Speechless - Silver Birch

By Jennifer Mook-Sang

Image from: http://www.scholastic.ca/books/authors&illustrators/jennifer-mook-sang

Speechless is a book that could take place in any school in Ontario. It features ordinary characters going to an ordinary school. The main character, whose nickname is Jelly, decides that he wants to win the school's speech competition. Unfortunately, so does the biggest know-it-all in his class. He sets out to win the contest even though public speaking is really not his thing. 

I liked this book because it was so relatable. I could picture this happening at our school, or really any school. I like that Jelly stretches himself to do something he wouldn't normally do, I like that he tries to convince his parents of his point of view but does it without whining or throwing a fit, and I like that he learns about helping out at a Food Bank but doesn't do his speech about it. I think that Jelly was a great character and I enjoyed spending some time with him while he was learning and growing so much. 

This book is a quick, valuable read and I would recommend it if you are planning to participate in Silver Birch this year.