Tolog Review: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
reviewed by Claire Grimes

“Speak” is the type of book that makes you want to keep reading. “Speak” is about this girl named Melinda, who is a teenager going into high school feeling excluded from her old friends from middle school. Something happened over the summer before high school that now all of her friends are ignoring her and giving her mean looks. You will have to read the book to find out what actually happened that summer. The reason why Melinda does not have a voice of her own is because theirs something she is trying to hold back and move on from. The title of this book relates to Melinda by not having a voice. It demonstrates the struggles throughout high school through friends, family, and teachers and the environment around her school. For example, at home there is this isolation between her parents and her because her parents are so busy with their work life and their lives that they do not even seem to notice the depression of their own daughter. The Horn Book starred review stated that this books is “an uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.” For example, in the beginning of the book, it lists ten lies that teacher tell you in high school. One of the lies is that the football team will win the championship this year, which the school can not guarantee, which is funny to me. The book “Speak” informs parents and students what it could be like in high school if you are alone or as Laurie Anderson, the author, described Melinda as “an outcast.” The title of this book also reminds us that we all need to use our voice in order to speak up, or to express our feelings towards one thing or another that is important to that one person. But you will have to see how Melinda becomes someone who uses her voice by reading the book. I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I did.