The book Speak is about a girl named Melinda Sordino who was raped at a party before her freshmen year. Melinda had called the cops not realizing she was still at the party. One of the guys had seen what she was doing and told everyone to leave. On the way out everyone was hitting and shoving Melinda for ending what was the so-called party of the year. So Melinda did as everyone and left. The summer ended and the school year came, Melinda of course being the one who ruined the party, was hated by everyone and had no friends until a new student named Heather came along. Melinda didn’t really like Heather, but she was someone to hang out with. But eventually Heather said that she wanted to be popular and noticed like The Martha’s. So that was the end of that friendship, which didn’t really bother Melinda. When Melinda wanted to get away from everyone and everything she would go to this old abandoned janitor’s closet that she decorated with some of her artwork from her only class she was passing, Art. Melinda’s art teacher Mr. Freeman assigned everybody to grab a piece of paper from an old paint can that had a topic written on it. Melinda got tree. So the janitor’s room was filled with mostly trees because she couldn’t get her tree just right. As the year goes on Melinda’s grades continue to slip, and then what Melinda doesn’t expect to happen, happens.

Laurie Halse Anderson lived in Syracruse, NY before moving to Philadelphia with her husband and her two teenage daughters. Speak was nominated in the 1999 National book award for young adult literature. Some of Andersons other books include Prom, Catalast, No Time For Mothers Day, and Turkey Pox. The book Speak has also been adapted into a film and premiered September 5, 2005.

I recommend this book because it’s really good and it’s not like other books. Usually you can predict the whole book by the first 5 chapters if that, but this book takes you into a different world, it takes you into Melinda’s world.

Intended Audience: Mature/ Teen for the ages 12 and up.

Found Under: Fiction

Number Of pages: 198