Book Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Penguin Group
Copyright Date: 1999
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Brief Annotation: Speak tells the story of Melinda Sordino, a quiet, withdrawn, sarcastic girl entering her freshman year of high school. Readers are unsure of the specifics in the beginning, but are aware that something has happened that has caused Melinda to withdraw and to speak very little to family, teachers, and her one semi-friend. This book is keenly written from the perspective of a teenager and we come to understand and care about Melinda through Anderson’s writing. There are moments of humor in the writing, but overall a serious read that can be a great catalyst for discussions with teens.
Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5 – It’s so well written from the perspective of a teenager and covers a serious subject matter with both humor and heart. This book was written over 12 years ago – I imagine then it was one of the first of its kind.
Readers who will like this book: Young teenagers; this is a book that could (and should) be read by both girls and boys. (Speak is sometimes assigned in schools.) Adults will also enjoy this book and may find it helpful to start a discussion with their teens.
Teaching Strategy from Yopp & Yopp: Powerful Passages (p. 106); Ask students to identify a passage (or multiple passages) that they found were compelling, interesting or personally meaningful to them. Then have them read aloud that passage to the class (or in small groups) and talk about why they chose it. Speak is a book that many readers will have some kind of reaction to - most likely a range of emotions and thoughts. This book lends itself to practicing being able to recognize those reactions we have to books, to be open to those reactions, and to be able to thoughtfully (and respectfully) share our reactions with others.
Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: Think about the author’s writing style. What are some choices she has made in writing Speak? Why do you think she made those choices?
Interest Level (age): 9-12
Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 7.1
List awards: National Book Award Finalist; Printz Honor Book; LA Times Book Award Nominee
Speak (underline) is a great book to know about as a teacher, no matter what age you plan to work with in the classroom. I’m sure you agree that this book would not be appropriate for any child in elementary school, especially the age we’re focusing on this term (K-3), but it’s nice to “read around” a little bit for the documentation project, plus Galda included this book in her book, so it’s fair game. We should talk about why Galda included a book with such mature themes in a children’s literature text, yes?
ReplyDeleteWhen you make a strategy match with a book, be sure you explain why that particular strategy is a good “fit” for the book you read. You can go back in and edit this section of your post. It won’t take you long to clarify why “powerful passages” is a smart choice for engaging readers with this book.
Glad you made a satisfying first choice—you’re on your way!
Hi Dr. K - Thanks for your comments. I edited my post to add a little more about my chosen strategy - I hope that helps connect the book to the strategy. I didn't want to go into detail about the specifics of the book's subject matter since I don't want to give things away for those who haven't read it yet.
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