Speak/Laurie Halse Anderson/197 pages

Anderson wrote this novel in 1999, she has written several since then, but nothing quite as real  and controversial as her debut novel. The main character, Melinda tells this story and the reader can tell from the very start that something horrible has happened to Melinda. The author does a great job conveying the feelings and voices, good and bad, of the teens in this story. The main character has lost everything because of the incident, her friends and teachers won't speak to her, her parents have practically given up on her and she's not speaking to anyone.  But as the story evolves, so does Melinda and we finally understand why she feels so isolated. A definite "must" read for teens and parents of teens.