We have the pleasure of meeting Laurie Halse Anderson tomorrow at noon at the Minerva DeLand Library. Don't forget to join us. If you can't join us do you have a question or comment you would like to bring up?

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this blog. It will end on Wednesday, April 27, 2006. On this date, we will be honored with Laura Halse Anderson, herself! She will be in the MD library 7th period. Please sign up in the library if you would like to bring your lunch and attend the finale of the Speak blog.

You can bring your lunch and dine with the author. This will be completely informal but you must present your invitation.

Thanks again for your fabulous input!

Books 'n Bagels met this morning and I was very impressed with the comments:

-Heather was shallow- participants compared her to people when they first joined our schools; once others arrived the new students dropped the ones that had befriended them.
-It was agreed that secret rooms, like the closet, can be found.
-Students know other students that relate in the same way Melinda did.
-Comments were made about the racist teacher and it was agreed that we didn't have any at this school.

We had to end when the bell rang and still had a lot to say. Can you comment on what you were unable to say earlier? Thanks again for all your involvement.

Hey everyone! I really enjoyed this book, but I did not like any of the characters. I didn't like Melinda for the soul reason that I did not understand her. Heather was a jerk! And Andy was a perv! The only characters I remotely liked were the art teacher and Ivy (she was a sweetheart). Rachel was a wannabe foreigner, and the parents would not be my first choice.

Hi everyone! My name is Mrs. McKee, and I'm a student teacher at MD. I'm really excited to be a part of this group, because I have a special place in my heart for Melinda Sordino. She's very much like a lot of kids I met at my former job as a crisis counselor.

I hope you're enjoying Speak. And Laurie, I don't think you should feel bad about the scholarly questions. I'm sure the kids who are reading the book are grateful that they're going to get to meet you and return the favor by asking some tough questions of you!

I wanted to talk to Kimberly, who asked three questions to the group about Melinda's actions. This is just my opinion -- you can, of course, disagree -- but I think Melinda was in a lot of pain. People deal with pain and trauma very differently; some people laugh it off, and some shut down. I think Melinda had a difficult time acknowledging the pain, even to herself. When thought and language are one's enemies, staying silent feels safer.

Melinda's actions make sense to me, based on my experiences working with teens. There are a lot of girls and boys who never reveal their secrets to anyone.

Just my two cents.

Hello I am, Kimberly. I have a few questions that I would like to ask the group . . . .
1) what is your opinion on what she did?
2) DO you think she handled herself in the right manner?
and last but not least
3)Do you think there was an alternative to what she did?

Just checking to make sure that my registration worked. I am a bit swamped right now...32 days until TBF LIVE!...but very much look forward to the discussion. Thanks to Belinda and Beth for setting this up!

Hi, this is Laurie. I wrote the book and to be honest, I feel a little weird about you guys having to do homework on it. I hope it is less painful than some of the books I had to read in high school.

So here's my first question: What were your favorite lines in the book? Why?

Hello again, I know many of you are just reading Speak now and may not have finished it yet. If you have finished it, try not to give too much away at this time.

What do you think of Melinda's attitude toward the people she encounters on her first day in 9th grade? Do you know people that act as detached as she does?

Was it realistic for Melinda to have found a secret place in her school? Do you think MD or any other schools you have been in might have a place where a student could hide?

Hello everyone who has read or is still reading SPEAK. At this time I am inviting you to join our discussion.
I will be posting questions as will Laurie Halse Anderson and Mrs. Puckett. If you would like to see something posted please let us know. Thanks, Ms. O'Brien (advisor to Books 'n Bagels.)