Books Thirteen Reasons Why
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - Cool idea/ Bad book
I thought the idea for this book was really cool and it was written well (a very easy read). In my opinion the story was horrible and I kept waiting for something really bad to happen to this girl. I hated the main character (the girl who killed herself) she was whiny and blamed others for everything... She complained about others making her life hell when she didn't even try very hard and in the end tried to ruin the life of others. I was pretty much screaming at the main charter the whole time and felt it was a slap in the face to people who have real problems and deal with things much more serious.

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Rating: - This book might change the way you deal with friends and classmates.....
Have you ever found an unexpected package on your doorstep? How exciting to get a surprise, right? Well, for Clay Jensen, this package isn't what he hoped it would be. When he opens it, he finds cassette tapes and a note. The really scary thing is that these tapes have been left for him by a dead girl, Hannah, who committed suicide just a few weeks ago. Pills, they said. But why did she kill herself? She explains who is responsible for what she has done -- in her own words on the tapes, she gives 13 reasons why -- and they all have names. Despite being horrified at what he might hear about himself and the others on the tapes, he forces himself to listen to them. Along the way, following the map included with the recordings, he finds himself both excused and also held accountable. What Clay hears that night changes him forever. Recommended!

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Rating: - Must Read
I loved this book! it was real and there were situations where I could totally relate and other that I empathized with. I would recommend this book to all high schoolers - Asher gives an amazing insight on just how much we effect others through actions and words.

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Rating: - Thirteen Reasons Why Is Thought Provoking
I am a high school English teacher and I found Thirteen Reasons Why to be as riveting as the Jodi Picult novel about the school shooting. Both deal with school problems of bullying and both made me stop and think about what I may or may not see during the school day. The book is a quick read and one that is hard to put down once you begin it so make sure you start it on a day when you have ample time to read.

The organization of the 13 messages made the book suspenseful to read because I wondered who was going to be next and each message seemed to carry a different theme. The various chapters would work will in a Literture Group book discussion and cover the usual YA topics in books, but in a different manner. In some ways, the organization reminded me of the 13 Little Blue Envelopes book, although the content is quite different.

The book is also a good read for counselors or mental health professionals who are dealing with students who fight drug/alcohol problems. Anyone who is working with at-risk students know that suicide is not a topic to be ignored.

The signs were present, but no one seemed to "get" Hannah's message or to reach out to her. One of the most critical reviews here said that she was a whiny girl who never wanted help from others, but that is not how I read it. I read it and saw her as one of those invisible people that we see but don't see, maybe if some of the people she left messages for after the fact had been a little more observant before there wouldn't be a book?

The date rape issue could be controversial, but overall I think that most of the spin off questions could be awesome. This has been the most popular book among student at my school this fall and numerous students have asked me if I have read it. Fortunately, I attended a book seminar given by Deborah Hipes last spring and discovered the book there. I read it last summer and discussed it with another English teacher and it is one of our choice recreational reading books this year. It has been a joy to review it. I wish I enjoyed all the YA books I read half this much.