The film speak was better the the novel speak because the film included scenes that you could see and made it easier to understand how she felt because you could picture in your head how she was being treated. In the film Mr. Freeman was portrayed as a less insane teacher where as in the novel he is kind of portrayed as insane. Melinda in the film talks more than in the novel and is friends with Ivy. In the novel Melinda isn’t friends with anyone until the end of the novel, but in the film she starts out as friends with Ivy.
I think the novel and book had more differences than similarities. One difference is that Melinda is raped in Andy Evans jeep rather than on the ground. Another difference is that the mascot changed only once in the movie