Song for a Whale
By Joly Herman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Compelling tale of deaf girl's search for a whale.
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What's the Story?
In SONG FOR A WHALE, 12-year-old Iris becomes obsessed with a whale whose song is so off-pitch he's become unrecognizable to other whales. She feels compelled to communicate with this whale and to let him know that he's not alone. In fact, she's willing break family and school rules to reach him. She knows how horrible it feels to be misunderstood. As a deaf kid in a hearing world, she understands being an outsider very well. Even her parents avoid accepting her for who she is. But Iris is determined to reach out to a misfit from another species to let him know that someone understands his loneliness, even if she's only human.
Is It Any Good?
This interesting exploration of communication between members of a community choppily achieves its a goal. Song for a Whale looks at the essence of belonging: the ability to be understood. Iris communicates in many ways -- she speaks sign language, she fixes old radios until they can sing again, she makes sign-language poetry with her grandparents using the shape of her hands to determine the shape of the poem. But she feels left out of the world around her. She relies on an interpreter, her family, or anyone around her to explain to her what she can't hear. Kids will appreciate the topic of what it means to be misunderstood and seemingly alone.
There is real poetry in the book, since it explores metaphors of being an outlier of the school -- both the hearing, human school and the school of sea mammals. But there are moments where Iris' announcements about her obsession get repetitive and a little boring. At a key point in the story, something that she had the genius to make is literally cast aside without much ado, which might make kids wonder why she spent so much time making this thing that she seems to abandon. But the ends outweigh the means, and the miracle of communication is finally understood by many, thanks to a deaf girl who isn't afraid to take risks.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Song for a Whale explores being misunderstood. Iris feels out of place in her school, because she is the only deaf kid there. How are her defenses helping her? How do they hurt her?
Technology plays a key role in this story. How does Iris use different apps to achieve her goals? What apps help you the most? How do they make your life easier? How would your life be different if they didn't exist?
Iris visits a school where kids with different abilities are more integrated into the classrooms than her at own school. How does it make her feel to see deaf kids socializing with each other? Do you ever feel left out or lonely because of your differences?
Book Details
- Author: Lynne Kelly
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Adventures , Ocean Creatures
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Publication date: February 5, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: February 15, 2019
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