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Song for a Whale
The story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.
From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?
From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she's the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she's not very smart. If you've ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.
When she learns about Blue 55, a real whale who is unable to speak to other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. Then she has an idea: she should invent a way to "sing" to him! But he's three thousand miles away. How will she play her song for him?
7 pages, Audiobook
First published February 5, 2019
About the author
Lynne Kelly
4 books427 followersLynne Kelly's career as a sign language interpreter has taken her everywhere from classrooms to hospitals to Alaskan cruises. Today, she lives near Houston, Texas with her adorable dogs, Abigail and Eloise. Her 2019 novel SONG FOR A WHALE, about a deaf girl named Iris who forms an unlikely bond with the “loneliest whale in the world,” has been described as “finely crafted,” “important,” and “uplifting” by reviewers from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. SONG FOR A WHALE received the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award and was named one of the best books of the year by New York Public Library.
Her next novel, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, will be released in April 2024.
Her next novel, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, will be released in April 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,223 reviews
March 2, 2020
Another mother-daughter read-along done! I love these moments with my girl. Reading together snuggled on the couch or sitting at the kitchen table. It’s beautiful to find books we both fall in love with. The best is when we hit a part that makes us look up into each other’s eyes and we share the same feeling - whether it be joy, concern, or sadness.
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly is a book that will stay with both of us for many years to come. It has solidified my daughter’s desire to learn ASL. It satisfied her need to learn about animals. Maybe she’ll read it to her kiddo when she’s a mom.
Iris is deaf. She’s fine with that. She has her grandparents who are deaf. She has a friend, Wendell, who is deaf. She has her interests in repairing radios. She has a loving family, even with a dad who has never taken to ASL well. But she still feels like there is something missing. People at school don’t really get her. Many treat her like she’s stupid because she’s deaf. She wants to go to a school for deaf kids but her mother doesn’t want her to go. When she learns about a hybrid whale whose song is too different for other whales to understand him, Iris knows how he must feel - misunderstood, lonely and in search of someone who is just like him. Thus begins Iris’ journey to make a song for the whale and meet him so he knows that he’s not alone in this world.
Kelly creates a touching story that centers on the need to belong, the need to communicate with those who understand us, the need to have a shared experience. Iris is a brave girl who is often lonely and misunderstood. Iris comes to terms with who she is by trying to communicate with Blue 55, the whale whose song is sung at 55 Hz. Kelly’s characters are deep, which allows readers to connect to them. Iris and her grandparents show us what deaf culture is like and allow readers to experience what life as a deaf person is when surrounded by hearing people. Some of it can be beautiful, some not so much. The story has some chapters from the viewpoint of the whale, which mimics Iris’ feelings of isolation and hope. It’s the characters that drive this novel.
We would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who loves animals, who wants to know more about deaf people, and who enjoys soulful journeys. It’s one of those books that made our hearts ache a bit once we finished it. Now, that’s a keeper!
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly is a book that will stay with both of us for many years to come. It has solidified my daughter’s desire to learn ASL. It satisfied her need to learn about animals. Maybe she’ll read it to her kiddo when she’s a mom.
Iris is deaf. She’s fine with that. She has her grandparents who are deaf. She has a friend, Wendell, who is deaf. She has her interests in repairing radios. She has a loving family, even with a dad who has never taken to ASL well. But she still feels like there is something missing. People at school don’t really get her. Many treat her like she’s stupid because she’s deaf. She wants to go to a school for deaf kids but her mother doesn’t want her to go. When she learns about a hybrid whale whose song is too different for other whales to understand him, Iris knows how he must feel - misunderstood, lonely and in search of someone who is just like him. Thus begins Iris’ journey to make a song for the whale and meet him so he knows that he’s not alone in this world.
Kelly creates a touching story that centers on the need to belong, the need to communicate with those who understand us, the need to have a shared experience. Iris is a brave girl who is often lonely and misunderstood. Iris comes to terms with who she is by trying to communicate with Blue 55, the whale whose song is sung at 55 Hz. Kelly’s characters are deep, which allows readers to connect to them. Iris and her grandparents show us what deaf culture is like and allow readers to experience what life as a deaf person is when surrounded by hearing people. Some of it can be beautiful, some not so much. The story has some chapters from the viewpoint of the whale, which mimics Iris’ feelings of isolation and hope. It’s the characters that drive this novel.
We would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone who loves animals, who wants to know more about deaf people, and who enjoys soulful journeys. It’s one of those books that made our hearts ache a bit once we finished it. Now, that’s a keeper!
March 10, 2019
4-1/2 stars
In most ways I loved this book but I couldn’t quite give it 5 stars because of the point of view of the whale/other whales too. I couldn’t quite suspend disbelief and all the way through, once I hit page 76, I was eager to read the author’s notes at the end. While they were excellent, informative and interesting, I still couldn’t quite accept one aspect of the story, the fictional whale parts, even though I sort of adored that part of the story too. It’s just that the rest was such amazingly good realistic fiction and I found the unrealistic portions kind of jarring, however moving and fun.
The writing is lovely. The illustrations are lovely.
I loved the main character and story’s narrator, Iris. I also especially enjoyed her grandmother; I loved how she responded. What a hoot she was. This is a great granddaughter-grandmother relationship! I also enjoyed so many other characters too, including Bennie & Sura, Iris’s mother, father, and brother, Wendell and his family, and some of Iris’s teachers and classmates. The family and friend and school relationships were portrayed well.
This book has so much going for it. There is ample humor throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I felt sad a lot of the time I was reading it. The book is about communication and the lack of it, and about deep and cutting loneliness. I felt sad for the whale and then felt even sadder when I realized that Iris isn’t even as fluent in ASL and she could be, though I correctly knew what that was going. There are interesting inclusions about Deaf culture. There is a lot of suspense that was both entertaining and excruciating.
I love how Iris is skilled in electronics, radios and other devices too. I love the whales. I love the Alaska cruise portions – the only cruise I’ve taken as an adult was to Alaska in 1983 so it was fun to “be back there” with some common experiences.
I’m happy for Iris and I guess I’m supposed to feel happy for the whale too, but I felt only partial solace.
I did kind of love this book but it’s 4-1/2 not 5 stars for me, rounded down despite the author’s explanation. This would have probably been a favorite 5 star book for me at ages 9-12, and that’s the target audience for this book. I think what bothered me now might not have bothered me back then. The author’s notes at the end were wonderful and (in my opinion) needed inclusions. I’ve always loved whales and it pains me that I couldn’t quite accept portions of the story. As I read I wasn’t quite sure about how to take the whales’ voices, thoughts, feelings, and that kind of took me out of the story, just a bit. I couldn’t wait to read the author’s notes but I didn’t want spoilers so I waited until I’d finished the book. Perhaps I should have read everything in the back when I got to page 76 of the hardcover edition. I don’t think the story would have been spoiled for me but I didn’t know that. I wanted to know more about whales and how realistic/unrealistic things were, what was fantasy that either worked or not.
I did really, really like this book and I will definitely read other books by this author.
In most ways I loved this book but I couldn’t quite give it 5 stars because of the point of view of the whale/other whales too. I couldn’t quite suspend disbelief and all the way through, once I hit page 76, I was eager to read the author’s notes at the end. While they were excellent, informative and interesting, I still couldn’t quite accept one aspect of the story, the fictional whale parts, even though I sort of adored that part of the story too. It’s just that the rest was such amazingly good realistic fiction and I found the unrealistic portions kind of jarring, however moving and fun.
The writing is lovely. The illustrations are lovely.
I loved the main character and story’s narrator, Iris. I also especially enjoyed her grandmother; I loved how she responded. What a hoot she was. This is a great granddaughter-grandmother relationship! I also enjoyed so many other characters too, including Bennie & Sura, Iris’s mother, father, and brother, Wendell and his family, and some of Iris’s teachers and classmates. The family and friend and school relationships were portrayed well.
This book has so much going for it. There is ample humor throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I felt sad a lot of the time I was reading it. The book is about communication and the lack of it, and about deep and cutting loneliness. I felt sad for the whale and then felt even sadder when I realized that Iris isn’t even as fluent in ASL and she could be, though I correctly knew what that was going. There are interesting inclusions about Deaf culture. There is a lot of suspense that was both entertaining and excruciating.
I love how Iris is skilled in electronics, radios and other devices too. I love the whales. I love the Alaska cruise portions – the only cruise I’ve taken as an adult was to Alaska in 1983 so it was fun to “be back there” with some common experiences.
I’m happy for Iris and I guess I’m supposed to feel happy for the whale too, but I felt only partial solace.
I did kind of love this book but it’s 4-1/2 not 5 stars for me, rounded down despite the author’s explanation. This would have probably been a favorite 5 star book for me at ages 9-12, and that’s the target audience for this book. I think what bothered me now might not have bothered me back then. The author’s notes at the end were wonderful and (in my opinion) needed inclusions. I’ve always loved whales and it pains me that I couldn’t quite accept portions of the story. As I read I wasn’t quite sure about how to take the whales’ voices, thoughts, feelings, and that kind of took me out of the story, just a bit. I couldn’t wait to read the author’s notes but I didn’t want spoilers so I waited until I’d finished the book. Perhaps I should have read everything in the back when I got to page 76 of the hardcover edition. I don’t think the story would have been spoiled for me but I didn’t know that. I wanted to know more about whales and how realistic/unrealistic things were, what was fantasy that either worked or not.
I did really, really like this book and I will definitely read other books by this author.
December 8, 2021
Love this story about Iris and her quest to help a lonely whale. When she finds out about Blue 55 in Science class, she immediately relates to the plight of a whale who cannot communicate with other whales at the same frequency. That is what her life is like as a Deaf student in a hearing school. So she asks the Music teacher for help in composing a song just for Blue 55. The only problem is that the whale is thousands of miles away. How can Iris make her way to the whale sanctuary and help get a tag on Blue 55? Perhaps her grandma will be of assistance. . . I really loved this story, partly because I have a special memory of killer whales frolicking in the wake of the Princess cruise ship I was on several years ago -- on my birthday! This book was inspired by a real-life whale - Whale 52 (see pic below) and the author's love for sign language interpretation. Enjoy!
January 11, 2019
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
I liked this book quite a lot. I don't read middle-grade books very often but I think that may be something that I really need to change. I was drawn to this book as soon as I saw it and while that may due in part to the gorgeous cover, it was mostly the premise of the story that grabbed my attention. Every time I picked up this book, I quickly was lost in Iris's world. I really had a great time with this book.
Iris is a twelve-year-old girl who happens to be deaf. She goes to a regular school where she is the only deaf person with the assistance of her sign language interpreter. It took about all of five minutes for my heart to go out to Iris as she explained what it was like to live in a world where nobody understands you. She has no friends at school and keeps being paired up with a classmate who claims to know sign language but whose hand motions make no sense to Iris at all. She feels very alone.
Iris's attention is grabbed by a whale that she learns about in school that sings at a different frequency than the other whales and therefore can't communicate with them. Iris is a whiz at repairing old radios outside of school and she uses that knowledge to help find a way to communicate with that special whale named Blue 55. Blue 55 lives alone in the ocean with no one to talk to and Iris can relate much better than most people.
I fell in love with Iris almost immediately. I think that the author did a fabulous job of letting the reader really understand how isolated she felt. Iris is a very intelligent and determined girl and I liked the way she worked through the puzzle of helping the whale. I really enjoyed taking this journey with Iris and was pleased to see the progression of her relationships with her family in addition to her quest to save the whale.
I would recommend this book to others. I think that this was a wonderfully written story about a little girl and a giant whale that I won't forget anytime soon. I look forward to reading more of Lynne Kelly's work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from Delacorte Press.
Initial Thoughts
I really liked this book. I thought that the descriptions of Iris and her life at school were incredibly well done. My heart hurt for her because I felt how alone she thought she was. I thought that the whale's story was just as interesting and Grandma was great. All in all, this was just a very well done story.
I liked this book quite a lot. I don't read middle-grade books very often but I think that may be something that I really need to change. I was drawn to this book as soon as I saw it and while that may due in part to the gorgeous cover, it was mostly the premise of the story that grabbed my attention. Every time I picked up this book, I quickly was lost in Iris's world. I really had a great time with this book.
Iris is a twelve-year-old girl who happens to be deaf. She goes to a regular school where she is the only deaf person with the assistance of her sign language interpreter. It took about all of five minutes for my heart to go out to Iris as she explained what it was like to live in a world where nobody understands you. She has no friends at school and keeps being paired up with a classmate who claims to know sign language but whose hand motions make no sense to Iris at all. She feels very alone.
Iris's attention is grabbed by a whale that she learns about in school that sings at a different frequency than the other whales and therefore can't communicate with them. Iris is a whiz at repairing old radios outside of school and she uses that knowledge to help find a way to communicate with that special whale named Blue 55. Blue 55 lives alone in the ocean with no one to talk to and Iris can relate much better than most people.
I fell in love with Iris almost immediately. I think that the author did a fabulous job of letting the reader really understand how isolated she felt. Iris is a very intelligent and determined girl and I liked the way she worked through the puzzle of helping the whale. I really enjoyed taking this journey with Iris and was pleased to see the progression of her relationships with her family in addition to her quest to save the whale.
I would recommend this book to others. I think that this was a wonderfully written story about a little girl and a giant whale that I won't forget anytime soon. I look forward to reading more of Lynne Kelly's work in the future.
I received a review copy of this book from Delacorte Press.
Initial Thoughts
I really liked this book. I thought that the descriptions of Iris and her life at school were incredibly well done. My heart hurt for her because I felt how alone she thought she was. I thought that the whale's story was just as interesting and Grandma was great. All in all, this was just a very well done story.
July 24, 2024
I'm impressed with this book. I think I will probably reread it!
Review (much delayed):
I found a digital copy of SONG FOR A WHALE by Lynne Kelly on Libby. All views are mine.
...[Readers] not familiar with deafness may assume that Iris wishes she could hear. The deaf community is a strong one, and despite the isolation and frustration it's members experience because of the language barrier, most wouldn't want to change their deafness, anymore than the rest of us would want to give up our friends, language, and culture.
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. The descriptions and explanations of sign language is beautiful and reveals the language's relevance to not only the hearing impaired, but everyone it touches.
2. The story is excellent, with great conflicts and important themes.
3. The narrative contains both science and music elements that make this story fascinating. The plot line of the whale with the irregular song, who can't communicate as a result, is such wonderful, moving story stuff to bring together these notes of education, humanitarianism, family, and disability.
4. This author really nails the scene where the fmc expresses her pain of the isolation of disability.
5. I love the bits of narrative told from Blue-55's perspective, which Kelly wisely writes in third person, although the story drips a bit in personification.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. Personified animals isn't really my jam in books, and there is quite a bit of this here. However, I'm grateful Kelly writes the whale's perspective in third person rather than first.
Review (much delayed):
I found a digital copy of SONG FOR A WHALE by Lynne Kelly on Libby. All views are mine.
...[Readers] not familiar with deafness may assume that Iris wishes she could hear. The deaf community is a strong one, and despite the isolation and frustration it's members experience because of the language barrier, most wouldn't want to change their deafness, anymore than the rest of us would want to give up our friends, language, and culture.
Three (or more) things I loved:
1. The descriptions and explanations of sign language is beautiful and reveals the language's relevance to not only the hearing impaired, but everyone it touches.
2. The story is excellent, with great conflicts and important themes.
3. The narrative contains both science and music elements that make this story fascinating. The plot line of the whale with the irregular song, who can't communicate as a result, is such wonderful, moving story stuff to bring together these notes of education, humanitarianism, family, and disability.
4. This author really nails the scene where the fmc expresses her pain of the isolation of disability.
5. I love the bits of narrative told from Blue-55's perspective, which Kelly wisely writes in third person, although the story drips a bit in personification.
Three (or less) things I didn't love:
This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.
1. Personified animals isn't really my jam in books, and there is quite a bit of this here. However, I'm grateful Kelly writes the whale's perspective in third person rather than first.
March 24, 2019
I feel like I've been talking a lot lately about craving middle grade, and how good and underappreciated middle grade is. I came across a thread on Twitter a few days ago about why people like YA — and making a distinction between adult and YA — because it generally deals with serious issues with sense of hope. I think this is even more true of middle grade stories, and while some may take a saccharine route, many, if not most, strip issues back to an unltimately honest core without sacrificing hope, which is no easy feat. Lynne Kelly's Song for a Whale is a good example of that.
Song for a Whale hits a lot of right notes*, succinctly capturing the frustrations and beauties of Iris' world, layered with a touch of adventure and coming of age, and built on the bones of a heartfelt family story. Iris is a dynamic protagonist, realistically flawed and lovely; she's got a thread of irritation and anger in her, an understandable chip on her shoulder, without ever falling into any kind of Angry Disabled Person™ trope. She's got a rich well of passions and skills that flesh her out, without falling into any kind of Magically Perfect Disabled Person™ trope. She's well executed and realistic, and it makes her easy to root for; she's deaf, but that's not all she is.
Iris also makes a great 'in' to the stories contained within the book — the story of different deaf people operating in different ways within a hearing world, the story of a whale who wants to be heard and known, the story of a family grieving and a woman wanting to live again, stories of science and technology and friendship and exploration. Iris' natural curiosity and spirit provide a good window into these tangled bits of people's lives in a really organic way, with Iris always remaining the central focus, but not the lone focus.
Readers will find a story of growth and connection that is thoroughly engaging and easily readable. Song for a Whale succeeds in letting in readers who may not be familiar with anyone deaf or hearing-impaired, without ever using deafness as a gimmick or condescending to the audience. The book as a whole is a good example of why middle grade books can be so enduring in our reading lives, and make such good tools for developing empathy and curiosity.
*Ha! This is a bit funny considering the subject of the book is a whale who can't hit the right notes. I swear I didn't plan this as some sort of godawful punnish thing, but here we are.
Song for a Whale hits a lot of right notes*, succinctly capturing the frustrations and beauties of Iris' world, layered with a touch of adventure and coming of age, and built on the bones of a heartfelt family story. Iris is a dynamic protagonist, realistically flawed and lovely; she's got a thread of irritation and anger in her, an understandable chip on her shoulder, without ever falling into any kind of Angry Disabled Person™ trope. She's got a rich well of passions and skills that flesh her out, without falling into any kind of Magically Perfect Disabled Person™ trope. She's well executed and realistic, and it makes her easy to root for; she's deaf, but that's not all she is.
Iris also makes a great 'in' to the stories contained within the book — the story of different deaf people operating in different ways within a hearing world, the story of a whale who wants to be heard and known, the story of a family grieving and a woman wanting to live again, stories of science and technology and friendship and exploration. Iris' natural curiosity and spirit provide a good window into these tangled bits of people's lives in a really organic way, with Iris always remaining the central focus, but not the lone focus.
Readers will find a story of growth and connection that is thoroughly engaging and easily readable. Song for a Whale succeeds in letting in readers who may not be familiar with anyone deaf or hearing-impaired, without ever using deafness as a gimmick or condescending to the audience. The book as a whole is a good example of why middle grade books can be so enduring in our reading lives, and make such good tools for developing empathy and curiosity.
*Ha! This is a bit funny considering the subject of the book is a whale who can't hit the right notes. I swear I didn't plan this as some sort of godawful punnish thing, but here we are.
April 21, 2023
Iris has a passion for repairing old radios; an abnormal onession for a preteen especially a deaf one, but she is good at it.
Iris was born deaf, her mother is fluent in sign language because both of Iris' grandparents are also deaf. Her father tries but often has difficulty communicating with her. She's also the only deaf kid at her school and must communicate through an interpreter.
After a lesson in science class about Blue 55, a whale who sings at frequencies that no other whales can understand, Iris understands and feels an immediate connection.
She soon devises a plan to make a song like his, to play it for him so he knows that he's not alone, that someone hears him. This is a harder goal than she expected considering that he hasn't sang in sometime; she is in Texas and the scientist's best guess on his location is off the coast of Alaska. But Iris is determined to do whatever it takes for Blue 55 to hear her song.
Iris was born deaf, her mother is fluent in sign language because both of Iris' grandparents are also deaf. Her father tries but often has difficulty communicating with her. She's also the only deaf kid at her school and must communicate through an interpreter.
After a lesson in science class about Blue 55, a whale who sings at frequencies that no other whales can understand, Iris understands and feels an immediate connection.
She soon devises a plan to make a song like his, to play it for him so he knows that he's not alone, that someone hears him. This is a harder goal than she expected considering that he hasn't sang in sometime; she is in Texas and the scientist's best guess on his location is off the coast of Alaska. But Iris is determined to do whatever it takes for Blue 55 to hear her song.
Read
July 31, 2020DNF
I wanted so badly to read this because this sounds like an absolutely incredible, important story that needs to be told, and I will absolutely recommend this story to others. I just couldn't do it to myself. The actual whale this story was inspired by, 52 Blue, is a story that I learned of many years ago and it has upset me so badly I can barely stand thinking about it. Something about 52 Blue's loneliness is just literally one of the most heart-breaking things I've ever heard of, and the parallels to a lonely, deaf child is a painful but real story that, like I said, is so worth reading! But I've tried to pick this book up so many times, and every single time, it's just been more than I can handle thinking about this much. I feel guilty for not finishing and giving this the proper (and undoubtedly raving) review it deserves. :(
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
I wanted so badly to read this because this sounds like an absolutely incredible, important story that needs to be told, and I will absolutely recommend this story to others. I just couldn't do it to myself. The actual whale this story was inspired by, 52 Blue, is a story that I learned of many years ago and it has upset me so badly I can barely stand thinking about it. Something about 52 Blue's loneliness is just literally one of the most heart-breaking things I've ever heard of, and the parallels to a lonely, deaf child is a painful but real story that, like I said, is so worth reading! But I've tried to pick this book up so many times, and every single time, it's just been more than I can handle thinking about this much. I feel guilty for not finishing and giving this the proper (and undoubtedly raving) review it deserves. :(
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!
January 14, 2020
What a beautiful story! We follow Iris, a young deaf girl, who learns about Blue 55, a whale who sings at a different frequency than any other whale. Blue 55 keeps singing and swimming even though he's not understood or accepted by other whale pods. Iris feels connected to Blue 55 and is determined to somehow help him know he is heard.
Iris is such an endearing character. She is lonely but not despairing. She has such a strength and is so loveable. I love how Kelly portrays deafness in this book. There are real moments of frustration, even at home, but so much love too.
An absolutely heart-warming read.
Iris is such an endearing character. She is lonely but not despairing. She has such a strength and is so loveable. I love how Kelly portrays deafness in this book. There are real moments of frustration, even at home, but so much love too.
An absolutely heart-warming read.
February 15, 2021
7/30/22 This is such a fun story about a determined and strong-willed tween.
Iris is deaf and into electronics and whales. When a scientist, Andi responds to her comment on a blog about a whale, Blue 55 who travels alone, Iris and her grandma set out to meet the whale .
2/14/21 3.75 to 4 stars, a whale story for kids who like uplifting stories. From 2019, this one was definitely Newbery worthy. It did win the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades.
If you found The Thing about Jellyfish or The Line Tender too heavy, give this story about a young girl searching for a whale a try.
Iris is deaf and into electronics and whales. When a scientist, Andi responds to her comment on a blog about a whale, Blue 55 who travels alone, Iris and her grandma set out to meet the whale .
2/14/21 3.75 to 4 stars, a whale story for kids who like uplifting stories. From 2019, this one was definitely Newbery worthy. It did win the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grades.
If you found The Thing about Jellyfish or The Line Tender too heavy, give this story about a young girl searching for a whale a try.
April 30, 2021
Such a good book!!! It's hard to find words to explain how good it is! I love the feel and the journey (though for some reason it took us both a while to finish it....lol....)
It is just a really good book about being misunderstood and wanting so hard to connect with someone who gets you! Even if it's a whale! Such a great story, highly recommend to readers of any age!!!
~Kayti and Jaidie
It is just a really good book about being misunderstood and wanting so hard to connect with someone who gets you! Even if it's a whale! Such a great story, highly recommend to readers of any age!!!
~Kayti and Jaidie
December 20, 2018
When I first heard about this one I knew I had to read it. Because that cover is all kinds of stunning. And the story seemed amazing too. I do not think I have ever read a book about a deaf girl, and I was so excited to finally get to do that. Parts of this book were all kinds of awesome. But sadly, almost all of the book was bad. Oh.
And because of that I'm giving this book two stars. Which makes me so sad, but it has to be done. I had so many issues with this one. Yet I also enjoyed some of it a whole lot. I have so much to share about it. First, a huge thank you to the publisher for letting me take part in the blog tour and for sending me the lovely book.
While my blog tour in late January was supposed to be a review and a giveaway, I do not feel okay with sharing a two star review for a blog tour. Will be posting my review today, and will hopefully be sharing a spotlight and giveaway of an ARC post in January. I truly wish I could say that I loved this book. As I really wanted to. It seemed incredible. And looks truly gorgeous. But it was sadly filled with issues. I will start by saying that I have no idea if any of the deaf part of the book had issues as well, as I do not know anyone that is deaf. I will say that I found all of it to be written really well. I loved that the main girl was deaf. I loved reading about how she lived every day as a deaf person. Was so very interesting. And she was all kinds of awesome because of that. Love.
But sadly that did not save this book. Because even though the deaf parts were incredible, the rest of the writing was so very much not. I could not connect to anything in this book. It also felt so rushed. And a bit awkward at times. Especially so because Iris is said to be twelve years old, but yet she felt years younger than that. Which was a bit depressing. I also did not like this girl. Because of her personality. She treated a girl in her class so very badly. And not once was that owned up to. It bothered me so much, at all times.
Sure, it is written in a way that makes it seem like the girl in her class was an idiot, and doing everything wrong. But she was not. She was a girl who could hear. And who tried so hard to learn sign language so that she could talk to Iris too. But Iris did nothing to help her with this. All she did was turn away from her and ignore her and get angry with her for not being able to sign anything right. I felt like Iris should have helped her. Should have tried to be her friend, like this girl was trying so so very hard to be hers. Hmph.
Which means that sadly I did not like Iris very much at all. I tried to love her, I truly did. But yeah. No. She treated this girl badly in the beginning of the book. And then near the end she reads something about her, and she laughs and laughs at her, and it made me dislike Iris more and more. Was not good. Sure, there were parts of Iris that I liked. Getting to know how she talked with sign language was awesome. So loved her friendship with this adorable boy that was deaf as well. It was pretty adorable. But was sadly too little.
This book is about Iris being unhappy in her school. Since she is the only one there that is deaf. And her grandparents are deaf too, but her grandpa is dead and her grandma lives at a home for old people. Her mom can sign language too, and her brother as well. Her father was not good at it. And that was written badly too, because it was all kinds of painful to read about, and it really shouldn't have been written that way, at least, I do not think it should have. Parts of Iris's life was hard to read, which was bad and good.
While at school, she learns about a whale. Blue 55. He has a different song than every other whale in the ocean, and so no one can understand him. He is all alone and has no one around him. This is somewhat a true story, and I did like that a whole lot. It was interesting to read about the whales and such. But also a little weird. There are even really small pages with the whale point of view. Yeah. That was odd. And the way Iris reacted to learning about the whale. Yeah. I cannot support that. Not at all. Which is depressing.
I did love that Iris felt strongly about this whale. That she wanted to help him connect with others. Liked that she decided to make a song for him that he could hear, that no other whale could sing for him. But what I did not like is that she got obsessed with this whale right away and decided that she had to go to Alaska to find him, to see him. Did not like how she treated her family because of this. And then she runs away. With her grandmother. On a cruise ship, for weeks, without telling her family first. Uhm. What even.
I cannot help but say that I found this book to be a bit problematic. If that is the right word. It might not be, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. This book makes it feel it was okay that twelve year old deaf Iris ran away with her old and deaf grandmother, who was grieving for her dead husband, and was in a home because they feared she could not take care of herself. Yeah. And they run away together. That was not safe. And it was not okay. Sure, Iris thinks about her family a couple of times while being away. Hahaha.
That was not okay either. She is on a cruise for Alaska, far away from her family, without talking to them or telling them where she is going or why. Her grandma is keeping them updated, but that was still not an okay thing to do. Yet this book tells it in a way that it felt okay, that it was the right thing for Iris to do. That it was the only thing she could have done, the thing she was supposed to do. I do not support that at all. It was reckless and dangerous. Gosh, my review is much longer than I had planned for it to be. Sorry, haha.
But can't stop writing about this book. I must share all my thoughts. Some spoilers. There is even a scene in the book where Iris jumps into cold water and swims toward a huge whale. Looking it in the eyes. And swimming around it. Not once is it mentioned that this is dangerous. And it was. Incredibly so. And I'm not sure why this book is making it seem like all of this was okay. Hmm. Can't help but feel that this book was not all that safe. Of course, it is highly possible that I am the only one to feel this way, that others will not.
Which is also okay. I'm sorry to say that Song for a Whale was not a book for me at all. I wanted to love it, so so badly, but I could not. I found parts of it to be very good, and I wanted to know more. But most parts where not good at all. And I may have shared way too much in my review. But I just could not stop writing and I do not regret it. So curious to know what others will think of this book. Do let me know if you read it. Huge thank you to Random House Kids for sending me a free ARC copy of this book to read and review.
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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books, here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2018...
And because of that I'm giving this book two stars. Which makes me so sad, but it has to be done. I had so many issues with this one. Yet I also enjoyed some of it a whole lot. I have so much to share about it. First, a huge thank you to the publisher for letting me take part in the blog tour and for sending me the lovely book.
While my blog tour in late January was supposed to be a review and a giveaway, I do not feel okay with sharing a two star review for a blog tour. Will be posting my review today, and will hopefully be sharing a spotlight and giveaway of an ARC post in January. I truly wish I could say that I loved this book. As I really wanted to. It seemed incredible. And looks truly gorgeous. But it was sadly filled with issues. I will start by saying that I have no idea if any of the deaf part of the book had issues as well, as I do not know anyone that is deaf. I will say that I found all of it to be written really well. I loved that the main girl was deaf. I loved reading about how she lived every day as a deaf person. Was so very interesting. And she was all kinds of awesome because of that. Love.
But sadly that did not save this book. Because even though the deaf parts were incredible, the rest of the writing was so very much not. I could not connect to anything in this book. It also felt so rushed. And a bit awkward at times. Especially so because Iris is said to be twelve years old, but yet she felt years younger than that. Which was a bit depressing. I also did not like this girl. Because of her personality. She treated a girl in her class so very badly. And not once was that owned up to. It bothered me so much, at all times.
Sure, it is written in a way that makes it seem like the girl in her class was an idiot, and doing everything wrong. But she was not. She was a girl who could hear. And who tried so hard to learn sign language so that she could talk to Iris too. But Iris did nothing to help her with this. All she did was turn away from her and ignore her and get angry with her for not being able to sign anything right. I felt like Iris should have helped her. Should have tried to be her friend, like this girl was trying so so very hard to be hers. Hmph.
Which means that sadly I did not like Iris very much at all. I tried to love her, I truly did. But yeah. No. She treated this girl badly in the beginning of the book. And then near the end she reads something about her, and she laughs and laughs at her, and it made me dislike Iris more and more. Was not good. Sure, there were parts of Iris that I liked. Getting to know how she talked with sign language was awesome. So loved her friendship with this adorable boy that was deaf as well. It was pretty adorable. But was sadly too little.
This book is about Iris being unhappy in her school. Since she is the only one there that is deaf. And her grandparents are deaf too, but her grandpa is dead and her grandma lives at a home for old people. Her mom can sign language too, and her brother as well. Her father was not good at it. And that was written badly too, because it was all kinds of painful to read about, and it really shouldn't have been written that way, at least, I do not think it should have. Parts of Iris's life was hard to read, which was bad and good.
While at school, she learns about a whale. Blue 55. He has a different song than every other whale in the ocean, and so no one can understand him. He is all alone and has no one around him. This is somewhat a true story, and I did like that a whole lot. It was interesting to read about the whales and such. But also a little weird. There are even really small pages with the whale point of view. Yeah. That was odd. And the way Iris reacted to learning about the whale. Yeah. I cannot support that. Not at all. Which is depressing.
I did love that Iris felt strongly about this whale. That she wanted to help him connect with others. Liked that she decided to make a song for him that he could hear, that no other whale could sing for him. But what I did not like is that she got obsessed with this whale right away and decided that she had to go to Alaska to find him, to see him. Did not like how she treated her family because of this. And then she runs away. With her grandmother. On a cruise ship, for weeks, without telling her family first. Uhm. What even.
I cannot help but say that I found this book to be a bit problematic. If that is the right word. It might not be, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. This book makes it feel it was okay that twelve year old deaf Iris ran away with her old and deaf grandmother, who was grieving for her dead husband, and was in a home because they feared she could not take care of herself. Yeah. And they run away together. That was not safe. And it was not okay. Sure, Iris thinks about her family a couple of times while being away. Hahaha.
That was not okay either. She is on a cruise for Alaska, far away from her family, without talking to them or telling them where she is going or why. Her grandma is keeping them updated, but that was still not an okay thing to do. Yet this book tells it in a way that it felt okay, that it was the right thing for Iris to do. That it was the only thing she could have done, the thing she was supposed to do. I do not support that at all. It was reckless and dangerous. Gosh, my review is much longer than I had planned for it to be. Sorry, haha.
But can't stop writing about this book. I must share all my thoughts. Some spoilers. There is even a scene in the book where Iris jumps into cold water and swims toward a huge whale. Looking it in the eyes. And swimming around it. Not once is it mentioned that this is dangerous. And it was. Incredibly so. And I'm not sure why this book is making it seem like all of this was okay. Hmm. Can't help but feel that this book was not all that safe. Of course, it is highly possible that I am the only one to feel this way, that others will not.
Which is also okay. I'm sorry to say that Song for a Whale was not a book for me at all. I wanted to love it, so so badly, but I could not. I found parts of it to be very good, and I wanted to know more. But most parts where not good at all. And I may have shared way too much in my review. But I just could not stop writing and I do not regret it. So curious to know what others will think of this book. Do let me know if you read it. Huge thank you to Random House Kids for sending me a free ARC copy of this book to read and review.
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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books, here: https://carinabooks.blogspot.com/2018...
June 8, 2019
This book was one I wanted to like. The problem is, just because you want to like something doesn't mean you can.
The book is about a Deaf girl named Iris who fixes radios. Even though she can't hear them, she can feel the vibration of the sound waves and she loves it. At school, she has no friends because no one makes an attempt to try to sign to her. The one girl who does always messes up so that Iris can't understand her, and when Iris tries to ignore her, the girl has a nasty habit of getting in Iris' personal space. In science class, Iris hears about a whale named Blue 55. Blue is a "lonely" whale because the other whales can't understand his song. Most whales sing at twenty-ish hertz, but blue sings at about fifty-five hertz. No pod of whales will accept him. Iris comes up with a plan to make him hear a reply to his song at last, and when her parents refuse to get her to the sanctuary he will be approaching soon, she runs of on a Alaskan cruise with her Grandma-- without telling her parents.
Huh....
I'm sure you noticed some issues there, and I didn't even go into detail.
Major problem number ONE:
Iris is supposed to be twelve, but she acts like a complete BABY. She rushes into things like "Oh hey, Mom and Dad-- could we go to Alaska?" and then gets MAD when they say no??? Ummm... hello? She keeps repeating the same sob story about feeling alike with the whale-- which worked at the beginning but at the end was just really, really, really annoying.
Major Problem number TWO:
The Marine Scientists were so unrealistic and fake-- I almost laughed. Picture this: Marine Scientist has been trained to tag animals and is going to try to tag Blue 55. Random twelve year old girl contacts you and asks if you can play a (small spoiler) 55 hertz song for the whale. You agree-- and even invite the kid to Alaska!! Hold on a minute!!!
Major Problem number THREE:
The grandma deserved to be punched in the face. Your grandchild is mad because her parents won't pay to go to Alaska on a whim. Instead of consoling the child-- saying maybe someday or whatever-- you decide to sneak your grandchild to Alaska!!! NO!!!! NO!!! NO!!!! You LIE directly to her parents faces about going to the beach!!! AND GET THIS-- when they get mad the grandma shrugs and says, "they'll get over it." REALLY???
Major Problem number FOUR:
That poor girl at school was trying to be friends with Iris! True, she shouldn't have been waving her hands in Iris' face, but after Iris' whole sob story about no one trying to communicate with her, she just shoves this girl backwards from the lunch table when she tries. Nope. Of course the girl wasn't perfect at it! Do you expect her to be? Iris continues to be angry at this girl for the rest of the book-- not to mention laughing about her. This issue was never resolved, and it was handled as if we were supposed to agree with IRIS on that one.
Here's the sad reality-- if the fact that the book was about a Deaf person hadn't made me feel guilty enough to keep reading, I would have put it down. If you want to read a book about a Deaf person, don't try this one.
The book is about a Deaf girl named Iris who fixes radios. Even though she can't hear them, she can feel the vibration of the sound waves and she loves it. At school, she has no friends because no one makes an attempt to try to sign to her. The one girl who does always messes up so that Iris can't understand her, and when Iris tries to ignore her, the girl has a nasty habit of getting in Iris' personal space. In science class, Iris hears about a whale named Blue 55. Blue is a "lonely" whale because the other whales can't understand his song. Most whales sing at twenty-ish hertz, but blue sings at about fifty-five hertz. No pod of whales will accept him. Iris comes up with a plan to make him hear a reply to his song at last, and when her parents refuse to get her to the sanctuary he will be approaching soon, she runs of on a Alaskan cruise with her Grandma-- without telling her parents.
Huh....
I'm sure you noticed some issues there, and I didn't even go into detail.
Major problem number ONE:
Iris is supposed to be twelve, but she acts like a complete BABY. She rushes into things like "Oh hey, Mom and Dad-- could we go to Alaska?" and then gets MAD when they say no??? Ummm... hello? She keeps repeating the same sob story about feeling alike with the whale-- which worked at the beginning but at the end was just really, really, really annoying.
Major Problem number TWO:
The Marine Scientists were so unrealistic and fake-- I almost laughed. Picture this: Marine Scientist has been trained to tag animals and is going to try to tag Blue 55. Random twelve year old girl contacts you and asks if you can play a (small spoiler) 55 hertz song for the whale. You agree-- and even invite the kid to Alaska!! Hold on a minute!!!
Major Problem number THREE:
The grandma deserved to be punched in the face. Your grandchild is mad because her parents won't pay to go to Alaska on a whim. Instead of consoling the child-- saying maybe someday or whatever-- you decide to sneak your grandchild to Alaska!!! NO!!!! NO!!! NO!!!! You LIE directly to her parents faces about going to the beach!!! AND GET THIS-- when they get mad the grandma shrugs and says, "they'll get over it." REALLY???
Major Problem number FOUR:
That poor girl at school was trying to be friends with Iris! True, she shouldn't have been waving her hands in Iris' face, but after Iris' whole sob story about no one trying to communicate with her, she just shoves this girl backwards from the lunch table when she tries. Nope. Of course the girl wasn't perfect at it! Do you expect her to be? Iris continues to be angry at this girl for the rest of the book-- not to mention laughing about her. This issue was never resolved, and it was handled as if we were supposed to agree with IRIS on that one.
Here's the sad reality-- if the fact that the book was about a Deaf person hadn't made me feel guilty enough to keep reading, I would have put it down. If you want to read a book about a Deaf person, don't try this one.
February 25, 2024
I loved this one ya'll, a new favorite middle grade. So heartwarming and uplifting. This is about a young 12 year old girl who is deaf, Iris. She is struggling in school as the only deaf person there. One day in Science class, Iris learns about Blue 55, a whale who sings at a different frequency than other whales, categorized as a lonely whale because they can never find him and he doesn't run around with other whales because they can't understand him so he isn't accepted. She feels so connected with Blue 55! She makes a song for him, gets in touch with the researchers and makes a point to try and see him, even though he is so far away....Iris and her grandmother embark on an adventure and the story goes on here.
This book was great. I absolutely love Iris' character - you will LOVE her. The author really shows us what it's like to be deaf in school and how is can be for parents and students alike. Loved her Grandmother too!
Absolutely precious and one of my favorite middle grade books now!
This book was great. I absolutely love Iris' character - you will LOVE her. The author really shows us what it's like to be deaf in school and how is can be for parents and students alike. Loved her Grandmother too!
Absolutely precious and one of my favorite middle grade books now!
March 21, 2026
Piękna opowieść, bardzo mi się podobała, chociaż moment kulminacyjny to spore delulu. Ale kto nie potrzebuje takiej ładnej bajki?
Bardzo mi się podoba, jak autorka przedstawiła głuchych i temat samotności. Złapało mnie to za serce. Widać, że jest tą dobrą tłumaczką języka migowego, która rozumie i szanuję głuchych.
Trafiłam na tę książkę przypadkowo i to był bardzo piękny przypadek. Szkoda, gdybym ją przegapiła. Ląduje na listę lepszych książek z głuchymi postaciami.
Bardzo mi się podoba, jak autorka przedstawiła głuchych i temat samotności. Złapało mnie to za serce. Widać, że jest tą dobrą tłumaczką języka migowego, która rozumie i szanuję głuchych.
Trafiłam na tę książkę przypadkowo i to był bardzo piękny przypadek. Szkoda, gdybym ją przegapiła. Ląduje na listę lepszych książek z głuchymi postaciami.
February 6, 2019
Retroactive Review: I've been very interested in deaf-related fiction for a while (I'm deaf myself), so I was pleasantly surprised to learn about this book, which I picked up when the author had a signing event at my local library.
It's a middle-grade novel starring 12-year-old Iris, the only deaf girl in her school. She signs but only with a few family members and another friend of hers. She's also a very tech-y girl, and the novel is set in motion when Iris learns about a lonely whale (a fictionalized version of the 52-hertz whale). I found Iris's particular struggles both touching and familiar (and her grandma was such a badass). I really appreciated that the author gave us a range of deaf experiences in this novel, and she even included occasional chapters from the whale's point of view!
I highly recommend this one for anyone.
It's a middle-grade novel starring 12-year-old Iris, the only deaf girl in her school. She signs but only with a few family members and another friend of hers. She's also a very tech-y girl, and the novel is set in motion when Iris learns about a lonely whale (a fictionalized version of the 52-hertz whale). I found Iris's particular struggles both touching and familiar (and her grandma was such a badass). I really appreciated that the author gave us a range of deaf experiences in this novel, and she even included occasional chapters from the whale's point of view!
I highly recommend this one for anyone.
September 12, 2026
Wait, this was so cute!! It made me cry but in the best way possible. I really enjoyed this easy read. It was a children's book which made it more of a page Turner with a simple writing style, which I found I actually liked.
Favorite character:
🛳️Grandma🛳️
- I actually really enjoyed the grandma's personal growth in this book. She was the side characters that pulled my attention the most. I'm really glad she found a way out of the unbearable grief of a loved one, her husband, passing away and turning it into something that was part, but not all of her.
- I love how she didn't waste a second helping her granddaughter with something she wanted with all of her heart, not caring about the consequences. That was the moment when I saw how deeply she loved the main character, Iris.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite moment
🐋When she met Blue 55🐋
- Hell the concept of this story was so cute. A deaf girl and a whale who can't communicate with any other whales is so creative and I loved it. But the moment that really did me in was towards the end when she jumped in the water to meet the whale and they instantly connecting! I actually cried.
🎵 Song to match 🎵: Until I found you by: Stephen Sanchez, Emi Beihold
Would I recommend?: Yes absolutely! As long as you're okay with a simpler read and a book that will make you cry, please read!
That's my review lovelies! Thanks if you read and hope you have an amazing rest of your day! 💖💖💖
Favorite character:
🛳️Grandma🛳️
- I actually really enjoyed the grandma's personal growth in this book. She was the side characters that pulled my attention the most. I'm really glad she found a way out of the unbearable grief of a loved one, her husband, passing away and turning it into something that was part, but not all of her.
- I love how she didn't waste a second helping her granddaughter with something she wanted with all of her heart, not caring about the consequences. That was the moment when I saw how deeply she loved the main character, Iris.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite moment
🐋When she met Blue 55🐋
- Hell the concept of this story was so cute. A deaf girl and a whale who can't communicate with any other whales is so creative and I loved it. But the moment that really did me in was towards the end when she jumped in the water to meet the whale and they instantly connecting! I actually cried.
🎵 Song to match 🎵: Until I found you by: Stephen Sanchez, Emi Beihold
Would I recommend?: Yes absolutely! As long as you're okay with a simpler read and a book that will make you cry, please read!
That's my review lovelies! Thanks if you read and hope you have an amazing rest of your day! 💖💖💖
September 22, 2022
This was a remarkable book! I absolutely love how the author created a story about a lonely dead girl connecting with a whale. The story was amazing!
It was interesting to read about someone who can't hear, I confess, I haven't thought much what it must be like. To not be able to know what things sound like and not be able to communicate with others or join in on conversations. Iris obviously struggled with this, but I loved how she didn't dwell on those issues, instead focusing on things that she loved. Like her radios, and then Blue 55.
This was an engaging read and I really enjoyed it!! I could see myself returning for a reread sometime. I would definitely recommend it!
It was interesting to read about someone who can't hear, I confess, I haven't thought much what it must be like. To not be able to know what things sound like and not be able to communicate with others or join in on conversations. Iris obviously struggled with this, but I loved how she didn't dwell on those issues, instead focusing on things that she loved. Like her radios, and then Blue 55.
This was an engaging read and I really enjoyed it!! I could see myself returning for a reread sometime. I would definitely recommend it!
June 7, 2022
A sweet, simple & enjoyable read
*3.5 stars rounded down*
*3.5 stars rounded down*
May 12, 2019
Song For a Whale was such a wonderful story to read. I have always loved whales and being near the ocean. This story brought me just a bit closer through a 12 year-old girl named Iris. Iris is deaf and hardly has any friends at her school. She goes through most of her day alone and not fitting in. When she learns about a whale with a unique song in one of her classes she becomes obsessed with this whale.
Blue 55 is a fictional character in Kelly’s story but is based off of a real whale named 52 Hertz. Blue 55 can’t communicate with other whales because his song is on a different frequency than other whales. This means he travels alone and is never able to connect with others, yet he keeps singing his song hoping someone will respond back one day.
Iris feels such a strong connection with Blue 55 that she is determined to produce a song on his frequency and have the animal sanctuary play it back for him. But nothing is ever quite that easy when your 12 years-old.
This story also focused on the life of a deaf person and how they see and understand the world. I’ve always wanted to take a sign language class. Over the years I have picked up a few signs while working with many non-verbal preschoolers.
This book is for anyone that loves animals or has ever struggled to fit in their part of the world. I loved it! I will definitely be checking out Chained next.
Blue 55 is a fictional character in Kelly’s story but is based off of a real whale named 52 Hertz. Blue 55 can’t communicate with other whales because his song is on a different frequency than other whales. This means he travels alone and is never able to connect with others, yet he keeps singing his song hoping someone will respond back one day.
Iris feels such a strong connection with Blue 55 that she is determined to produce a song on his frequency and have the animal sanctuary play it back for him. But nothing is ever quite that easy when your 12 years-old.
This story also focused on the life of a deaf person and how they see and understand the world. I’ve always wanted to take a sign language class. Over the years I have picked up a few signs while working with many non-verbal preschoolers.
This book is for anyone that loves animals or has ever struggled to fit in their part of the world. I loved it! I will definitely be checking out Chained next.
February 1, 2022
In Iris life she feels at a loss. Just losing her Grandfather and going to a school she doesn't fit into she tries to live day by day but I forgot to tell you that Iris is death. So one day she discovers a whale that is much like her. Blue 55 is alone and doesn't communicate with anyone so Iris invents a way to sing with Blue 55. Now she needs to get to him to play the song. Iris Grandmother and her escapes to Alaska to play that song, but will she find Blue 55 to play the song and if she can will he listen. Iris is your typical 12 year old with a disadvantage and with this journey she discovers much about herself and the parents who she thinks doesn't understand her. The story is beautiful and you learn so much about whales and their song. What a beautiful Middle Grade book for all to love!
November 17, 2019
Interesting premise: a deaf 12-year old girl learns of the plight of a bi-species whale, who cannot communicate with others because its "song" is at a different frequency. Iris comes up with a great idea to send a song at 55 dB. While Iris is determined to help, she is also very self-centered and does not seem to care much for anyone else, except herself. She decides to head to Alaska on her own to see the whale, eventually teaming up with her grandmother, who is adrift, having recently lost her husband of many years. I liked Iris befriending the daughter of the marine biologist (scientist?) on the cruise ship.
September 9, 2019
SONG FOR A WHALE is another gem from the Juvenile Fiction shelves. It's the intelligent, thought-provoking story of Iris, a young Deaf girl who often feels disconnected from her parents and classmates and the connection and wonder she feels upon learning of Blue 55, a whale whose unique song cannot be understood by other whales. Can these two help one another?
July 28, 2020
What a lovely and heartfelt story (based on true events) bringing light to the deaf community. Middle grade is so under appreciated!! Loved this!
May 21, 2019
As a former American Sign Language/English Interpreter, I get very excited when I see a book about Deaf culture and ASL. This is one of those times. With Song For A Whale, Lynne Kelly, an ASL/English Interpreter herself, has written a touching, entertaining and informative coming-of-age story about Iris, a twelve-year-old girl and a unique whale who both struggle to communicate and find their place within the world around them.
Iris is an interesting main character - she's smart, curious and has some fire in her. But she's also very, very lonely. She is a Deaf tween in a hearing family, who goes to a hearing school, whose only Deaf influence is her grandmother and only friend, Wendell. Her isolation and loneliness are palpable but after reading about Blue 55, a whale who struggles to communicate at the same frequency as other whales, Iris feels a kinship with it. With the help of her Grandma (whose relationship with Iris was one of my favourite parts of the book) and her exceptional electronics skills, they set off on an adventure to help the whale.
Through this compelling and touching story, Kelly weaves information about Deaf culture - - information that may be new to many hearing readers. Topics include: the limited ASL skills of some hearing family members, Deaf poetry, different groups within the deaf community and Deaf pride.
Overall, this was a good middle school read about a spunky girl who just so happens to be Deaf. Her deafness didn't limit or define who she is as a person and I loved that. And while the ending was a little too surreal for me, I think Middle School readers will eat it up. This is a good coming-of-age story with a dash of adventure that has important messages about inclusion, understanding and the importance of familial bonds.
Note: I highly recommend reading the author's notes at the back of the book for more information about Deaf culture.
Iris is an interesting main character - she's smart, curious and has some fire in her. But she's also very, very lonely. She is a Deaf tween in a hearing family, who goes to a hearing school, whose only Deaf influence is her grandmother and only friend, Wendell. Her isolation and loneliness are palpable but after reading about Blue 55, a whale who struggles to communicate at the same frequency as other whales, Iris feels a kinship with it. With the help of her Grandma (whose relationship with Iris was one of my favourite parts of the book) and her exceptional electronics skills, they set off on an adventure to help the whale.
Through this compelling and touching story, Kelly weaves information about Deaf culture - - information that may be new to many hearing readers. Topics include: the limited ASL skills of some hearing family members, Deaf poetry, different groups within the deaf community and Deaf pride.
Overall, this was a good middle school read about a spunky girl who just so happens to be Deaf. Her deafness didn't limit or define who she is as a person and I loved that. And while the ending was a little too surreal for me, I think Middle School readers will eat it up. This is a good coming-of-age story with a dash of adventure that has important messages about inclusion, understanding and the importance of familial bonds.
Note: I highly recommend reading the author's notes at the back of the book for more information about Deaf culture.
November 21, 2020
Pour la première fois de ma vie, je lisais un livre dont le personnage principal est atteint de surdité. Ballade pour une baleine m'a fait découvrir un monde qui m'était totalement inconnu, celui des personnes atteintes de déficience auditive. Un monde où entendre ne signifie pas de percevoir grâce à l'ouïe, mais plutôt grâce aux mouvements du corps et du visage. Un monde souvent incompris et parfois mal jugé. Je me suis attachée à Iris comme l'on s'attache à un nouveau membre de sa famille. Je n'ai pas lu, mais bien vécu cette fabuleuse aventure aux côtés d'Iris et de sa grand-mère.
J'ai eu un réel coup de cœur pour ce livre 💙
J'ai eu un réel coup de cœur pour ce livre 💙
February 13, 2020
It was hard for me to rate this because I know I have a ton of 6th grade students who will love this novel. I would really love to love it with them.
However, I thought this book was super cheesy and boring. While there was one twist, it was mostly predictable. Further, the analogy between the main character and the whale was sooo overdone. It reminded me of Neal Shusterman’s A Long Way Down. (That book nearly killed me with its analogies.) I know this book is written for kids, but you don’t have to make the same point 100 times.
The best part about the book was the representation of deaf characters and girls that are in to science and technology. Besides that, I wasn’t too excited.
It’s a good thing I’m not part of the intended audience.
However, I thought this book was super cheesy and boring. While there was one twist, it was mostly predictable. Further, the analogy between the main character and the whale was sooo overdone. It reminded me of Neal Shusterman’s A Long Way Down. (That book nearly killed me with its analogies.) I know this book is written for kids, but you don’t have to make the same point 100 times.
The best part about the book was the representation of deaf characters and girls that are in to science and technology. Besides that, I wasn’t too excited.
It’s a good thing I’m not part of the intended audience.
July 23, 2021
Personal rating: 3.5 stars
Educational rating: 4 stars
This was a very sweet book for middle-grade students, with a lot of jumping-off points for discussions on language, science, history, etc. Basic literary conventions should be easy to spot for most students in grades 4-6, and more serious conversations could still be had at the 7-8 level. I would have loved a story with a deaf main character when I was a kid -- they just didn't exist back then. And no, bios about Helen Keller don't count. From an adult perspective, there were a lot of insipid issues, but I think those might be mostly down to the narrator. I was listening to this one... blah blah, irony, blah blah. I'm glad I gave this one to my nine-year-old niece to read. I think she'll enjoy it very much.
Educational rating: 4 stars
This was a very sweet book for middle-grade students, with a lot of jumping-off points for discussions on language, science, history, etc. Basic literary conventions should be easy to spot for most students in grades 4-6, and more serious conversations could still be had at the 7-8 level. I would have loved a story with a deaf main character when I was a kid -- they just didn't exist back then. And no, bios about Helen Keller don't count. From an adult perspective, there were a lot of insipid issues, but I think those might be mostly down to the narrator. I was listening to this one... blah blah, irony, blah blah. I'm glad I gave this one to my nine-year-old niece to read. I think she'll enjoy it very much.
May 17, 2021
This book was extremely touching and I felt very connected to the characters. Strangely enough, I think I felt most connected to the whale, Blue. I related to Iris as well though, and even though I'm not deaf and so could never actually know what that feels like, it seems as though this book did a good job of portraying how a isolated a deaf person might feel if they didn't have anyone who they could truly communicate with. Again, despite the fact that I'm not deaf myself, I could still relate to the feeling of being alone despite being surrounded by many others, and I appreciated this book because of that.
March 2, 2019
I enjoyed the characters a lot - they have depth and we see sweet moments. I think my main issue is that I found it hard to suspend disbelief that this could really happen. This is a realistic story with a bit of a surreal element (including the POV of a whale that feels). I liked the science in this story (acoustic biology, hertz, fixing radios) - Iris' hobbies were different and interesting. I also liked learning more about Deaf culture; the author is an interpreter for deaf children in schools.
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