In eighth grade, Melinda had friends and good grades. Then, she went to a party during the summer. She drank too much and lost her virginity to an upperclassman who ignored her protests and raped her because he could. Melinda called 9-1-1. When the police arrived at the party, she couldn’t force herself to tell them what happened. Everyone thought she called because of the drinking or some other lame reason. Everyone blamed her for the arrests. So, Melinda Sordino begins freshman year as a social pariah. As the year progresses, Melinda’s grades suffer, and she stops talking to everyone including her parents. The very sight of “Andy Beast” makes her sick to her stomach. Art class becomes Melinda’s sanctuary. The first day, Mr. Freeman tells his students that art is where they will find their “soul” if they dare. As Melinda wrestles with a way to turn the word “tree” into a work of art, she begins to find her voice. When the event that plunged Melinda into silence threatens a repeat, she learns how to speak.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

Every teenager and their parent should read this book. Very poignant. ( )

This is a much better book than I expected. The descriptions left me unexcited, but I was curious from our being on banned lists. It is shocking that this would be considered inappropriate for a youth audience. I realize the sexual implications can be hard for some parents to deal with, but I feel like I've read through and they might realize that this is not a book that glorifies sex and parties, quiet the opposite in fact. ( )

It's not really pleasant or enjoyable to read books like this, even when they're as well-written and engaging as this one is. Honestly, this book troubled my sleep and left me a in a weird mood. But we read books like these because bad stuff happens and these books maybe help us deal with reality. ( )

Never having to had experience what this character went through, I think that it showed good insight as to what a teenage girl feels while keeping her emotions so bottled up. I know this isn't a movie site, but I enjoyed the TV drama that was made from this book, they did a really good job in portraying the character. ( )