The main character in this book is a girl who is deaf but can fix radios, who creates shape poems in ASL, and who is determined to help Blue 55, a whale who sings at a frequency different from other whales. What a cool character!

The book instantly drove me to do some research about the real Blue 52. I'm sure kids would also be intrigued to learn more about whale songs and Blue 52. Readers also gain insight into what it feels like when you aren't able to be understood and deaf culture. I'm sure many readers will want to look up or learn some signs after reading, and the author helpfully includes a description of how to sign the title, "Song for a Whale" in the end papers.

I enjoyed the story concept (5 stars - concept), but sometimes was not able to picture the descriptions of some of the sign language or radio parts (3 stars - execution). I had to google to see pictures/videos or hear sounds in order to really understand what the character was describing. The author is a professional ASL translator so she clearly knows her ASL, but I'm unfamiliar with it so it was harder to understand. This is a book that would really benefit from pictures or videos to help with some of the understanding. I think a graphic novel version of this could be very successful, or something like Capstones "4D" books that include links to videos describing elements. How cool would it be for students to be able to hear the whale songs, the song she creates, see the radio models and parts she is talking about, and see demonstrates of some of the ASL terms (especially the shape poetry). In a book study, the teacher can supply these supports, but for the independent reader, it would be great if they added some additional back matter material or a link to a website that helped with this.

Do you ever have a book that changes your life? Song for a Whale is one of those books for me.
Iris is a lonely Deaf girl who feels alone at her school and in her immediate family. At school, Iris learns about Blue 55, a whale who is called the loneliest whale in the world because his song is at a different hertz than other whales. Iris immediately feels a connection to him. “Blue 55 didn’t have a pod of friends or a family who spoke his language. But he still sang. He was calling and calling, and no one heard him.“ Iris uses her compassionate heart, intelligence, and tinkering skills to write and record a whale song that Blue 55 will hear. Why? She wants him to know that he’s not alone. Even though she sends the song to the research station tracking Blue 55, Iris wants to see him for herself. She and her grandmother, who is also Deaf, sneak off without Iris’ parents’ permission on a cruise to the Alaskan research station. Their adventure is different than either could have imagined but profoundly life-changing for them both. It’s a heartening, poignant story that gives readers insight Deaf children, the richness of Deaf culture, and the life-changing power of compassion.

Song for a Whale
by Lynne Kelly
Random House Children's
Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Children's Fiction
Pub Date 05 Feb 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Song For A Whale through Random House Children’s and
Netgalley:


Iris I a twelve year old tech genius, able to do anything from fix the class computer to fixing old TVs but she’s the only deaf student in her school and shes often treated like she’s not very intelligent .


Iris learns about Blue 55, a whale that is unable to communicate like other whales something that Iris can relate too so she invents a way to sing to him and travels with her Grandma to do just that.


Will Iris be able to play her song for Blue 55? Find out in Songs For A Whale!

Five out of five stars!

Loved this book as it spoke to a character who was coming of age, learning to deal with her deafness, but also learning about science too! A great book to send readers to who may have loved The Thing About Jellyfish or The Fourteenth Goldfish. So much her to think about and talk about with other readers. Can't wait to read more from this author!

Mixed feelings about this one. Liked the premise, but giving emotion and story to the whale felt misleading, as did the ending with Iris in the water with 55.

Scientifically, there is lots to explore with curious readers: whales, communication, technology, hertz of sounds, space, planets, icebergs, Deaf culture... Kelly works in several opportunities for additional inquiries and the scenes with Iris and her Grandmother were genuine.

Perhaps the adult in me has forgotten about the magic behind things and how much one can hope for change? It is a lovely story, I couldn’t help but root for Iris, yet some part of me remained skeptical and detached. The title is linked with Wonder and Fish in a Tree: I’d say the two are more realistic fiction and this may be more improbable fiction, despite the roots in science.

Props to Kelly for hooking me with science: I only wish she kept with it for a more realistic finish, sometimes we do fail and get disappointed, but that’s often how we learn.

This was a beautiful story about a girl surrounded by people at home and at school and yet feels completely alone and shut off due to her deafness. She can communicate with her translator, her mother and her grandmother, but the rest of the people in her life are difficult to speak with. When she learns of a whale that sings at a different decibel then the rest of the whales and can't communicate, she devises a way to try and reach out to the whale, but must head out on an adventure to reach the whale during it's migration. I really enjoyed this story and felt so much for Iris, the main character.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
*****

Iris struggles to connect with those around her, born deaf she is lucky enough to be able to communicate with her grandparents, mother and older brother (her dad struggles with connecting with her) but Iris feels isolated. In a world with so much sound her inability to give “voice” to her thoughts is frustrating especially as she uses ASL and people can turn their backs on her when she’s trying to communicate with them (can’t even imagine how frustrating that’d get).
One day in science class Iris’ teacher shows a documentary about a whale, Blue 55, that sings at a different pitch then other whales and is lonely in his isolation and inability to communicate with the other whales around it. Iris is enthralled and soon sets off on an adventure with her grandma to not only meet the whale, but also to share Blue 55’s song back with him to let him know someone heard him.
Song for a Whale is a beautiful and slightly heartbreaking story and Iris is brave and strong and so resilient. She embraces her deafness and doesn’t want to be “cured” of it, she just wants to be better understood. This story is amazing and I love Iris and miss Blue 55 already.

For all her life, Iris has been alone, isolated from her peers and even her family because she is Deaf. When she learns about Blue 55, a whale who can't communicate and reach out to other whales, she can't help but empathize with the lonely animal.
This is a novel about the loneliness that comes from being unable to connect with others and how taking chances can lead to new beginnings.

I loved this book! It gives such a good look into someone who is deaf's life.
I loved Iris & her grandmother. I loved their adventure and how they both learned things about themselves along the way and what could make them happier. By going on the trip Iris learns that she can still fit in and belong even in a world where she is different.

While Iris and one set of her grandparents are Deaf, her parents are not, and her father doesn't even make the effort to learn sign language. Iris has an interest in repairing older radios, and this gives her a nice past time and source of income. School is a struggle, and it's hard to deal with some of her fellow classmates, especially one who pretends to know ASL but just annoys Iris with her unsuccessful and self-serving attempts. When Iris' science class learns about Blue 55, a whale who communicates on a frequency that no other whales do, and so leads a lonely existence, she is drawn to his story and tries to help. She consults with the music teacher and creates a sound track on the frequency the whale uses, and contacts a research station in Alaska to see if they can use it. When the scientists there invite her to come by if she is ever in the area, Iris decides she really needs to go to help out. Her parents, wisely, say no, so she approaches her grandmother. Her grandmother is not doing well after the passing of her spouse, and decides a cruise to Alaska is just what she needs. The two sneak off on their adventure, and while Iris is not able to help Blue 55, she is able to put some things in her life into perspective and to speak up for herself.
Strengths: The author's background working with Deaf students is apparent, and the details about having an interpreter at school, dealing with classmates, and of feeling the vibrations through the radios are all good details for hearing students to have. The science connection is interesting, and the relationship with the grandmother is charming. The father's difficulty in connecting with Iris adds a layer of realistic depth.
Weaknesses: There have been several Deaf students at my school, and none of them were ever treated this badly. I had one girl with an interpreter and a cochlear implant who was even a library helper for several quarters-- we just made sure students knew to make sure she could see their face and to talk clearly but normally when they checked out books so that she could understand them, and she never seemed as isolated and unhappy as Iris. Doesn't make for as good a story, but makes me feel good about my students!
What I really think: There should be more books than Ferris' Of Sound Mind and Gino's You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P!, so I am really glad to see this one.