teen fiction

Speechless deemed inspirational by Atlantic Books Today

Here’s what Atlantic Books Today had to say about Valerie Sherrard’s young adult novel Speechless in their December issue.

“Griffin is an amiable and sympathetic character with whom readers will readily identify with. His fear of public speaking, in particular, is something that many readers will appreciate. The fact that such an ordinary young boy could go on to accomplish something so monumental is therefore a true inspiration. Sherrard very convincingly depicts Griffin’s journey from simply trying to get out of a dreaded school project to feeling deeply committed to a cause he had previously not known anything about. Much like author Eric Walters, Valerie Sherrard manages to introduce young readers to an important social-justice issue through her fiction, and in a way that is neither heavy-handed nor didactic.”

“The secondary characters here are equally believable, and with its straight-forward plot, this book could easily appeal to reluctant readers, while still offering more accomplished readers much to think about.”
- Lisa Doucet, Atlantic Books Today, December 31, 2007

Tags: article, spring 2007

About the author

Erin is a publicist for Dundurn Press. She reads a wide variety of books (maybe even too many!) and wields a vast amount of positively optimistic power over what should and shouldn't be done in the universe.