A lot of things change during that summer between middle and high school. But more things change for Melinda than for anyone else, all because of the party: everyone was there - doing it up in style before the freshman year started - partying with the high school kids and feeling like they fit in. Until the end, of course, when Melinda calls the cops - and everyone at the party is busted, and everyone at the party - or who heard about the party - hates Melinda, even Melinda. She can’t speak about it. She won’t speak about it. She doesn’t even remember it - or tries not to. She makes it through the first two weeks of school without a nuclear meltdown but it’s not easy. She finds ways to survive: a janitor’s closet, abandoned and dusty, a stack of late passes, an art class with a teacher who looks like a grasshopper but doesn’t care if she doesn’t talk - he wants her to speak in pictures anyway, draw her soul in a tree or something like that. Melinda thinks she can make it - even with her ex-best friend mouthing “I hate you,” even with the lump of mashed potatoes someone threw at her during the first lunch on the first day of school, even with everyone knowing what she did that summer - but not why. Then she sees IT in the hallway at school. IT is walking with a cheerleader. IT is her nightmare and she can’t wake up. IT sees her. IT smiles and winks. It’s a good thing her lips are stitched together or she’d throw up. Will Melinda survive her first year at high school? Will she ever speak again? Will she ever find the courage to tell everyone what IT did? Find out in Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson.
This book was kind of confusing at the beganing because she starts of talking about everyone hating her. But as I keeped reading I started to put things together. I hated it the part where the hole school trearts her like a nobody. It brakes my heart to know that her ex best frind Rachel/ Rachell hates her.Insted of hating Melinda and treating her like shes nothing she should stick with her and be a true BFF. I feel really bad for everything that they are doing to Melinda, and Hether OMG I just...lets just say that i would never ever acept someone like her as my friend. She is such a FAKE and a BIGG wanabe. Hanging out with the oh mighty MARTHAS. No ofence to any Martha. But Still they sound like snobs and act like upery up girls. Now i have finaly found out what happend to Melinda, and it's really sad. I just wish I could go in the book and be with her. Become Melindas friend and give her all my suport. But above all speak with her perants. They seriously need to get some marage counceling cuz its really abious that they are having ishues. Anyways I'm close to finishing the book I really want to know what happens at the end. I really recomend this book to everyone.
Hey EMM - I soooooo agree with you on the Martha wanna-bes and how I would want to be Melinda's friend...what did you think of the ending? I think it's horrible that all the stuff happened - and she had no one to talk to about it! As if being a teen isn't hard enough - dealing with "it" is even worse!
I agree with you it was horrible what happened to her nobody deserves to go through something like that. I think that the ending was great because Melinda was able to gather up the strength and power that she didn't have in the past to protect herself. She was finally able to confront "IT" for which I am proud of her. She ended up defeating the evil that had been torturing her. I think that after what she did she will finally be seen as a human and no longer like a party popper. Melinda was able to do what many girls couldn’t that’s why I think that after she was now finally set free she will be able to create new friendships and maybe even path things up with Rachel/ Rachelle. And I think that there might be some love sparks with her lab partner and her. I would have really love to know what was going to happen with them. I hope that their is a sequel to this book. What about you Ms. Ash?
Great insights EMM! Yes, i love the strength of her character at the end...I love how art (drawing the tree...) helps bring her to a point where she can confront "it" - there is no sequel that I know of - but I think you should e-mail the author and ask her!! I did also LOVE "twisted" which we have - check it out! TY for talking it up .....
Great insights EMM! Yes, i love the strength of her character at the end...I love how art (drawing the tree...) helps bring her to a point where she can confront "it" - there is no sequel that I know of - but I think you should e-mail the author and ask her!! I did also LOVE "twisted" which we have - check it out! TY for talking it up .....
I agree with you i think that the tree did give her the strenght she needed to confront "IT". But did you notice that through out the hole book the tree's that she draw always represent what she is feeling. I also loved the part where Melinda was able to gather up her strenght and was finaly able to say no to Hether, and get rid of her for good. Because it was really ovius that Hether only whanted to use Malinda and then go back to the Marthas. I don't know I just didn't like Hether from the beganing. what about you Ms. Ash how do you feel about Hether? To bad there isen't a sequel.
One thing that I notice was that Melinda culdn't really talk to her parents about "IT". I feel that she was missing that closure that parents have with their children. Since she didn't have that she really couldn't speak with her parents which i think made it harder for her to deal with everything that was happening.
I love this book. Though i didnt like that she waited until the last couple of chapters to reveal what had happened to her. Sometimes i feel that if i was her i would of said something since the beginning so that "guy" (if thats what you call someone that did that to her) could go where he belongs!!!!
hey EMM & miriam - I kind of agree with both of you - talking would have helped - how do we get people to realize that when they don't want to / or are afraid to?
suspenseful drama about what appears to be your average teenage girl. this book helped me realize some of the problems in this world. bullying is an unfortunate problem in todays world, and you can witness the pain it will cause to others through a girl named melindas eyes. people who love drama will also love this book.
15 comments:
A lot of things change during that summer between middle and high school. But more things change for Melinda than for anyone else, all because of the party: everyone was there - doing it up in style before the freshman year started - partying with the high school kids and feeling like they fit in. Until the end, of course, when Melinda calls the cops - and everyone at the party is busted, and everyone at the party - or who heard about the party - hates Melinda, even Melinda.
She can’t speak about it. She won’t speak about it. She doesn’t even remember it - or tries not to. She makes it through the first two weeks of school without a nuclear meltdown but it’s not easy. She finds ways to survive: a janitor’s closet, abandoned and dusty, a stack of late passes, an art class with a teacher who looks like a grasshopper but doesn’t care if she doesn’t talk - he wants her to speak in pictures anyway, draw her soul in a tree or something like that.
Melinda thinks she can make it - even with her ex-best friend mouthing “I hate you,” even with the lump of mashed potatoes someone threw at her during the first lunch on the first day of school, even with everyone knowing what she did that summer - but not why.
Then she sees IT in the hallway at school. IT is walking with a cheerleader. IT is her nightmare and she can’t wake up. IT sees her. IT smiles and winks. It’s a good thing her lips are stitched together or she’d throw up.
Will Melinda survive her first year at high school? Will she ever speak again? Will she ever find the courage to tell everyone what IT did? Find out in Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson.
This book was kind of confusing at the beganing because she starts of talking about everyone hating her. But as I keeped reading I started to put things together. I hated it the part where the hole school trearts her like a nobody. It brakes my heart to know that her ex best frind Rachel/ Rachell hates her.Insted of hating Melinda and treating her like shes nothing she should stick with her and be a true BFF. I feel really bad for everything that they are doing to Melinda, and Hether OMG I just...lets just say that i would never ever acept someone like her as my friend. She is such a FAKE and a BIGG wanabe. Hanging out with the oh mighty MARTHAS. No ofence to any Martha. But Still they sound like snobs and act like upery up girls.
Now i have finaly found out what happend to Melinda, and it's really sad. I just wish I could go in the book and be with her. Become Melindas friend and give her all my suport. But above all speak with her perants. They seriously need to get some marage counceling cuz its really abious that they are having ishues.
Anyways I'm close to finishing the book I really want to know what happens at the end.
I really recomend this book to everyone.
Hey EMM - I soooooo agree with you on the Martha wanna-bes and how I would want to be Melinda's friend...what did you think of the ending? I think it's horrible that all the stuff happened - and she had no one to talk to about it! As if being a teen isn't hard enough - dealing with "it" is even worse!
I agree with you it was horrible what happened to her nobody deserves to go through something like that. I think that the ending was great because Melinda was able to gather up the strength and power that she didn't have in the past to protect herself. She was finally able to confront "IT" for which I am proud of her. She ended up defeating the evil that had been torturing her. I think that after what she did she will finally be seen as a human and no longer like a party popper.
Melinda was able to do what many girls couldn’t that’s why I think that after she was now finally set free she will be able to create new friendships and maybe even path things up with Rachel/ Rachelle. And I think that there might be some love sparks with her lab partner and her. I would have really love to know what was going to happen with them. I hope that their is a sequel to this book. What about you Ms. Ash?
Great insights EMM! Yes, i love the strength of her character at the end...I love how art (drawing the tree...) helps bring her to a point where she can confront "it" - there is no sequel that I know of - but I think you should e-mail the author and ask her!!
I did also LOVE "twisted" which we have - check it out!
TY for talking it up .....
Great insights EMM! Yes, i love the strength of her character at the end...I love how art (drawing the tree...) helps bring her to a point where she can confront "it" - there is no sequel that I know of - but I think you should e-mail the author and ask her!!
I did also LOVE "twisted" which we have - check it out!
TY for talking it up .....
I agree with you i think that the tree did give her the strenght she needed to confront "IT". But did you notice that through out the hole book the tree's that she draw always represent what she is feeling. I also loved the part where Melinda was able to gather up her strenght and was finaly able to say no to Hether, and get rid of her for good. Because it was really ovius that Hether only whanted to use Malinda and then go back to the Marthas. I don't know I just didn't like Hether from the beganing. what about you Ms. Ash how do you feel about Hether?
To bad there isen't a sequel.
One thing that I notice was that Melinda culdn't really talk to her parents about "IT". I feel that she was missing that closure that parents have with their children. Since she didn't have that she really couldn't speak with her parents which i think made it harder for her to deal with everything that was happening.
I love this book. Though i didnt like that she waited until the last couple of chapters to reveal what had happened to her. Sometimes i feel that if i was her i would of said something since the beginning so that "guy" (if thats what you call someone that did that to her) could go where he belongs!!!!
hey EMM & miriam - I kind of agree with both of you - talking would have helped - how do we get people to realize that when they don't want to / or are afraid to?
suspenseful drama about what appears to be your average teenage girl. this book helped me realize some of the problems in this world. bullying is an unfortunate problem in todays world, and you can witness the pain it will cause to others through a girl named melindas eyes. people who love drama will also love this book.
Post a Comment