Have you ever had hundreds of people hate you just because you stood up for what you believed in and did something that you thought was right? Even if it wasn't to anyone else? That's what happened to Melinda Sordino in the book, Speak.

Melinda used to have great friends. Her own clique called the “Plain Janes.” A lot of people liked her. But at just one end-of-summer party, she busts it by calling the cops. So now her friends hate her, people she doesn't know give her dirty looks. She has no one to talk to so she just keeps to herself. “It's easier no to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. No one really wants to hear what you have to say.”

This book is really witty and extremely powerful. The author has a way of making this book dramatic and intense but still have a down-to-earth feeling. She makes it sound like a real teenager is telling the story and not some author pretending to be one. Speak won a Michael L. Printz award for excellence in young adult literature. I recommend it for anyone.

Laurie Halse Anderson is a great author and I would totally read more books from her. From the first page to the last, I never wanted to put this book down and neither will you.