Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780141310886
ISBN number: 014131088X
Label: Puffin
Manufacturer: Puffin
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 208
Printing Date: April 23, 2001
Publishing house: Puffin
Age index: Young Adult
Release Date: April 01, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 3176
Studio: Puffin
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Amazon.com:
Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: 'My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis.' What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...
Laurie Halse Anderson's very first novel is a stunning and sympathetic tribute to the teenage outcast. The triumphant ending, in which Melinda finds her voice, is cause for cheering (while many readers might also shed a tear or two). After reading Speak, it will be hard for any teen to look at the class scapegoat again without a measure of compassion and understanding for that person--who may be screaming beneath the silence. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
Brief Book Summary:
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary very first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.
Awards for Speak
A 2000 Printz Honor Book
A 1999 National Book Award Finalist
An Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
A 1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
Winner of the SCBWI Golden Kite Award
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick
A Publishing houses Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Top Ten First Novel of 1999
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Title
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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i think this book is a book that teenagers like me can really take intrest in because i cant feel how she feels and know what she thinks because i was a freshman once too.Speak
Rated by buyers -
I read this years ago, while I was still in high school, and at that time I could definitely see how young adults would have been able to relate. This book goes into the life of a teenager who has gotten lost somewhere in the transition of Junior High to High School due to an ultimate betrayal. It shows the insecurities and peer pressure that teens feel almost daily. In a way I think this book is about Matilda (the main character) finding her voice, pun intended, and finally being able to come to terms with what she has been through. I think this is a must read for young adults and adults alike.
Rated by buyers -
I am not a teen but this book was recommended to me. It was quick paced (took less than a day to read it) and was compelling. It really makes you think about why people act the way they do. We may think someone is weird and avoid them but there are often reasons behind the odd behavior. Hopefully this book will give us all pause to be a bit kinder and more understanding.
I think the author does a great job with the voice of Melinda... it rings true.
Rated by buyers 
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This book has important points to life, and good lessons all of us teens need to read. but, speak isnt the most interesting book. I do like the fact that they made a movie from this book which i plan to see soon.
I liked the book, it was a nice read. I recomend it to middle schoolers and up. it doesnt have as much depth and well written wrtiting in it that i had hoped for, but you should read it because it is still a good book.
Rated by buyers 
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Speak is a book that I think is a great for teenagers. I loved how the author didn't tell you what had actually happened until it gets closer to the end, and how she still kept it interesting.
Some of the book got to be a little boring and pointless, but then it would get better as soon as you wanted to stop reading it. All of the boring parts I was talking about were when the author kept bringing up the stupid mascot and Melinda's mom's job, but the ending of the book was really surprising and I don't think that there could have been a better one.
In my opinion the book was good because it kept you interested most of the time and made you want to keep reading so that you could find out what happened next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read.
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