This book is powerful and I believe Speak (either in novel or graphic novel form) is something almost all students should read.

Speak is the story of Melinda, a ninth grader who went through something terrible over the summer. She's chosen to retreat into herself and remain silent about what happened to her. She's lost friends and is now the school pariah. Her parents notice something is wrong, but mostly they only contribute to the problem because they have no idea how to face their own problems. Her teachers are mostly clueless and her former friends are so distanced they don't have a clue.

The original novel version of Speak was published in the 1990s, before cellphones and social media, so it was nice to see the graphic version update the story just a little bit for today's teenage audience. The essence of the story is not changed. Its powerful.

I do wish the ending of this graphic novel focused just a bit more on the idea of pruning the tree outside Melinda's yard and what that symbolized for Melinda's journey. That's one aspect where the original novel is better. I also wish the connection to Maya Angelou had been explored because if Melinda realized who she was and how she spoke up, it would have been more powerful in the story. Other than that, I think the graphic novel version of this story is true to the heart of the original novel and a powerful conversation starter. We all have so much to say and we deserve someone to listen.