Buying Options
Kindle Price: | $9.99 |
Sold by: | Macmillan Price set by seller. |
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Speak: The Graphic Novel Kindle Edition
Laurie Halse Anderson (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
The critically acclaimed, award-winning, modern classic Speak is now a stunning graphic novel.
"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless—an outcast—because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. Through her work on an art project, she is finally able to face what really happened that night: She was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. With powerful illustrations by Emily Carroll, Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak: The Graphic Novel comes alive for new audiences and fans of the classic novel.
This title has Common Core connections.
- Reading age12 - 18 years
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level7 - 9
- Lexile measureGN550L
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
- Publication dateFebruary 6, 2018
- ISBN-13978-0374300289
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
Praise for SPEAK: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL:
*A School Library Journal Best Book of 2018*
*2018 Booklist Youth Editors' Choice*
*A YALSA Great Graphic Novel Reading List Selection*
*A YALSA Teens' Top Ten List Selection*
*A 2019 Amelia Bloomer Best Feminist Book for Young Readers*
*A 2019 Amelia Bloomer Top Ten Book*
*A Quill & Quire Best Kids' Book of 2018*
*A 2019 Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection*
*The EBSCO See-It Award Winner!*
*An ILA Young Adult Reading List Selection*
*A Kids' Comics Award Nominee*
*Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Winner*
"Carroll, well-known for her horror comics, does an excellent job of bringing the vignettes of Anderson’s novel to the graphic format. With spellbinding artwork, this exceptional adaptation masterfully does justice to its source material while adding new depth and nuance." ―Booklist starred review
"This potent retelling of the modern classic Speak blends words and images to create magic: a new representation of a teen whose voice is ripped from her, the battles she must wage to find it again, and the triumph of finally being able to speak out. Carroll’s grayscale artwork perfectly depicts the starkness of Melinda’s depression through strong ink lines and striking panels that rely on pencil and charcoal textural effects for the backgrounds. The characters are distinct and the action flows naturally; it is amazing how closely this version evokes the style and feeling of the original." ―School Library Journal starred review
"Anderson’s timeless and important tale of high -school sexual assault and its aftermath undergoes a masterful graphic novel transformation.Carroll’s stark black-and-white illustrations are exquisitely rendered, capturing the mood through a perfectly calibrated lens. With the rise of women finding their voices and speaking out about sexual assault in the media, this reworking of the enduring 1999 classic should be on everyone’s radar...Powerful, necessary, and essential."―Kirkus starred review
"In this new graphic novel adaptation of Anderson’s Speak (rev. 9/99)―a powerful narrative of a freshman’s year of self-preservation after a brutal sexual assault―artist Carroll starkly renders protagonist Melinda’s pain and healing in black and white, expertly deploying visual perspective and tension to sharpen the emotional impact...Art becomes a means of expression for her, making the graphic novel format especially resonant with the original theme... will give even longtime devotees a new way to experience Melinda’s story. ―Horn Book starred review
"Strong lines, overlapping panels and clever use of blank space show Carroll's skill in creating Melinda's stifling, near-silent world. Speak: The Graphic Novel is hypnotizing and heart-breaking, with the kind of empowering finish that unshackles protagonist and readers alike." ―Shelf Awareness starred review
Praise for the novel SPEAK:
In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. ―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last. ―The Horn Book, Starred Review
The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn . . . a novel that will be hard for readers to forget. ―Kirkus Reviews, Pointer Review
This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story. ―School Library Journal
A story told with acute insight, acid wit, and affecting prose. ―Library Journal
Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers. ―Booklist
-New York Times Bestseller
-Publishers Weekly Bestseller
-Michal L. Printz Honor Book
-National Book Award Finalist
-Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist
-Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
-ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
-ALA Quick Pick
-Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
-Booklist Top Ten First Novel
-BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
-School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
About the Author
Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times-bestselling author whose writing spans young readers, teens, and new adults. Combined, her books have sold more than 8 million copies. She has been nominated three times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists, and Chains was short-listed for the prestigious Carnegie medal. Laurie was selected by the American Library Association for the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award and has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English.
In addition to combating censorship, Laurie regularly speaks about the need for diversity in publishing. She lives in Philadelphia, where she enjoys cheese steaks while she writes.
Emily Carroll, an Eisner Award winning illustrator and author of Through the Woods, is also the creator of many popular Web comics. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.
Product details
- ASIN : B0791K588R
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 2nd edition (February 6, 2018)
- Publication date : February 6, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 121848 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Not enabled
- Enhanced typesetting : Not Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 384 pages
- Lending : Not Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #356,571 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous American Library Association and state awards. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Chains also earned a spot on the Carnegie Medal Short List.
Laurie received the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the Young Adult Library Services Association division of the American Library Association for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."
Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York State, an hour south of the Canadian border, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. Right now she's finishing up her next YA novel and researching Ashes, which will conclude the adventure of Isabel and Curzon that readers enjoyed in her historical novels Chains and Forge.
You'll find loads more information about Laurie and her books on her website: http://madwomanintheforest.com/. You can follow her adventures on Twitter, http://twitter.com/halseanderson, on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/lauriehalseanderson, and on her blog, http://madwomanintheforest.com/blog/.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
I first picked up a copy of Speak at the library some time in the very early 2000s, when I wish I’d been too young to know how the world worked, the ways in which it chewed children up and spat them back out. Sadly, I was one of many children who learned these things early, and Speak made me feel acknowledged. I remember thinking, for the first time, that someone understood me, and I will never, ever let go of the special place that feeling carved out in my heart for this famous little story. When I found out that one of my favorite graphic novel artists was taking it on for a new spin, I had to have it, and I literally sat down to devour it the moment I opened the package.
“I wonder how long it would take for anyone to notice if I just stopped talking.”
Unfortunately, Laurie Halse Anderson speaks from a place of understanding and experience on this topic, but it shines through in how authentic the events of Speak feel. The story not only discusses the ramifications of rape and how Melinda views her attacker now – especially in a scenario when a victim is forced to continue interacting with their abuser – but it also touches on the depression that can come along with the event, and the ways those feelings manifest themselves for many victims: isolation, silence, anger, self-harm, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and apathy for anything in life that isn’t crucial to survival.
“I have never heard a more eloquent silence.”
While the story itself is as wonderful and haunting as it always has been, Emily Carroll’s artwork genuinely takes things to a new level. She manages to depict small things that don’t come across as so important in the text – like Melinda’s nervous tics, or the way she views herself as an endangered rabbit when the vicious wolf (her attacker) is near. When it comes to the heaviest and darkest scenes, Emily manages to convey the hurt and fear without going overboard on graphic depictions. There is one panel, in fact, that is so subtle, but left me breathless because it so perfectly portrays the helpless claustrophobia that comes with facing one’s attacker.
“It happened. There is no avoiding it, no forgetting. No running away, or flying, or burying, or hiding.”
I could tell you, for those of you who haven’t experienced Speak before, that there’s a silver lining, or a lightly humorous subplot to cut through the grime, or a perfectly happy ending, but none of that would be true. Laurie Halse Anderson is too authentic for that. This isn’t a story about a girl who happens to have been raped; this is a book about rape, and the tragic things it can do to a survivor’s psyche. I recommend the utmost caution when proceeding with this story, in its original format or this new graphic novel style, but I also have to say that I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
When I knew it was being re-released as a graphic novel, I absolutely had to pick it up. It would be only the second time I’ve experienced the story of Speak.
It was gut wrenching to get through. Reading the words was painful enough but having the added weight of illustrations to go along with it just made it a completely different kind of vulnerable journey.
As hard as it is to read about the subject matter, I will never regret reading Speak in its novel form and I will be forever altered and moved by reading it in it’s graphic novel form.
Unfortunately, there are thousands who do not get to this point. Most survivors of sexual assault remain silent but their lives are forever changed. If you or someone you know has been a victim, the book lists places to get help. The MC was failed by her school, her teachers, her parents, and so-called friends because no one took the time to find out why her behavior changed. The warning signs were there and were ignored but it didn’t have to be like this — if only one person would have cared enough to ask her why her life was falling apart, she would have talked sooner. She was crying for help and kindness if only someone would have listened
The things my daughter says she likes is that it is a graphic novel so there are pictures in it which make reading the book easier and more interesting. She also said that this book isnt good for little kids because some of the language used in it is more for teens. This book has also inspired her to think about writing her own graphic novels and she has already began creating her characters.
Top reviews from other countries




