YA Highway's Roadtrip Wednesday #33: Rewrite Any YA Ending

Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

Simple: Melinda goes home and has a heart to heart with her mom, and her mom hunts that monster down and forcibly removes his zipper lizard. She is arrested, stands trial, and is convicted.

Sequal: While serving her sentence, Melinda's mother has written a best-selling memoir, is being hailed as a hero, and has gained over two million Facebook fans. Upon release, her interview with Oprah is a ratings bonanza. Meanwhile, Melinda is struggling as a single mother after her relationship with her husband decayed over trust issues. The attention her mother is getting, garnered by capitalizing on the worst moment of Melinda's life, is tearing her apart psychologically. Will a tryst with a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a werewolf/vampire half-breed change her life for the better or worse? Stay tuned...

Why?: I just don't think Melinda's mother got enough attention in the book. A mom finds out her daughter was raped, and yes, she's going to be there for her daughter, but there's got to be some anger there. Why the sequel? I loved Melinda. I really wanted to know how her life went after the book ended. That's just me.