Task Completion discussion

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Chloe and I will be reading this starting on December 26th. Each assignment will be about 50 pages and participants in this BR will be given 3 days to read each assignment.

To keep everyone on the same page and no one starting early, I will post the first assignment on the 26th.

If you would like to participate with Chloe and I, please comment below.

Happy Reading! :D

Thanks, Zakiya! Excited!

No problem, Chloe! I'm excited, too! I've heard very many good things about this novel! :P

Chloe: Do you have the Platinum Edition of Speak ( ), or the cover like in message 1?

Zakiya - I have the cover in message 1. You?

Also, have you read any of Laurie Halse Anderson's other books? I have read Wintergirls and thought it was amazing.

I haven't, unfortunately, but I seriously want to!

And I have the Platinum Edition. I think the pages for the assignments will be the same, though.

Yeah it was really good. I want to read Prom :)

Is the platinum addition hardcover?

Nope, paperback.

That's cool.

Yeah. I am going to be posting the page numbers, and I don't want them to be totally off. Will you check something in yours, and let me know if it's correct?:

First Marking Period is pages 1 - 46. Second Marking Period is 47 - 92.

Let me know if that's the same in yours. :)

Zakiya, mine is exactly the same :)

Awesome! We shouldn't have any problems then :D. Well, off to finish a couple of books!

Alrighty! Time to get started! :DD

First Assignment
December 26th - 28th: Read pages 1 - 46 (first marking period)

Yay! I'm excited :)

Same here. Unfortunately, I still haven't started it yet. I will probably get to it late tonight. I read better in the wee hours of the morning :).

Haha :P I got to pg. 20 yesterday, today I want to finish it.

I will be starting it today. I have been trying to finish a lot of books lately :).

Me too :)

I will have some questions up tomorrow that we can answer to get discussion started. Feel free to post any that you think of :).

Argh I still haven't reached it... so busy!!!!!!

S'okay, I haven't either.

Alrighty, well I got there.

Some questions to discuss and get the ball rolling...

Why do you think Melinda called the cops at the party? Was there something that happened there to make her do that? Something out of the ordinary?

What do you think about all of the groups? Do you really think people know them as "the Marthas" etc or does Melinda just call them that?

What do you think Melinda's family is like? We have heard a bit about her dad but that's all...

Two more questions that I thought of:

4. If you were in Melinda's shoes, how would you feel about Heather (as a person/ friend)?

5. How do Melinda's and your report cards compare and/or contrast?

Sorry it took me so long to respond! My answers to the questions:

1. I'm thinking if she called the cops, it was definitely something serious. Melinda doesn't seem like the type of person that would call police just to call.

2. It is def possible that some of those groups' names, Melinda just made up. I think that those groups, however, are probably how it is in a real high school, or at least pretty close.

3. I think it's pretty cool how they communicate with notes, but in the long run that can be really bad for the family. That could -- and obviously has -- take away from family time and they won't talk anymore. (I was going to say something else, but I forgot what.. Sorry!)

4. I think that Heather is a really cheerful person, and I would love to have her as a friend. Melinda is just sort of throwing her off to the side. I like how Heather is relaly tired of being pushed around, and she wants to belong at the school. I mean, it's better than Melinda's trying to do.*

5. Melinda's report card and my report card/s contrast a LOT. I make straight-A's, and she had 2 B's, a D, a bunch of C's, and one A -- in art. I think she will really learn to love Art, though; it seems to be her favorite class so far. I'm sure she really could do better with her grades, but she is probably going through a lot right now, being new at the high school and all.

* Maybe I will understand her actions better when we figure out what happened at the party.

Second Assignment
December 31st - January 2nd: Read pages 47 - 92 (second marking period)

Sounds good, Zakiya!

Don't forget to answer the q's! :D

Yes, here are my answers:

1. I'm suspicious. I mean, she keeps mentioning this boy, Andy, so I think something is up with that.

2. I think that maybe they are sort of known as "The Marthas" but if you were in a group of people talking you probably wouldn't call them "The Marthas".

3. Well now we've heard a bit more about them, and I think that they are disconnected. Like, her mom maybe tries, but in the wrong ways. And her dad... he just doesn't seem to care.

4. Heather seems quite cheery and maybe a good influence on Melinda, but I can see how she might get annoying from time to time. They seem like a weird friendship, but I think it works because Heather is kind and Melinda doesn't really care.

5. Quite a contrast! I have made honour roll every year, and maintain a good report card! I bet Melinda could do really well in school if she tried. She seems to enjoy art, though, so maybe that will help her.

Well since we have finished the next part of the book, how about some more qs? I have a couple:

1. What do you think about this Andy? He seems to have done something to Melinda... at the party, perhaps?

2. What about Melinda's lips? She keeps talking about how awful her throat and lips are, but what do you think is going on?

My answers:

1. I feel like he did something AWFUL to her at the party. They all talk about the rumors of him going around with all the girls, so could he have maybe tried to rape her or something?

2. This one I honestly cannot answer. At first I thought maybe at the party something bad happened to cause it, but that seems unlikely. Now I am thinking maybe she bites her lips all the time, but that doesn't explain her throat.

Already, here's some more questions:

3. They went from being the Trojans, to the Blue Devils, to the Tigers, and now the Wombats. What do you think about the school's frequent change of mascots?

4. What are your views on the family's Thanksgiving Day?

My answers:

1. I'm thinking he did something to her at the party as well. And he obviously remembers if he was playing in her hair.

2. Whatever happened at that party is connected, I think. I'm really not sure, but I've got a hunch.

3. They REALLY need to find something that doesn't offend anyone or put off the wrong image. I'm already tired of reading about them changing over and over. Hopefully Wombats will work.

4. They need to get it together. What Melinda said, about her parents would probably be divorced if it weren't for her -- that doesn't really surprise me all that much. From what went on that day, it's not hard to believe at all. Which isn't good.

Third Assignment
January 3rd - 5th: Read pages 93 - 138.

My answers:

3. Definitely. This is just annoying. I mean, okay, yes, Trojans needed to be changed, but then all this hassle? Ugh.

4. Yes, that was quite bad. Her mom seems so pre-occupied and her dad... well, he just seems lost.

Yeah the "post-Halloween" stuff shouldn't have mattered, and so what if tigers are endangered? Doesn't that just mean they're bringing them back? Lol

And her mom really was pre-occupied. She could have at least said no calls on thanksgiving or something. Her dad... Wow. Lost is the best word I can use without being mean, honestly.

Zakiya I totally agree. By the way, where are you in the book? I haven'T moved on yet!!!

I just finished the 3rd assignment today. Fourth assignment:

Read the rest of the book. Have a discussion about likes/ dislikes. Be finished reading by Wedn, the 12th.

Questions for 3rd Marking period:

1. Do you think Melinda will stick to her contract?

2. Now that you know what happened at the party, would you be acting the same way Melinda is?

My answers:

1. Maybe she will, maybe she will. But I'm leaning towards the former.

2. I probably would be. I mean, everyone has abandoned her, and they don't even know why she was calling th police. It wasn't to ruin the party, but because she'd been raped. I think they should have at least tried to figure out what happened before they stopped talking to her altogether.

Finished the book yesterday :) Loved it!

I'm sorry I didn't get to answering the questions, but here are some for when you finish the book:

1. What did you think of Melinda as a character?
My Answer: I thought she was at first very sullen and depressed, but throughout the novel you see her turning in to something more... better.

2. Did this book make you want to read more Laurie Halse Anderson?
My Answer: I have read her book Wintergirls and thought it was stunning. I also want to read Prom and Catalyst, and basically anything else she's got!

I just realized I could answer Zakiya's second question:

Yes. But no. I would definitely tell somebody, for one thing. But I guess if I hadn't told anybody I would be depressed and lonely and keep to myself.

Also, in the end, does Melinda tell her mom what happened at the party? I couldn't figure it out.

Okay that was SUCH a good book!! I really enjoyed it. I think the genre of Serious Issues is one that I'm going to be looking more into from now on :). Now to answer your questions:

1. Melinda as a character... She was really shut off, except for when she was with Heather. But even then, she wasn't open about everything and just super-cheery. I guess I would have liked to see her a little more excited sometimes, but at the same time I can understand why she wasn't. She really did turn out for the better. How Andy got in trouble at the end.. I never even expected it to happen that way.

2. Right now, one of my groups is reading her novel Twisted. I am going to be looking into that one soon so that I can catch up. But I DEFINITELY want to read more of Anderson's work. She really impressed in this 198-paged book. It was short, but it had so much in it, and it made you think about things differently I think. I have heard wonderful things about Wintergirls and really want to read it. Prom and Catalyst I head were really good as well. Want to read anything ber her that's on the shelves! :D