#38: Speak

I finished Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson this morning.  This is one of the multiple copy books we got from the auction.  I didn't know anything about it, but it has a really pretty cover.  :)

This is a total teenage book, but I still loved it.  It's about a girl named Melanie who is going into 9th grade.  She currently has no friends because they are all mad at her for calling the cops at a party that happened over the summer.  We later learn the circumstances for why she called the cops.

Melanie basically turns silent during this year of high school.  She has no friends, skips class, fights with her parents.  Her only love this year is art class. 

I just felt really sorry for Melanie and wished she would be able to speak up.  I wanted someone to finally understand her.  It was just interesting to be in her mind.  I felt oddly connected to her.  Maybe because I am a quieter and insecure person.  I often wondered, if I was in this situation, would I be able to speak?

Up Next:  'Til the Well Runs Dry by  Lauren Francis-Sharma

#37: Stargirl

I just finished Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.  We got multiple copies of this book in our auction book boxes.  I really didn't know what this book was about, so I didn't know what to expect. 

I liked this book.  I think it would be a great book for kids in middle school or high school to read.  It's about a strange girl that comes to the school and is anything but normal.  I think the best message gained from this book is that "it is okay to be who you are even if you are different from everyone else".  I felt really sorry for Stargirl in this book.  She is someone I would love to meet in real life.

#36: No More Perfect Moms

I just finished No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage.  I really loved this book.  This book reminded me that it is okay to be me and to stop comparing myself to everyone else.  We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but no one is perfect.

My favorite chapters in this book were No More Perfect Friends and No More Perfect Days.  Finding genuine friends and being too busy are too of my biggest struggles in life.  I think I would also benefit from a chapter called No More Perfect Inlaws.  Maybe I should suggest it to the author.  :) 

I borrowed this book from a friend and she had highlighted some of her favorite parts.  While I agreed with a lot that she highlighted, I also realized that I didn't have problems in some areas that she did.  I think anyone who reads this book would be able to find a chapter that is most useful to them.

The only thing I didn't really care for was the last chapter called One Perfect God.  While I believe in God and love God, I don't really like when authors try to get too preachy with readers.  I know she is a Christian author, but I thought she may have came on a little too strong for some readers who wouldn't know she is a Christian author.

Up Next:  Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

#35: The Dive From Clausen's Pier

I just finished The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer.  I got this book for free from the library summer reading program.  I thought this book would have great potential, but I was very disappointed.

It is the story of a young woman named Carrie Bell.  It starts out with her and her friends and fiance going to the lake for Memorial Day weekend.  She is currently mad at her fiance and he is trying to set things right.  He tries to impress her by diving into the water, but hits the bottom and becomes a quadriplegic.  Carrie's emotions are tested as she is trying to figure out if the accident made her love him more.  I liked the start of the book.

Then Carrie moves to NY and meets Kilroy.  Her life in NY is the majority of the book and I found this part awful.  She claims to fall in love with Kilroy, but I think she is confusing "love" with "porn".  It was awful and cheesy and have I mentioned awful?

Then she goes back to Madison to see Mike.  And emotions are tested again.  End was okay, but so many things were left unanswered (gown and robe!!!).  Anyway, not a great book.  And I really didn't like Carrie or Kilroy.