Anderson, Laurie Halse (1999). New York, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
ISBN: 9780142407325
224 pages
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 15-19
Stars: 5 stars
Subjects: Rape, Alcohol, High School, Cliques, Relationships, Outcast
Reader's Annotation
Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman, is an outcast for having busted up an end-of-summer bash, but there is a dark secret she is keeping from everyone- how will she find the courage to speak?
Summary
Melinda Sordino starts high school as an outcast for having called the police on a great summer party that resulted in a number of students being arrested or otherwise in trouble. Nobody stops to ask her why she called the police, however, and this inability to tell her story gets progressively worse as she fails to find her place within high school except as an outcast. Her family is distant and they don't seem to know what to do to help her, so although they are well-meaning, their lack of attention forces her to further withdraw into herself. With the help of an art class, she begins to find a way to express herself, but it isn't until she thinks what happened to her might happen to a former friend that she is able to fully confront what happened to her at that summer party and find the courage to speak.
Notes
This is a raw, gripping story. It will likely resonate more strongly with girls because of the leading female's voice throughout the story, but anyone who has been through high school will recognize the cliques, the peer pressure, and the misery associated with being on the outside. Also available in Audiobook. Translated into Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, and Thai.
Awards
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist
IRA Young Adult Choice
Junior Library Guild Selection
Michael L. Printz Honor Book (American Library Association)
National Book Award Finalist
New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
New York Times Bestseller List
SCBWI Golden Kite Award
YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award runner-up
California Young Reader Medal nominee
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee (Maryland)
Garden State Teen Book Award (New Jersey)
Iowa Teen Book Award nominee
Heartland Award (Kansas)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
Maud Hart Lovelace Youth Reading Award nominee (Minnesota)
Teen Three Apples Award nominee (New York)
2005 New York Reads Together Book
Carolyn W. Field Award (Pennsylvania)
Pennsyvania Young Readers Choice Young Adult List
Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominee
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award
Volunteer State Young Adult Book Award (Tennessee)
Tayshas High School Reading List (Texas)
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (Washington)
Booklist Editors’ Choice
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book
Fanfare, The Horn Book’s Honor List
Los Angeles Times Award finalist
Publishers Weekly Bestseller
Other Information
This was also made into a TV film starring Kristen Stewart (fans will recognize her as Bella from the Twilight series). Information can be found here or, for purchase here
Author Information
