LS 5623 Mod 2



publishersweekly.com



youarewhatyouread.scholastic.com



  

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson



Module 2 Realism, Romance and Censorship



BIBLIOGRAPHY


Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. Ringwood, Victoria, Australia: Puffin Books, 2001. ISBN: 014131088X



CRITICAL ANALYSIS


The summer before her freshman year in high school, Melinda is a clever, fun loving girl.  But after she is attacked at a party she wasn't supposed to attend, she becomes only a shell of her former self.  Speak is an accomplishment of characterization. Anderson has created a thoroughly funny novel that is simultaneously deeply tragic. This could not have been achieved if Melinda (the heroine) was not so carefully fashioned. It is not only the look readers get into Melinda’s pain but also the severe disconnect between who she really is and how she is now existing that breathes such life into this character. As a freshman at a large suburban high school, Melinda is an outcast. However, the humor and wit with which she addresses her world, contradicts her sudden withdrawal from it. She is a fighter that does not know how to fight for herself. But the time comes and when Melinda begins to speak with her writing and art. And when that happens she is no longer a victim but is instead victorious.



BOOK HOOK/EXPLEMPLARY OR FAVORITE LINES


“Rachel bruin, my ex-best friend. She stares at something above my left ear. Words climb up my throat. This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn’t make fun of my bedroom. If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns. Her eyes meet mine for a second. ‘I hate you,’ she mouths silently.” (Anderson 4-5)


“My Spanish teacher is going to try to get through the entire year without speaking English to us. This is both amusing and useful-makes it easier to ignore her.” (Anderson 13)


EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS


Booklist


“In her YA fiction debut, Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen’s struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda’s sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.” Debbie Carton






The Horn Book


“An uncanny funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from the first word to the last.”