The Music of Dolphins

by Karen Hesse

After rescuing an adolescent girl from the sea, researchers learn she has been raised by dolphins and attempt to rehabilitate her to the human world. At the age of four, Mila fell from a refugee craft and was lost in the ocean between Cuba and Florida. Until her rescue eight years later, she lived as a wild child of the sea. As Mila now learns to communicate and deal with the complexities of human feelings, she develops an understanding of a strange new world--and the human soul.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Animals, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Fantasy

Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Karen Hesse is an American author known for her children's and young adult literature, often set in historical contexts. She received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (1997), a verse novel about a young girl enduring the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Hesse’s works frequently tackle complex themes, as seen in Witness (2001), which explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1920s Vermont town, and The Music of Dolphins (1996), which tells the story of a girl raised by dolphins. Her novel Stowaway (2000) is based on the real-life account of a boy aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavour. Over her career, Hesse has received numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and the Phoenix Award for Letters from Rifka (1992).

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Karen Hesse.

She might have managed to get this manuscript past an editor at a major publishing house, but she had no idea the scrutiny she was receiving here, at our house this week.

My 9 and 11-year-old daughters are scarier than any editor that ever held office space in Manhattan, and they agreed to a mutual read-aloud of this one, as long as I sat in between them so they wouldn't kick or punch each other while I read. We're home, like you are, trying to distract our minds with our recently invented “Kids Read Across America” project, and we selected this middle grades read as our entry for Florida, as the back cover reads:

Mila creates headlines around the world when she is rescued from an unpopulated island off the coast of Florida. . .

Problem #1: none of the story takes place in Florida.

So, where does the story take place? Well, in a facility in Boston, but there's no sense of setting, other than the ocean or the facility with the medical staff. So, it won't count for Massachusetts, either.

Problem #2: the protagonist, Mila, is a feral girl who has lived the last decade of her life with a pod of dolphins and Ms. Hesse was challenged here, to come up with dialogue that would capture the speech of a girl who hasn't spoken with humans since she was four. It worked. . . some of the time.

My girls loved the dolphin aspect; at one point my 11-year-old expressed how badly she wished she could live among dolphins, rather than humans (hard swallow and silence from mom), both girls loved that Mila emerged from her life in the water covered with barnacles and seaweed-length hair, and they both loved the beginning. . .

But, when we got to the complicated, weird ending, my middle child looked at me and said, “Knock off another star for the ending. You've got to end strong.” (Problem #3)

Tough crowd.

I don't know what has made my children such savage editors. . .

Wink.

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, this is one of the greatest books I have read. Karen Hesse's ingenious interpretations of life lived like an animal gave me constant, visible chills all over my body. The writing is perfect, and I won't spoil the story by saying too much. I'll just say that in a year of incredible Newbery contenders (including Jerry Spinelli's Crash and E.L. Konigsburg's The View From Saturday), I would have awarded the 1997 Newbery Medal to The Music of Dolphins.

[Kitty Kestrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up when I was in fourth grade. It was then that I decided I wanted to become an author myself.

Yes, a little girl wouldn't be able to survive out at sea for so long. But isn't that the beauty of fiction? Do readers of vampire novels stop and think "How come their skin isn't rotting away, if they're dead?" No, of course they don't. So, you really shouldn't spoil a good story with rational thoughts.

Anyway, back to the book. It's one of my favorite stories from when I was younger. It must have touched me--even as a little girl--to have stuck with me for so long. It provoked many questions, and really got me thinking.

Music of Dolphins played out nicely. If it were a song it would be soft and beautiful with a sharp and thrilling chorus. A luring beginning and a refreshing conclusion. It's a story that should be shared.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was eight years old, and I loved it to pieces. I was old enough then to grasp the significance of how, when Mila (a girl washed away at the age of four and raised by a pod of dolphins) was trying to speak English and interact with the humans who "rescued" her, the font was enormous and the grammar choppy, and as she learned more and more, the font grew smaller and narrower. When all she knew was dolphins, Mila's world was stunningly open and beautiful, and when she learned about humans, about the ways they're supposed to act and speak and behave, she became as small and narrow as the font she used, and she hated it.

Brilliant.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In the sea we go we where we wish. We swim and play together in the big sea. Families of dolphin come together, from the cold sea, from the warm sea, from the deep sea and the cays. We play and sleep and eat together".

The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

My review of this book. What to say? Loved it, loved it. loved it. It is beautiful, mystical, playful and lovely..the way I imagine being kissed by a Dolphin must feel.

So this book is an ode to Dolphins and to the sea. If you are reading this and you, like myself, feel calmed and soothed by the great roaring of the ocean waves..and feel soothed by dolphins and all the magnificent and beautiful fish who live in the depths of the ocean..this is the book for you.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Mila. Tragically, when traveling with family, her plane went down. T he family were presumed dead.

But now, all these years later, The girl, Mila, has been found. Airplanes overhead spotted a mysterious girl at the edge of the sea. They scooped her up and brought her to safety.

For Mila however, she does not necessarily WANT to be brought to safety. She has survived all these years and she has done that with the help of her family..her Dolphin family.

They saved Mila all those years ago and integrated her into their life. She is of the sea now. Together she and her dolphin family live life in playful solidarity where Mila, though she has arms and legs, is accepted as one of them by her dolphin family .

She sings the sea music of the dolphins. She glides on the back and shoulders of her mama and Auntie as they glide amongst the waves and tropical fish across the waters. She has her own language..it is the language of dolphins.

Her new family means well..but they are under strict orders by the Government. Everyone is curious to see this Dolphin Girl. And Mila does acclimate to an extent. She learns English and she learns human music. She learns who she is. But still her heart and soul long for her real family who are far away flying through the sea spray and turquoise waves of the ocean.

This book is so beautiful. It is short..a little under 200 pages. Someone here on GR described it as "one of the best book they had ever read". I wanted to read it for that reason. So glad I did. What a beautiful and poetic ode to our wonderful ocean friends. And without spoilers..I can say I closed the book with a smile on my face.

So do think about reading it. It is also so educational. Mila tells of the Dolphin's ways of living and you sort of fall into listening to her. Also, I must say I would not mind being a Dolphin. Along with other sea friends like seals and otters they are amazing and wonderful beings.

This one gets five stars easily. Fall into the world of the Dolphin. Read this book.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Mila is lost at sea at age 4, and adopted by a pod of dolphins until she is "rescued" by humans. She then becomes a science experiment, as she is introduced to another feral girl named Shay. Mila and Shay live in a government home, with Doctor Beck, her son Justin, and Doctor Troy. Mila does as she is asked, learning to communicate, to please the doctors, but not Shay. She is introduced to music and finds this medium to be pleasing; however, she eventually learns that she is a prisoner and demands her freedom: first, unlocked doors, and eventually, back to her friends in the sea. However, Shay can not make progress and is eventually sent away. Mila wants to be friends, wants to learn, and wants to please the doctors. However, she truly want to go back and live with the dolphins. It is hard not to compare to the movie Splash, starring Darryl Hannah, Tom Hanks and John Candy, but without the humor. The bond between Justin and Mila is very sweet, but I was not the right audience for this one.

[The Dusty Jacket · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I swim out to them on the murmuring sea. As I reach them, their circle opens to let me in, then re-forms. The dolphins rise and blow, floating, one eye open, the other shut in half sleep."

They discovered her during a routine surveillance flight. At first, they thought she was a mermaid with hair down to her feet and a body blanketed in seaweed. But as the flight crew on the Coast Guard Jay Hawk flew closer, they realized that what they spotted was not a mermaid, but a young girl. The crew named her Mila meaning “miracle” for how else can one explain how a young girl could survive for so many years with only dolphins for mentors and companions? As researchers teach Mila language and music, she slowly begins to understand what it means to be human and the more she understands, the more she longs to return to her beloved sea and the security of her dolphin family.

Hesse gives us a beautifully captivating story that is filled with love, loss, and a longing for home. Mila narrates her journey from the sea to captivity and Hesse adeptly allows young readers to experience Mila’s learning curve and metamorphosis from “dolphin girl” to human through the use of font size. A large font size is used initially to show Mila’s unfamiliarity with newly introduced customs and language. As her proficiency and comfort increases, the font size decreases. When Mila slowly begins to feel trapped within her human confines and her hope of being returned to the sea fades, the font begins to increase and the reader immediately understands that she is reverting to her former self. This visual successfully creates a sense of suspense and anxiety for the reader. By simply altering font sizes, the reader knows that the situation is turning dire for our young heroine and allows Hesse to avoid spelling it out for them. It’s a clever use of fonts and highly effective.

Although Mila is enjoying her time on land and all the new discoveries she encounters on a daily basis, nothing ever quite matches the pull she feels for home. Just as the cliff swallows make their 6,000-mile flight every March to San Juan Capistrano, California or you hear of a family pet traveling months and hundreds of miles to find its way back to its owner, nothing quite matches the lure of home. Like another literary heroine who found herself picked up and then dropped into a foreign land, Mila reminds us that there really is no place like home.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was about 11. I still love it. Especially since I know more about feral children. What happens to Mila also reminds me of what happens to dolphins in captivity. The cover is really pretty, but now it bothers me that the depiction of Mila on it is whitewashed. She's supposed to be half Cuban and even calls her skin brown. This edition is closer to how she should be represented.

Some jerk wrote a review saying it is impossible for feral children to learn language. That is mostly true, most end up like Shay. But Mila had language for a while before the plane crash, so her brain was developed enough to learn it. Like Ivan Mishukov. Whereas Shay was locked in a closet for most of her childhood.

[Cougar Dan Misogynistic Empire · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is by far the worst work of fiction I have ever read. Feral children are almost impossible to rehabilitate. And it's more than a stretch to ask readers to suspend their disbelief with regard to a girl who's spent most of her life in saltwater. Her skin would have become so waterlogged that it would have developed open soars and rotted off.
This book is nothing more than a very very cheap knock-off of Flowers for Algernon.

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has been on my reading list for a while — after reading Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, I wanted to read more things by her. This basically follows Mila as she is rescued from the sea and acclimated to the human world after living with and being raised by dolphins for four years. I appreciated the audiobook version because it’s told in first person and Michele McHall beautifully captures the voice and essence of a girl who is just learning how to speak and use words. It’s a lovely experience that I would definitely recommend if you can get the audio version at some point.

The Music of Dolphins provides an interesting snapshot into what it would be like for a girl to go from living in the sea to living in the human world, with all that comes with it. What would it be like for a person to live in a building after spending her life living outside, in the ocean, and on the islands? What would it be like to learn human speech after learning how to communicate with dolphins? How would communications with humans go? All of these questions are explored through Mila’s interactions with her world and through her re-acclimatization process.

This is a slow-paced story that is mostly character driven, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s incredibly well-written and there are subtle changes in Mila from chapter to chapter as time passes and she becomes more used to living in the human world, for better or worse. Hesse is thorough in her treatment of this subject, and I like how she includes Mila’s confusion about why the government has so much say in her life and how Mila feels lonely, because while she’s given caregivers, she doesn’t really have a family and feels a lot of loneliness over that. This is a great book for kids to be able to think about what is normal to them that might be strange to others, and what is strange to them that might be normal to others.

The writing alone is enough to recommend this book, but it tells an enchanting story of what we’ve decided is meant by being human, and how that might look to others not used to it. I definitely recommend reading this if you haven’t already. It’s wonderful.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mila is a wild girl, growing up on a deserted island with a family of dolphins. When she is rescued, she is placed with a doctor who studies the way that humans learn language. The doctor hopes to learn the girl's dolphin language, and uses music to capture the sounds dolphins make. Mila begins to connect with her caregivers and their families; even the janitor cannot help connecting with this unique girl. At first, Mila is interested to learn English and learn how humans interact and live. But soon, she begins to miss her dolphin family and the simplicity of her life on the island. Her spirit starts to despair and turn inward, searching for the music she used to know.

This was definitely an interesting book with a unique voice. Mila's narration starts out very simple and grows more complex as she learns to communicate as a human. The very simplicity of her words brings forward a stark honesty in the story. Nothing is hidden behind fancy words. Everything is sincere and true for Mila, and those around her are forced to face the truth as well. The writing is genius is its extreme simplicity.

I like that Mila's situation brings up a lot of philosophical questions about how human societies live and what we value and how we treat each other. It was interesting to see how the other humans try to explain these things to Mila, but they end up looking foolish when she cuts right to the truth with her clear logic.

[stitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that they should have seen her father, and Justin should have gone with her!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about feral children make for an interesting look at the nature of being human and language development. What defines a person when he or she isn't socialized and raised by animals? "Peter Pan" by JM Barrie, remains in an adolescent state. "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George, involves the girl Julie who lives with wolves and learns to communicate with them. "Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling is still on my endless book list. Karen Hesse's story is about Mila, a feral child discovered by humans as a teen, who has lived with dolphins since she was four years old and been imprinted by their behavior. When the Coast Guard finds her as a teen, she is taken to a research facility and studied with another girl, Shay, who is a feral child but from being isolated from other humans by her mother. Mila finds assimilating with humans difficult socially. The audiobook's narration was average.

The structure of the story begins with Mila communicating in simple language reflecting the second language learner. Her syntax lacks the use of pronouns and prepositions as she tells her experience of living in a government research facility. She is happy at first but misses her dolphin family. As she learns the language her thoughts and speech gain more fluency and figurative language. Ethical questions are raised as Mila feels trapped by the government that requires doctors to keep her locked in her room for her "own safety".

The complexity of ideas progresses as Mila meets Shay, another feral child at the facility, who was locked up in a room with no contact with the outside world. Shay rarely speaks but Mila understands that bonding occurs through touch. She touches Shay and connects with her at first making her laugh when Mila speaks dolphin. Later Shay withdraws into herself and no longer connects with Mila foreshadowing Mila's withdrawal from humans as well. Mila has imprinted with dolphins and trying to connect with humans becomes impossible when she realizes she is not free to do as she wishes. The adults lock her in a room at night and she is feared because she is different. The researchers try to social the two to human behaviors but they cannot adapt. Mila ends up feeling just as trapped and isolated as Shay.

Doors are a symbol throughout representing freedom from societal rules and behavior. Some doors are open and others shut. Toward the end, Mila can only see them shut. Social behavior for Mila reflects dolphin behavior of freely accepting people with doors being open. Mila is marginalized and feared because of her differences. The janitor is afraid of her and she is rejected by Shay who shuts herself off from all humans. The government locks Mila's door and is impersonal to her as a human with rights. The dolphins have socialized Mila to the idea that she can swim anywhere in the ocean and creatures are acceptable unless they are predators. Human boundaries and prejudice she cannot deal with because she knows there is an alternative for her. She connects with her doctor's son, Justin, but cannot accept him completely because he isn't a dolphin. She doesn't identify with humans and cannot adapt to human behavior like Shay.

Music shows a different type of communication for Mila. She listens to it and learns to play an instrument with deep passion. The music relieves Mila's stress and gives emotional satisfaction as it is a reminder of her dolphin family and how sea creatures communicate with sounds. Again, music reflects how much Mila was imprinted regarding social behaviors by dolphins and not humans. She cannot assimilate with the family she lives with and becomes a tragic character in the end.

[em · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I ever purchased (with my own money) at a book fair in 3rd grade. It’s been on my shelf for that long... It’s been that long since I’ve read it...

I identified with this book more than when I did as a child (for obvious reasons). I work in the medical field and I see it on both sides, perspectively (I’ve been a patient, too); however to someone who has not grown in the state of recognition of dysfunction and represses it, hey, there’s projection. We’re all animals, and this representation of what it means to be family vs. what-can-you-do-for-me-since-I-did-this-for-you type culture speaks volumes.

This will be one I pass down. There are so many important messages and takeaways in this short story. It’s actually rather haunting and much darker than I remember. You live more and understand more as you age. This story definitely sticks with you... I love it.

[K.V. Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a kid through my school's book order because I loved dolphins. I thought it was creative and poetic the way the font size and descriptions changed throughout the book as the protagonist's character developed. It was a heartwarming but sad tale about what it means to be human and animal.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t give this any less than 5 stars, because I read this book when I was a kid and it has stuck with me since then. This is the first time I’ve revisited the story as an adult. I remembered certain stylistic choices, like the font size changing as Mila progresses, and the basic premise, but there was a lot I had forgotten. A certain side character’s storyline was more tragic to read as an adult. An extra delight: the copy I borrowed from my library had an old school library checkout card in the back with places for date stamps…that was a nice dose of nostalgia to go along with reading this childhood favorite. I’m glad I reread it!

[Cai Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a child and just finished reading it as part of my journey to reread my childhood favorites. Still very enjoyable and sections are even more heartbreaking when read as an adult.

[Sam Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book the summer before 6th grade as a required assignment. After reading the synopsis, I thought the book looked promising, with an interesting plot.

I hated it.

The writing style of the book really struck a nerve, with the main character using short, unformed sentences. I realize why this type of writing was used, but nevertheless it made it hard to read the book. While the naive-ness and vulnerability of the character made sense, I was quite bothered with it and could not properly connect with the character. Her relationship with the young male character was odd, and I didn't fully understand it's importance.
The ending of the book was also frustrating. Why have her be rescued from the island if she just returns? I don't see the importance of teaching her to be human if she will only return to the dolphins! In my view, there is really no point of the entire book.
While I realize that many people enjoyed this book I for one would never read it again, and honestly, am now discouraged from reading any other books from Karen Hesse.

[Dandylion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK! at first I liked it, in the middle it was okay, but not going like I had hoped, and at the end my heart was broken and put back together again. I love this book! I cried so hard at the end. I don't know why it got to me so much, but it was such a sad story. I don't know how to explain it, I'm still speechless. I will definitely be reading this book again and it's such a fast read! I love how he put the book together, starting out with Huge text when she didn't know much and getting smaller as her "intelligence" grew. I thought it was very clever and loved the story. My heart went out to her and I just wanted her to be happy. I love Mila so much, I thought she was a FANTASTIC character and was so perfect. So sad, but so optimistic.
I think that everyone should read this, I think they would benefit from it and it really doesn't take long at all to read. Maybe a couple of days, I read it in one. Please read this book all the way through!!

[jenelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

early interest in wild children: story of a girl who was raised with dolphins, "rescued," and re-integrated with human society. at first she displays an eager aptitude, like, she always knew she had something those dolphins didn't! & then, inevitably, a depressed sense of loss, like, she always knew she had something those humans didn't. first-person narration exploits her development, makes an eight year old linguaphile feel like a real scientist. there's a brief description of the way she breathes when she's first found: un-rhythmic, discontinuous, a thing she has to remind herself to do, and it's stuck with me all these years: the most poignant, biological signal of a person at the outer edge of being human, still doomed to be human.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poignant, lyrically written story of a wild child who struggles not to learn language but to feel a part of our world. A Cuban refuge stranded on an island and essentially raised by dolphins (the premise sounds way hokier in summary than practice; Hesse handles it masterfully) is discovered and brought to an institute where she essentially becomes a test subject. With narration by a protagonist who is rapidly developing as she tells her story, _Music_ calls to mind "Flowers for Algernon." My only gripe is the rushed ending. Young adult audience considerations might have kept Hesse from exploring more deeply this rich and interesting character and situation.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As soon as I started reading, I didn't like it. The font was huge and it was written extremely simply. As I got the recommendation from a teen book (honey for a teens heart), I thought it would be very different, not written simple enough for a 6yo learning to read. But it did get a little better in the end.
I see that there are lots of reviews on this book, good and bad, so you'll have to read it to see if you like it or not!!!

[Chris Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the Book it is funny the Book. It's a new kind of adventure Dolphins sharks
for jack and Annie join them as they research dolphins and find out
the facts behind the fiction.I recommend to cycy

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this in middle school and loving it. I don't know how much I would enjoy it now, but maybe I will sometime. It would be great to give to my kids in the future.

[Emmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so much as a kid that my copy is falling apart. Decided to reread it when I found it after moving. Still just as good as I remember it being.

[Adam Jarvis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this book to my kids.
I spent the first half wondering what was the point of the book.
Discovered the point around 60%ish of the way through.
Mmmm, my worldview and beliefs about humanity cannot accept that the best thing for this person is to “be” a dolphin. I can accept that this is an artistic allegory honoring one’s freedom and individuality, but, in my opinion, it failed to make that point- because it had to sacrifice the protagonist in order to do so (thus, sadly, dishonoring her.)

I will say, however, extremely creative and artistic in the use of font size, word choice, and chapter length. That was ingenious, and something I had not before seen in a book.

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores, to some degree, what it means to be human. It is the story of a young girl raised by dolphins after her mother and baby brother were lost in a plane crash in the Caribbean. In spite of the hardships, she learns to love the closeness and music of the dolphin pod. When she is rescued, she must learn to be human, but does that mean losing the music that she felt in her bones and the closeness and support she found with a dolphin pod? I found it interesting the way the font changed as Mila learned to live in a human world. This is a very short, simple book, meant for children, but some questions it raises are profound. I felt great empathy for the "dolphin girl"

[Amy Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly brilliant, poetic, beautiful, and heartbreaking book. This was a favorite of mine as a child and is still a favorite in adulthood. I read it aloud to my spouse and am so grateful to have revisited this book. If you grew up reading this I highly recommend a reread (you may also wonder why you—as a child loved something so so sad 😅)

[Saphire Aqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book cause first off mermaid vibes ofc but also the way the character develops. It really shows not just in the changes of speech but a whole new mindset as the book goes on. I will say the ending felt a liiiiittle rushed and it surprised me to end so abruptly, I would have thought it would have been a big part of the story but ig not haha.

[Sofia Rossato · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Gli umani pensano di essere gli unici a conoscere il modo giusto"