Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a wonderful YA book! Deeply true and a true page-turner! The main character goes through a horrible time and pays for it her whole 9th grade year. Her friend abandon her. The story shows her struggle with her friends and with herself.
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson is similar to Speak but this main character is a boy who is looking for attention and prefers negative attention. I felt that the language and thoughts presented by the main character were a little strong for a 8th grader...might be better suited in the high school grades. But the message is a good one.
