Just Listen by: Sarah Dessen

I had an endless amount of books to choose from for our independent reading project. But there was one book that really caught my eye. That book was the realistic fiction, "Just Listen". I chose this book for many reasons. A couple months ago, I was at my friends house, and we were settling down for the night, and my friend, Lauren, pulled out this book. I asked her what it was about, and she said, "Well you'll just have to read it. One word though, amazing." So I knew that at one point in my life I would eventually read it. The book had totally slipped my mind until Mrs. Knapp was going through her slide show. That day she had recommended it to the girls in the class. Right then I knew that I was going to read this book. The fact that it was about a girl somewhat close to my age really interested me. On the cover you see a girl listening to music, yet you don't see her face, I thought it was odd that the girls face wasn't shown. Also, the Ipod was really interesting. I myself, am really into music, and that was another thing that really helped me decide on this book.

Annabel is the youngest of three girls in the Greene family. Annabel, her sisters, Whitney, and Kirsten are absolutely stunning. Life was good...for awhile. Annabel met Sophie at the local swimming pool. After a rough start, Annabel and Sophie became best friends. Sophie wasn't exactly the nice girl in town, or a good influence. While their friendship went on, Annabel did things that she never thought she would. These things included, boys, sneaking out, and drinking. Sophie had a boyfriend, older, handsome, and mysterious. He often was involved with other girls other than his girlfriend, Sophie. Lets just say that those girls didn't get off easy after Sophie found out. Well, one night at a party, Annabel's life came to a dramatic halt. Everything changed. She lost her best friend, which meant that she basically didn't have a social life anymore. At home, things weren't the best either. Whitney took a turn for the worst. Annabel's life wasn't the best then, until she met Owen. Owen was a bit of a loner. He was obsessed with music, and never lied. He introduced Annabel to a new way of thinking, a new way of life. But in the end, can Owen save Annabel, and convince her to finally talk about what happened that night at the party that changed everything?

The title of the book, "Just Listen", has somewhat of a significance to the book. In the novel Owen makes Annabel many mix Cd's to listen to. One of the mix Cd's that he gave to her was titled, "Just Listen". That was really the only mention of the title in the actual text. But really the book is about Annabel finding her true self, and learning to cope with things in life. In the book there is a sentence that randomly occurs. The sentence is, "Shh Annabel, it's just me". Annabel, is really trying to figure out who she is, and where she stands. So I would say the the significance of the title is that Annabel, really just needs to listen to her inner voice.

3 Questions:

1. What was your inspiration for writing this novel?

I would ask Sarah Dessen this question because I feel that this book is very realistic, and could easily happen to a girl, or anybody for that matter. I just want to know why she put the things in the book that she did.

2. What was the real meaning of putting in the sentence, "Shh Annabel, it's just me,"?

When that sentence came up, in the rare places that it did, I really wondered what it was about. The first time I read it, I had to go back and read it again. I thought I was seeing things.

3. Did you go through or know someone that went through some of the things that Annabel went through?

I think that all of things that Annabel went through is a lot to handle being a teenager in high school. It would be interesting to know if Sarah Dessen thought up the things in her head, or had a similar experience.

By: Ashley Hansen

Iris, Goo Goo Dolls: I chose this song for two reasons actually. Since it's about love and such I thought it would go great with the relationship between Colie and Norman. Also, Morgan and Marc fit into this song as well. They had a difficult relationship, it was one sided. Morgan truly loved Marc though.


Gauntlet of Solitude, The Devil Wears Prada: This song represents the music that Colie listened to before she got to Colby and when she first arrived. When she was there though, she didn't really have time to listen to music. After her expericences in Colby and after she met everyone, I think she gave up on the hardcore music.


Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper: Isabel and Morgan always had fun together. Unless they were fighting, they were always making each other laugh. Their friendship was an amazing example for Colie to go off of. Since Colie had never had a friend before, they showed her how. They really took her in, and Colie became best friends with them.


The Boys of Summer, The Ataris: It was summer when Colie was in Colby. And I think this is a good theme song for her summer. She had a lot of fun, and brand new experiences. She really got to take the time to find herself with the help of her new friends.


Glamorous, Fergie: Ever since Kiki Sparks, Colie's mom, got the job at Lady Fitness, they had been losing weight. This song is a good one to represent how they went from fat and poor, to thin and rich. They were basically living glamorous lives. Colie's mothers fame, from becoming a fitness guru did bring in a lot of money, and obviously made their material lives better.


Bitch, Meredith Brooks: I chose this book because of Isabel. Isabel is a beautiful, confident girl. But she used to be just like Colie. She was made fun of, not very pretty, insecure. That was until she found her inner beauty. Colie, like Isabel, had to deal with snobby girls, and Isabel really tries to help Colie through everything. I think this song had a good representation of Isabel and what she tries to teach Colie.