feels they can understand the seriouse part of the book, also. i knew from the first time they mentioned "IT" what they meant, but some people wouldn't. as a guidline i wouldn't give this book to anyone under maybe 10.

Rating:
Summary: a true book
Review: Laurie Anderson's novel Speak is one of the truest books I have ever read. Her 13 year old protagonist is a nearly friendless high school outcast. She is friendless because she called the cops at an end of summer senoir party. Many of the kids at her high school were arrested for underage drinking or had friends who were. So her freshman year she is the class scapegoat and in this position Melinda observes her fellow students. Her observations are filled with wit and truth. She also shows how truly hard life can be when the only family communication is routed through post-it notes. TH notes are just one of the ways Melinda is silent. Her silence deepens as the school year goes on and she falling farther and farther into her own world of torture. A painful secret lurks in Melinda's not so distant past. This secret was the beginning of her silence. Her silence however is shattered at the book's end when she loudly confronts her fear. It is an amaing moment in a book you can't put down. It is one of the truest books I have ever read and when I was looking for my voice it was a wonderful guide. I hope laurie Halse Anderson will keep writing.

Rating:
Summary: Oh my
Review: ok i know there r just tons n tons of ppl who consider reading to b the devil n since my whole family is like that i know. but this book is supr interesting n it just keeps ya goin. i could just sit n read it in a day cuz it just goes so fast like that. the girl Melinda like ruined things 4 a lot of ppl includin her social life but the sad part is that there is a secret n i dont wanna ruin it 4 u ! so IT like totally takes ova her life n in the end she conquers all that matters. read this book ok it is awesome!

Rating:
Summary: It's going to be in my classroom from now on!
Review: In my search for young adult literature which features an interesting and modern female protagonist, I have read several excellent books. Based on the extremely enthusiastic recommendation of some of my high school students, I read "Speak" and knew right away I had found a book worth buying in quantity and studying in class. The hilarious, pointed observations of high school life alone make the book worth reading, but its understanding and insightful treatment of a serious problem makes it worth studying.

Boys may object, calling it a "girl book," but I predict that they will enjoy the book within the first few pages as they laugh at Melinda's wickedly funny comments on high school and later sympathize with her conflicted emotions about "Him." Get this book, read it, enjoy it, and pass it on to a high schooler you know!

Rating:
Summary: speaking about speak haha
Review: well I just finished this book this afternoon so its really fresh in my mind... from the start, most people can tell what has happened to Melinda but we keep it in the back of our minds hoping that it was anything than our worst fear. Her first year in high school is filled with torment about the incident, the fact that she doesnt really have that many friends after that party, and her home life. This book is really good and I would recommend it to teenagers.