Speak

Related Texts
1. Cut by Patricia McCormick
2. Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
3. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Statement:
The description of all the freshman dividing up into cliques on the first day of school is accurate and powerful. This passage shows Anderson’s understanding of high school life and the pressure adolescents feel to fit in with a group of peers. Heather’s attempts to join the Marthas are a consistent reminder of this pressure throughout the book.

Question:
Speak greatly appeals to young girls, especially those who have been sexually assaulted; all high school girls have felt like an outcast at least once. Does the book appeal to boys as well?
--Emily Allex