Speak

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

ISBN:978-0844672922

Publication Information: Peter Smith Pub Inc

Plot Summary: Ever since the beginning of her freshman year, Melinda Sordino has been withdrawing from the world, to the point where it physically hurts her to speak. Her life is in chaos, her overachieving parents are never home; their primary method of communications is through hastily jotted notes and her school life is a disaster ever since she called the cops on a party at the end of the summer. Is the lack of a family life the reason why Melinda has withdrawn, or is it because she is being ostracized at school? Or is it something more, something that even Melinda herself has trouble confronting?

Critical Evaluation: This is a book that every teen should read. Laurie Halse Anderson has create an exquisite, heartbreaking masterpiece that will forever be located at the top of best young adult fiction lists. She immediately draws the reader in with Melinda's story. First, she slowly lets the reader wonder why Melinda has so suddenly withdrawn. Then, through slow tidbits, she reveals that Melinda has experienced a trauma that explains her mental and emotional state. Throughout the entire story, the reader can't help but ache for Melinda and her inability to express herself. Anderson creates a wonderful protagonist in Melinda, who is not only dealing with her traumatic event, but also the more common teenage problem of friends drifting apart as they entire high school. Her pacing is wonderful, as she slowly reveals what happened during the night of the party; she always leaves the reader wanting to know more about Melinda's story. Overall, one of the most important and poignant pieces of YA fiction that I've read.

Reader's Annotation:At the start of her freshman year, Melinda lost her voice. This is her story on how she got it back.

Author Information: Lauire Halse Anderson was born on October 23, 1961 in a small town in upstate New York. As an author, she has worked as a freelance reporter, and have published both picture books and young adult novels. Speak is by far her most popular book, although she has published several others that have received critical acclaim, like her novels and Catalyst, Prom and Twisted. In 2009, Anderson was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards award from YALSA for her novels Speak, Catalyst and Fever1973. She has four children and lives with her husband Scot. (Information taken from the author's website http://www.writerlady.com/)

Curricular Ties:Health

Genre:Issues

Book talking ideas:

• Why did Melanie's trauma manifest itself so that she physically felt that it was hard to speak.
  
• Why did Melanie seek refugee in the janitor's closet?
• Why didn't more girls come forward about Andy's behavior?
  

Challenge issues:Sexual Violence

• Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
• Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
• Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
  
• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
• Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.

Interest Age: Grades 9 and up

Why I selected this piece: This is considered a classic young adult novel. I thought it really needed to be included on the blog.