(1) YA Anderson's three-part autobiographical collection of dynamic, mostly free-verse poems serves as a potent postlude for Speak. The first third takes us from Anderson's difficult childhood to Speak's publication. Next is a series of impassioned poems about sexual assault, censorship, consent, etc. She concludes with a quiet set of reflective family poems. By turns angry, commanding, raw, and wistful, this is a praise song to survivors and a blistering rebuke to predators. Reading list.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(1) YA Illustrated by Emily Carroll. A new graphic-novel adaptation of Anderson's Speak--a powerful narrative of a high school 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. A tumultuous first-person narration juxtaposed with the third-person visual perspective offers a new way to experience Melinda's story.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999; May, 2018

(2) 4-6 Seeds of America series. In 1781, Isabel (Chains) continues her fraught journey with her companion, Curzon (Forge), to rescue her sister from slavery. After fleeing the plantation, the three are inexorably drawn toward Yorktown, the setting of the climactic battle of the American Revolution. Anderson takes full advantage of unfolding history--and the moral quagmire of colonial-American racial politics--to weave in a plethora of historical detail.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) YA Hayley Kincain has spent the last five years riding shotgun in her father's rig. Constant movement has helped keep the past at bay for both Hayley and her veteran dad. When they settle down so Hayley can attend high school for senior year, their memories threaten to overtake them both. As ever, Anderson has the inside track on the emotional lives of adolescents.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(1) 4-6 Seeds of America series. Fugitive slave Curzon takes over narration from Isabel in this sequel to Chains. Only fifteen, he enlists in the Continental Army, serving alongside white soldiers encamped for the winter at Valley Forge. Anderson seamlessly weaves her fictitious characters into history in a cohesive, well-researched narrative about the Revolutionary War that still focuses foremost on developing characters and their relationships.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(2) YA Lia, an anorexic and cutter, hears that her estranged friend Cassie was found dead in a motel room--after leaving Lia thirty-three messages. Cassie's death tips the already fragile Lia into a vortex of self-destruction. Anderson conveys Lia's illness vividly through her dark, fantastic thoughts. This stream-of-consciousness, first-person, present-tense work is tangled and illuminating.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Zoe's amazing red hair (it can turn on the TV, set the table, etc.) is appreciated by the adults in her life--until she hits first grade. Readers will get caught up in Zoe's plight to placate her battle-ax teacher while being true to herself. Hoyt doesn't let his duty to relay Zoe's hair's wildness overshadow the story's humanity.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Seeds of America series. Slaves Isabel and Ruth are shipped to New York in May 1776. Isabel, overhearing her Loyalist master's scheme to kill George Washington, helps foil the plot. Her role forgotten by the Patriots, Isabel realizes it's up to her alone to find freedom. Anderson's novel is remarkable for its strong sense of place and nuanced portrait of slavery during the Revolutionary War.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Anderson's saucy text challenges conventionally taught American Revolutionary history. Readers will be hooked by her thoroughly infectious humor as they learn about the girls and women who organized boycotts, spied on Redcoats, and disguised themselves as male soldiers. Faulkner's detailed ink and watercolor art shows women crashing the scene, while brief paragraphs explain their heroic feats. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) YA Dweeby Tyler Miller got caught spray-painting his school. After a summer of outdoor labor, Tyler starts his senior year beefy and dangerous-looking. Tyler's reputation as a "criminal" causes all fingers to point to him when naked photos of his fantasy girl surface. While some stereotypes persist, other complex supporting characters add dimension to Tyler's journey, at once personal and representational.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2007

(2) YA Ashley Hannigan is more concerned with finding an apartment with her boyfriend than with the one night that has all the other kids at her urban high school enthralled. But when the event is threatened, Ashley single-handedly saves the prom in between exhausting shifts at the pizza place. Few adolescent girls will be able to resist Anderson's modern fairy tale.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Exploring the origin and evolution of Thanksgiving, this book introduces readers to Sarah Hale, the woman who persuaded Lincoln to declare it a national holiday (and an ancestor of the author). Faulkner's lighthearted ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations, rich in humor and pop culture, successfully combine with the conversational narrative. A lengthy historical note is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Gordon. When the big kids pick on Benny Antonelli, "no bigger than a peanut butter sandwich," he climbs trees, drainpipes, and street signs to escape. At the block party, however, Benny becomes a hero when he climbs the greased pole to claim the prize on top. The slightly irreverent humor and the bold illustrations featuring dramatic perspectives make this tall tale a delight to read aloud.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) YA High-school senior Kate has one supreme ambition--to get into MIT. Teri, a beefy girl in "vo-tech," is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Their unlikely relationship is the catalyst for change. With fresh writing and exceptional characterization, Anderson returns to the same high-school setting of Speak; readers will return for her keen understanding and eminently readable style.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(2) YA Yellow fever is sweeping through Philadelphia, and for young Mattie, the epidemic begins with the sudden death of a friend. While Anderson smoothly incorporates extensive research into her story, the plot itself is less involving than the situation. However, most will appreciate this book for its portrayal of a fascinating and terrifying time in American history.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(1) YA Speaking out at the "wrong" time--calling 911 from a teen drinking party--has made Melinda a social outcast; now she barely speaks at all. While her smart and savvy interior narrative slowly reveals the searing pain of that night (she was raped), it also nails the high-school experience cold. Uncannily funny even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dorothy Donohue. As time runs out before Mother's Day, Charity tries to think of the perfect gift. After watching Mom juggle household tasks with calls from the office, Charity has an idea: on Mother's Day, she stops all the clocks in the house (and unplugs the fax and anything "that beeps or bleeps or buzzes"), giving Mom a day of unscheduled time. The illustrations for this pleasant story reflect the busy lives of Charity and her parents.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert