Kerry O'Malley Cerra

Twelve- year- old Rayne is diagnosed with hearing loss that is getting progressively worse. Her parents insist that she get cochlear implants but Rayne does not want them. She is the one with hearing loss but no one seems to be listening to her.
The author creates a character driven story about a girl trying to fit into a world that she is no longer a part of. She helps the reader to see that deaf is a culture not just a disability. This book will appeal to any middle schooler who has felt like they just don’t fit in and no one seems to be listening to them.… (mehr)

I read the hardcover edition and sometimes I simultaneously read the audio edition. In the audio edition the gaps of hearing that were shown was done magnificently.

The book’s dedication at the beginning of the book led me to looking up information about the author and she is deaf was diagnosed with a progressive form of hearing loss at age 16 and when she was an adult had a cochlear implant in one ear. When I got to the end of the book there is a heartwarming, informative and helpful author’s note that gives personal and general information. In the back a list of support groups for the Deaf and hard of hearing is included as are a list of discussion questions, and a lovely Acknowledgments section. That latter has the most amusing line that made me laugh. (it’s about using generic dog names vs. the one she uses in this book. Ha!)

She knows a lot of what she writes in this book. It’s a novel with a fictional character but a lot of it is based on her life.

I love this story and most of it felt realistic to me.

I could feel all of Rayne’s feelings, her desperation, her frustration, her loneliness, her fear, her anger, her sadness, her guilt, and her hopefulness, excitement and happiness, and the love she does feel for others.

One quibble is that at only 12 years old a boy and girl are shown not just in a situation where someone has a crush but as potential real love interests. Yes, I know it happens but it seems so young to me to be “dating for a few months” however innocently it’s done. I know kids this age do this but this story is fiction and I’d rather these two had just stayed friends or had the crush stay a crush. The boy in particular seems a tad too mature. In some ways the kids seem overly mature in other ways too. Overall is that this is a minor quibble offset by the model of the healthy communication that occurs, including communicating about their relationships. My friends and I had some deep conversations at that age but I don’t think quite as maturely or with such self-awareness. The disagreement Raine has with her parents and even the drastic actions she takes because of it seem realistic and understandable for her age. Her naiveness about how clinical trials work was also absolutely spot on for her level of life experience. I did ache for her.

I would have loved this book when I was ages 9-12. I’m sure it would have been a favorite book of mine when I was the targeted age. I loved it reading it now too. It’s an excellent book. I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages who enjoy children’s novels and I think it could be especially useful to readers who feel uncomfortably different in some way(s). I appreciate and enjoyed the Deaf & hard of hearing education that I got from reading this book.

4-1/2 stars… (mehr)

I have read three stories in the last few days about 9/11 for middle grade students. This story is by far my favorite. Jake and Sam have been best friends for years. They run cross country together. They have become friends with the new kid Kirk. His father works in Washington. When 9/11 happens their friendship will be tested. Shortly after this terrible event, Jake's mother begins to flip out. When Jake and Sam's friend Bobby turns against Sam, Jake takes revenge.The reason is simple, Sam is a Muslim American. He has never practiced his religion so he knows nothing about it. When his father is questioned and then taken away by the FBI, people begin to think the worst.

This story shows two things. It shows how so many people came together, and it also shows how some people let fear affect them. When prejudice rears its ugly head what lessons will each of the characters learn?

This is a book I will be reading with my students starting next week. I am so pleased to have had several sites recommend this as a must read book for middle grade classrooms.… (mehr)