Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak, the story of a young girl who is headed to being part of the "cool crowd", until she blows it by calling the police on a huge before-school-starts party. As she deals with being the school outcast, she finds a way to finally express herself. She then gains the courage to speak about a dark, long held secret of hers! This book encourages and inspires one to speak up, regardless of consequences, and how hard it must be.

Review by Celina
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Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

I recommend this book to anyone who thinks they have a hard life. Angela's Ashes opens your eyes to a poverty-stricken Irish family. Frank McCourt grows up having to deal with starvation, death, humiliation and anger along with an unstable family. When his father stops bringing a paycheck home, food stopped getting put on the table. Everyone in the neighborhood is eating three meals a day, while the McCourts survive on a cup of tea and a bowl of beans. Every night their father drinks the dole (welfare) money while his children are at home, some surviving, some dying. The mother bore eight children but in the end, only three survive. This book lets us know that what we think is hard, is nothing. This is an excellent book that definitely needs to be read.

Review by Elizabeth
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The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

This book is an exciting adventure of people rising above others' expectations and their own. It draws you in and makes it impossible to put down.

Review by David
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The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is a book about a world where everything is decided for you - from what you will eat to when you will die.  Only one man, the Giver, is aware of what the real world is like, only he knows pain and evil. When the Giver is to die, he selects a receiver. A receiver is a young boy who will receive all memories of pain and suffering from the Giver. I found this book to be enjoyable because I was able to decipher hidden symbolism and decide what I felt the author was trying to express in the mysterious ending.

Review by Elsa
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