speak

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From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. No one knows why she called the police, and she can't get out the words to explain. So she retreats into her head, determined not to think about it. But, try as she might, it just won't go away...

Synopsis

From her first moment at Merryweather High, Melinda Sordino knows she's an outcast. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't know glare at her. No one knows why she called the police, and she can't get out the words to explain. So she retreats into her head, determined not to think about it. But, try as she might, it just won't go away...

$11.51

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: paperback
Publisher:
Published:
ISBN 10: 0340950773
ISBN 13: 9780340950777
Children’s book age: 12+ Years
Book Overview: A powerful novel with a believable, bitterly ironic teenage heroine, following her through her first year at high school, from outcast to acceptance.

Media Reviews

Grips right from the start. * The Parents Guide *
Anderson holds the reader's sympathy with impressive skill in this classic 'outsider' story. * The Herald *
Highly recommended. * The Scotsman *
An outstanding book which invites the reader's admiration and empathy rather than pity. * Books For Keeps *
A dark but ultimately uplifting story. * Writers News *
A stunning first novel... Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. The book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
Nails the high school experience cold. An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last. * THE HORN BOOK *
The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget. * KIRKUS REVIEWS *
Strong and searching novels that cover very difficult scenarios...The humanity of the protagonist really shines through in the expert characterisation and writing, making these novels really challenge the reader's empathy. I would strongly recommend these stark and thought provoking titles. * The Bookseller, 13th April 2001 *
Anderson has produced an outstanding book which invites the reader's admiration and empathy ... The power of Speak to evoke a positive response in spite of harrowing realism lies in Anderson's poetic prose and witty first person narration. * BfK, July 2001 *
Highly recommended. * THE SCOTSMAN *

Author Bio

Laurie Halse Anderson grew up in Syracuse, New York, and now lives in Pennsylvania with her two daughters. The author of three picture books, `Speak` was her first novel. Widely reviewed, it was a National Book Award finalist in the States, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, as well as winning the 1999 Golden Kite Award, given by the Society of Children`s Book Writers and Illustrators. Both `Speak` and `Fever 1793` are listed in the Publishers Weekly Fiction Top Ten titles for May 2002.