Just an aside. There is a great, discrete movie out for this book now. It follows
the story almost exactly and was well received by my 9th graders and up. Speak was
actually the most stolen book from a classroom collection in our building the first
year a teacher had a set. It is still heavily checked out by girls and guys.
Lorelei Perkins
Papillion-La Vista South High School
Librarian
________________________________
From: School Library Media & Network Communications on behalf of Frederick Muller
Sent: Wed 7/12/2006 5:29 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: BOOK: Speak by Anderson
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Speak/Penguin, 2001 [0-14-131088-x]
Melinda starts HS as a loner. One reason is that she broke up the end of summer
party by calling 911. None of her former friends want to speak to her. At school
nothing goes right except in Art class where they teacher tries to get her to
express herself. As the story moves on the read finds out that Melinda called 911
because she was raped at the party and she did not stick around to tell the police.
The writing by Anderson is wonderful as usual. The reader enters Melinda's head
as she tries to face and deal with her situation. At the end of the 197 page book
the person who raped her in August assaults her again in June. The initial rape is
not described sexually but the reader knows what happened. The description of the
assault is June is much more descriptive but is not sexual. This is a powerful,
well written book that gets into the mind of a first year HS student. Because of
the rape and assault, I would not give it to younger than 7th grade. But that is
your call, with your population.
--------
Frederick Muller, Librarian
Halsted Middle School (Grades 6-8)
59 Halsted Street
Newton, NJ 07860
my book comments are compiled at
www.halsted.org/br.htm
My blog is
MullerInTheMiddle.Blogspot.com
Copyright Frederick B. Muller
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