Speak begins with Melinda Sordino's first day of high school. All of her old friends hate her because she busted the end of summer party by calling the cops. Melinda floats through school without a voice, silenced by the shame of what happened that night. No one knows why she called the cops, and she can't bring herself to speak up. As the school year progresses she loses the only friend she has (whom she doesn't even like) and comes face to face with "IT," the boy who left her unable to speak.
Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak was on my list for a while, so finally finding it on my local library's shelf was like waking up on Christmas morning. I devoured this book in just a few sittings and was not left disappointed. Although it didn't take me long to figure out what happened to Melinda at the party, I really enjoyed the way that night was revealed piece by piece. I also loved Anderson's portrait of high school. From Melinda's relationship with her parents to her teachers to her old friends, Laurie Halse Anderson really gave what I believed to be an accurate description of what high school is like for anyone who is the least bit different.
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