“Speak” is a book wrote by Laurie Halse Anderson and the title says it all. Mainly because of how the book is and goes and how the ability to speak can effect someone.

It’s all about a girl named Melinda who is going into her freshmen year at Merrywether High School. Melinda year is off to a horrible start because she busted up an end of summer party. She is avoided by everyone. Even complete strangers hate her. She lost her friends and most importantly her best friend Rachel. Late in the year Rachel starts to date “IT” and Melinda has wars inside her about whether to tell her or not. As school flies by things seem like they won’t get better.

Then she finally speaks and everything changes.

The book has won several awards. It was a National Book Award finalist for Young People Literature in 1999, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Edgar Allan Poe finalist, and last a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. The book also won eight different state awards and was a finalist for 11 more.

The book was really good and had enough suspense where it was the right amount but not overkill either. As someone who doesn’t read a lot of books or starts some but doesn’t finish them, I started “Speak” and not to long after I finished it.

For me I give this book 5 out of 5. It has suspense, was intriguing and was an all around good book to read.

Review by Cody Fields