Speak

Rating:
Summary: I'd give this book 10 stars... one of the best!
Review: Every parent, teacher, or human being who wants to understand the struggles and psyche of young adults should read Speak. Though it is a YA book, it speaks so resonantly to adults who forget what it was like to be a freshman in high school.

Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: I read this book because I saw it in a magazine with a small review. I decided to read it. The book is very well written with its content excellent. Laurie Halse Anderson has honestly written a book for anybody of all ages to relate to. The characters are so real and understandable. The way she portrays highschool and all of its "fitting in" problems amazed me. It was any highschool in America, yet unique enough to belong to so many different people. The characters inner struggle was written with the most quality. I believe that everyone has something to learn, or remember, from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Maya Angelou would be proud of you, Laurie
Review: After hearing Laurie Halse Anderson speak at the 2000 International Reading Association convention, I was moved to read her novel, Speak. It captured the feelings that my young adult students feel about being on the outside looking in. It uses fantastic allusions to Maya Angelou's, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. I thought Speak could touch the heart of any young reader on a journey to find their place in the world. Read It! I can't keep it on my bookshelf. The author deserves all the compliments I could give. She is delightful.

Rating:
Summary: Speak
Review: Being a teenage female, I was amazed at how accurate Anderson's portrail of high school life is in Speak. She seemed to catch every aspect of growing up along with a unique and touching twist. Great book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books in a long time.
Review: I couldn't put this book down. I loved it. you can feel what melinda is going through.You have to read this book!

Rating:
Summary: A powerful must read
Review: Several people told me to read this book and I finally got around to starting it one weekend afternoon. Well, I couldn't put it down. The language arts department at my school is considering making it a core reading requirement for our 7th graders. The voice that is given to the young woman in the novel is amazing and pulls the reader deep into the story. You can feel the pain and the isolation that many young people feel. It is also a powerful book for anyone who has experienced any sort of abuse in their lives.

Rating:
Summary: linoleum trees
Review: There are many books out there about rape and depression, but none so poignant as Speak. Anderson throws out tidbits of information as to why Melinda grows increasingly reclusive. The internal conflict she suffers makes one wonder how she locked it all inside without going utterly insane. Art keeps her afloat. Her tree project acts as an analogy; as the tree begins to take shape, she gradually becomes stronger. Shedding light on the perils of high school life, Speak shouts out to the shy and rejected to speak up and be heard. I loved this book.

Rating:
Summary: Speak: A must buy for teenagers
Review: Speak is the book your principal doesn't want you to read. It explains highschool completely and honestly. It shows real struggles for a teenage girl and how everything has a was of working itself out in the end. I suggest all teenagers to read this book. I love the strength of the main charactor and how she stands up for herself, even when no one else was around to help.

Rating:
Summary: A great book to 'speak' about
Review: Okay, the title's corny, but really I have a lot to say about this book, basically because of the issues covered in it. 'Speak' by Laurie Halse Anderson was a book I was interested in every since it was featured in the teen section of the amazon.com website. I'm always reluctant to buy books I'd never read before (which is a habit I have to get over if I want to ever read anything, but I'm getting off subject), so I got it out at the library. I've just gotten it out for like the fifth time, seriously. It's a book you gotta read a couple times, and not because you won't understand it, but because even when the book starts you feel so close to the protagonist because you know just what she's going through. I'm going to be a freshman in high school soon, and although I don't know much about high school except how to march in marching band, I know junior high is a lot like it. And reading about Melinda and her horrifying secret was a wonderful experience. I know how hard it is to keep a secret. You want and need to tell somebody, but you know if you do then things will go bad! That's just what's going on with Melinda. Melinda called the cops on one of the biggest parties ever, but she hasn't told anyone why. And now she has become the outcast and no one will talk to her and she has begun to cease to speak, hence the title. This story is really a wonderful one to read. Though it seems at the beginning that our hero Melinda is a weak person, you realize that really she is one of the strongest in the book. And it teaches you alot about life. Really a must read for anyone whose going through high school or maybe hasn't gotten there yet! It's truly an eye opener!

Rating:
Summary: Please read this one
Review: Whether you are 12 or 112, or any age in between you will be stunned by the power of the writing in this book. I highly recommend this as a choice for reading groups, especially if you have a Mother/Daughter group with teenage girls. This novel offers so many opportunities for discussion.