What are two examples of hyperboles and what the author was trying to say by using a hyperbole?

A hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves an exaggeration to emphasize a point. Melinda Sordino continually uses hyperboles throughout the novel and is depicted as a relatively sarcastic, jaded teenager struggling to cope with her traumatic past.
1. When Melinda first enters the high school cafeteria, she uses a hyperbole to describe one of the seniors by saying,

This eight-foot senior in front of me somehow gets three cheeseburgers, French fries, and two Ho-Hos without saying a word (Anderson, 8).

Clearly, the senior that Melinda is describing is not eight feet tall, but her exaggeration emphasizes the height difference between herself and the seniors.
2. Melinda also uses a hyperbole to exaggerate how uncomfortable her social studies teacher's stare makes her feel by saying,

If a teacher stared murder at me for forty-eight minutes, I'd turn into a puddle of melted Jell-O. David stares back (Anderson, 68).

Melinda's comment would be considered a hyperbole because she would not actually turn into a puddle of melted Jell-O simply from her teacher staring at her. However, her hyperbole does emphasize the effectiveness of her teacher's glare.
https://literarydevices.net/hyperbole/