Six by Karen Tayleur Persuasive Speech

“One Car. One After Party. 6 People. 6 Points of View. But only one outcome. ” An incredible plot, relatable characters, and a mystery that keeps you reading ‘till midnight. It is unlike any book I have ever read before. ‘6’ by Karen Tayleur should be read by each and every one of you as it is a fantastic novel for teenagers and deserves to be studied by future grade tens. This novel has everything you could ever want in a great book: mystery, romance, friendship, drama and more.

The ending is brilliant, I felt like I knew these characters and feared for their lives.

Straight away when reading this book we are given a plot which relates to a mysterious crash that happened on the night of the year 12 Formal. The book starts six months before this crash where the only things we know is who was involved and when it happened. We don’t know how it happened and what the outcome is.

Tayleur’s unique style of writing allows us to really relate and connect with the qualities of these six characters. She has positioned them in a way so we can hear the views of every character, not just one. “This is the story about how a car with 6 seniors rolled on the night of the year 12 Formal after-party.

Although it’s not just my story. ” (pg 15-16). As you can see through this quote by Sarah, each character plays a vital role in the final outcome. The characters really came to life this way and it demonstrates what a tremendous author Karen Tayleur really is. This book talks a lot about friendship; who’s friends with who, who’s pretending and who’s the enemy. Does this sound similar to reality? Poppy and Sarah are best friends in the novel, although often this friendship is put to the test as Poppy believes she was born with a power while Sarah has heard enough of it.

This friendship is very realistic as sometimes we don’t always agree with our friends however we know that they will always be there for us. Just like Sarah is for Poppy, and Poppy is for Sarah. “School Highlights so Far: Meeting my BFFL, Sair. ” (p7). Early on you discover that Virginia is your typical mean girl in this story. So it is very surprising when she invites Poppy and Sarah over one day. “Our lives could not be described as a Venn diagram, for Virginia’s circle of friends and mine had never overlapped. ” (p18). As you continue to read you start to wonder, was she really just being friendly? Or was there something more behind that?

This book takes the problems we sometimes face with our friends and turns them into an exceptional story, something that can be quite challenging. However in ‘6’ it has been done spot on. By the end of the novel, readers really question the value of life and how it can be taken away in a matter of seconds. You are left with questions like how would I cope with losing my best friend? Or my sister? How would I feel if I was the one responsible? These are questions that some of the characters in 6 faced, and through Tayleur’s excellent writing, you feel as though you are experiencing these events yourself.

For example, when she described the dead body in the woods, you really felt like you beside the body yourself. Life is something that we all take for granted and it was something that someone in this book also took for granted. “Poppy believed in fate. I guess it was fate that threw the 6 of us together, if you believe in that sort of thing. Or destiny. Fate or destiny—is there really a difference? ” (pg 16). Using these different concepts of life made for a very effective novel that makes everyone who reads it stop and think about who they are as person.

I don’t want to say too much about this novel because, like all mysteries, the end is the best part. The way the author presents the values of friendship and life allows teenagers to really take a step back from reality. By having six main characters, there is definitely at least one that you can connect to, whether it be Sarah, Poppy or Cooper. I think that is the best thing about this novel: that it has something for everyone. I personally guarantee that anyone who reads ‘6’ will love it; so what are you waiting for?