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The Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels #12
Jessi's Secret Language: A Graphic Novel
Una nuova straordinaria amica porta tante novità e nuove sfide nel club delle baby-sitter più amato di tutti. Cosa aspetti? Manchi solo tu!
Jessi si è trasferita da poco a Stoneybrook ed è diventata un membro del baby-sitter club. Il suo primo incarico è Matt, un ragazzo sordo dalla nascita, che usa la lingua dei segni per comunicare. Così, Jessi e Matt parlano con… un linguaggio segreto! Ben presto tutti i ragazzi del quartiere vogliono imparare il linguaggio segreto di Jessi e Matt, quindi le amiche si impegnano per insegnarlo loro. Jessi è la più impegnata: si sta preparando per lo spettacolo della scuola di danza e lavora a una sorpresa segreta, solo per Matt. Riuscirà Jessi a mantenere il segreto e a portare a termine la sua performane di danza?
Jessi si è trasferita da poco a Stoneybrook ed è diventata un membro del baby-sitter club. Il suo primo incarico è Matt, un ragazzo sordo dalla nascita, che usa la lingua dei segni per comunicare. Così, Jessi e Matt parlano con… un linguaggio segreto! Ben presto tutti i ragazzi del quartiere vogliono imparare il linguaggio segreto di Jessi e Matt, quindi le amiche si impegnano per insegnarlo loro. Jessi è la più impegnata: si sta preparando per lo spettacolo della scuola di danza e lavora a una sorpresa segreta, solo per Matt. Riuscirà Jessi a mantenere il segreto e a portare a termine la sua performane di danza?
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2022
842 people are currently reading
2076 people want to read
About the author
Ann M. Martin
1,036 books3,032 followersAnn Matthews Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, with her parents and her younger sister, Jane. After graduating from Smith College, Ann became a teacher and then an editor of children's books. She's now a full-time writer.
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
Ann gets the ideas for her books from many different places. Some are based on personal experiences, while others are based on childhood memories and feelings. Many are written about contemporary problems or events. All of Ann's characters, even the members of the Baby-sitters Club, are made up. But many of her characters are based on real people. Sometimes Ann names her characters after people she knows, and other times she simply chooses names that she likes.
Ann has always enjoyed writing. Even before she was old enough to write, she would dictate stories to her mother to write down for her. Some of her favorite authors at that time were Lewis Carroll, P. L. Travers, Hugh Lofting, Astrid Lindgren, and Roald Dahl. They inspired her to become a writer herself.
Since ending the BSC series in 2000, Ann’s writing has concentrated on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.
After living in New York City for many years, Ann moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York where she now lives with her dog, Sadie, and her cats, Gussie, Willy and Woody. Her hobbies are reading, sewing, and needlework. Her favorite thing to do is to make clothes for children.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/annmma...
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December 17, 2022
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters.
I previously reviewed the original story by Ann M. Martin here, and right off the bat I can tell you that this adaptation immensely improves on it.
Note: If I don’t discuss certain characters and plot points in the adaptation and/or compare them to the source text, it means that my critique of the original (if I had anything to say on the topic) carries over to the adaptation.
Chau acknowledges Lynne Kelly, an ASL interpreter and author of Song for a Whale (which I've reviewed for my blog here), for her help in the creation of this adaptation. This instantly gave me faith that reading the story wouldn't be torturous.
It's clear that the language and sentiments have been updated. Rather than "Ameslan," the characters use ASL, and when Mrs. Braddock calls the club to book a sitter, Jessi thinks “I was excited to meet a new family and learn sign language,” as opposed to the cringeworthy "Working with a handicapped child sounded really interesting."
Another positive is that Chau provides great renderings of ASL in the comic. I understand each depiction. And there is no sim-comming in this adaptation! (Sim-com is short for Simultaneous Communication, also called contact signing. It means speaking and signing at the same time, following English word order. This is never true ASL because ASL and English word order is different. Sim-comming prioritizes English over signing, mixing the two languages unequally in a way that leaves signing deaf people at a disadvantage.)
Despite all the great stuff, we do get some ups and downs. One of them is Mrs. Braddock explaining ASL and deaf culture to Jessi.
Specifically, Mrs. Braddock says that ASL is “the only way to communicate with Matt.” I understand she means ASL is the *most effective* way to communicate with Matt, making it clear to Jessi that she is not to force Matt to adapt to her mode of communication. But what she suggests here is that Matt is incapable of using other communication tools like gesture and writing. She sort of rambles on about it, painting a sad picture as though deaf people cannot communicate with non-signers at all, which is weird.
I was disappointed that the "Matt, you stink!" scene made it into the adaptation, especially when it had been going so well. My review of the original details how traumatic it had been for me to read it as a child, and while Chau has definitely sanded down the edges here, I still get a sinking feeling when reading it. Granted, this version is far less horrifying for me than the source text, not least because of the art style. In my head, the characters are live action—I can see them as if they were real people. The cartoon-style graphic adaptation brings the characters and dialog out of reality and places them in an almost fantastical context. It gives the reader the sense that it’s made up, that it's just a story, that not only doesn’t but *couldn’t* happen in real life.
Following this scene, Jessi takes Haley and Matt to socialize at the Pike’s house, where Mal and her seven siblings are introduced to ASL. The children boggle at Haley’s interpretations for Matt, impressed by this "secret language." Chau makes the interesting decision to suddenly skip to Jessi and her charges leaving. For someone who hasn't read the original, the assumption might be: "Oh, play date is over! Time to go home and get ready for dinner." But in the original, Martin writes that Matt tells Jessi that he's ready to go home, and Haley wants to stay and keep the other children how to name-call in signs. It wasn't until later that I realized why Chau did this:
Skipping over Matt's language being co-opted by overeager hearing children sets up the absolute strongest scene in the entire adaptation. It's such a powerful scene that I can almost, *almost* forgive keeping in the unaltered "you stink" scene.
Jessi's narration explicitly states that “remembering signs was a game, and the kids learned quickly” just as a group of kids approach Matt. All of them are exuberant, clearly having developed a strong friendship in a short time. The children come to play baseball with Matt, and they all sign--obviously not in complete sentences, as they are still learning, but they have learned baseball terminology and basic signs that they can couple with gestures. It works, and is extremely realistic. This is how deaf and hearing children play with one another. More importantly, this scene indicates that Matt is teaching them, not Jessi, not Haley, and that kids aren’t just making up signs to call each other names.
As Matt and his new friends play, Jessi and Haley have a heart to heart about how she resents Matt—but this time, the dialog is beyond perfect! My review of the original details how problematic Haley's statements are, so I won't address them here. In this adaptation, Haley says having to protect and interpret for Matt makes it hard for her to make her own friends, which is true. Children being parentified (put into the position of taking care of others and putting their needs before their own) is a serious issue that has lifelong consequences on mental and emotional wellbeing. What Chau writes here is exactly what Martin should have written, and what she *could* have written had she sought out in-group perspectives (either from deaf individuals or from hearing members of the deaf community).
Moving back a little, chronologically, I want to address the dynamics between Katie Beth (hereafter KB), one of Jessi's ballet peers, and KB's younger hard of hearing sister, Adele. In the original, KB treats Adele like a cockroach. In the adaptation, however, KB just seems and embarrassed lost when it comes to Adele. It’s still very weird that the real-world racialized aspects of KB and her friend’s dislike of Jessi is ignored, and that, like the original, their disdain suddenly turns to reluctant acceptance. I understand that this was written so that Jessi would be able to teach KB what she knows about deaf culture, reinforcing it for the reader, but it doesn’t really make sense that KB needs an outsider to make her realize that communication with her own sister is important. I rant more about this in my review of the original. It remains one of the weakest points in both stories.
Luckily, Chau's adaptation hits another high point. Rather than letting Jessi walk in on a deaf class and sim-com, as Martin writes, she is invited to speak and allow the teacher, Ms Frank, interpret for her. Less great about this scene is that when Ms Frank introduces Jessi, she is speaking to the deaf children rather than signing, which doesn't make sense. Chau is apparently avoiding depicting sim-com like it's the source of all evil, but to tell the truth, sim-com can be an effective tool in some circumstances. One of those circumstances would be this scene.
Ms Frank was speaking directly to Jessi, who is not fluent in ASL, but she was in the presence of deaf people. Deaf etiquette--which is, as far as I'm aware, part of training courses for interpreters and teachers of the deaf--dictates that in the presence of a deaf person, hearing people should sign to include them. This is because if hearing people within earshot would have access to the conversation, deaf people within eyeshot should also be have access. In situations where you have a mix of non-signers and signers, sim-com may be used. If Chau was desperate to avoid sim-com, why not have Mrs. Braddock, who is standing in the room, step in to interpret and facilitate the flow of information? It just doesn't sit right with me that a teacher of the deaf with students who canonically do not speechread would introduce a newcomer in English rather than ASL.
Anyway, Jessi invites the children to her ballet recital, with Ms Frank actually interpreting now. It’s still only Matt’s class that was invited, which I still don’t really get, but I address all that in my review of the original.
An excellent touch is that Jessi receives her sign name from Matt after her performance instead of making up her own, as she does early on in the original book. Only deaf people are allowed to create and assign name signs, so not only does this make the story more authentic, but also far more touching. A name sign is a special gift. It's a signal that you've been accepted into the deaf community.
Overall, the adaptation immensely improves on the original. There are still some weaknesses, as I discussed above, but I think these are a result of trying to remain faithful to the source text. It can be hard to strike a balance.
As a final note, "Jessi's Secret Language" no longer works for a title as it had for the original, as discussed in my review of the original. It was never her language to begin with.
It occurs to me that I need to actually start linking to my ranked list of these books with deaf characters.
I previously reviewed the original story by Ann M. Martin here, and right off the bat I can tell you that this adaptation immensely improves on it.
Note: If I don’t discuss certain characters and plot points in the adaptation and/or compare them to the source text, it means that my critique of the original (if I had anything to say on the topic) carries over to the adaptation.
Chau acknowledges Lynne Kelly, an ASL interpreter and author of Song for a Whale (which I've reviewed for my blog here), for her help in the creation of this adaptation. This instantly gave me faith that reading the story wouldn't be torturous.
It's clear that the language and sentiments have been updated. Rather than "Ameslan," the characters use ASL, and when Mrs. Braddock calls the club to book a sitter, Jessi thinks “I was excited to meet a new family and learn sign language,” as opposed to the cringeworthy "Working with a handicapped child sounded really interesting."
Another positive is that Chau provides great renderings of ASL in the comic. I understand each depiction. And there is no sim-comming in this adaptation! (Sim-com is short for Simultaneous Communication, also called contact signing. It means speaking and signing at the same time, following English word order. This is never true ASL because ASL and English word order is different. Sim-comming prioritizes English over signing, mixing the two languages unequally in a way that leaves signing deaf people at a disadvantage.)
Despite all the great stuff, we do get some ups and downs. One of them is Mrs. Braddock explaining ASL and deaf culture to Jessi.
Specifically, Mrs. Braddock says that ASL is “the only way to communicate with Matt.” I understand she means ASL is the *most effective* way to communicate with Matt, making it clear to Jessi that she is not to force Matt to adapt to her mode of communication. But what she suggests here is that Matt is incapable of using other communication tools like gesture and writing. She sort of rambles on about it, painting a sad picture as though deaf people cannot communicate with non-signers at all, which is weird.
I was disappointed that the "Matt, you stink!" scene made it into the adaptation, especially when it had been going so well. My review of the original details how traumatic it had been for me to read it as a child, and while Chau has definitely sanded down the edges here, I still get a sinking feeling when reading it. Granted, this version is far less horrifying for me than the source text, not least because of the art style. In my head, the characters are live action—I can see them as if they were real people. The cartoon-style graphic adaptation brings the characters and dialog out of reality and places them in an almost fantastical context. It gives the reader the sense that it’s made up, that it's just a story, that not only doesn’t but *couldn’t* happen in real life.
Following this scene, Jessi takes Haley and Matt to socialize at the Pike’s house, where Mal and her seven siblings are introduced to ASL. The children boggle at Haley’s interpretations for Matt, impressed by this "secret language." Chau makes the interesting decision to suddenly skip to Jessi and her charges leaving. For someone who hasn't read the original, the assumption might be: "Oh, play date is over! Time to go home and get ready for dinner." But in the original, Martin writes that Matt tells Jessi that he's ready to go home, and Haley wants to stay and keep the other children how to name-call in signs. It wasn't until later that I realized why Chau did this:
Skipping over Matt's language being co-opted by overeager hearing children sets up the absolute strongest scene in the entire adaptation. It's such a powerful scene that I can almost, *almost* forgive keeping in the unaltered "you stink" scene.
Jessi's narration explicitly states that “remembering signs was a game, and the kids learned quickly” just as a group of kids approach Matt. All of them are exuberant, clearly having developed a strong friendship in a short time. The children come to play baseball with Matt, and they all sign--obviously not in complete sentences, as they are still learning, but they have learned baseball terminology and basic signs that they can couple with gestures. It works, and is extremely realistic. This is how deaf and hearing children play with one another. More importantly, this scene indicates that Matt is teaching them, not Jessi, not Haley, and that kids aren’t just making up signs to call each other names.
As Matt and his new friends play, Jessi and Haley have a heart to heart about how she resents Matt—but this time, the dialog is beyond perfect! My review of the original details how problematic Haley's statements are, so I won't address them here. In this adaptation, Haley says having to protect and interpret for Matt makes it hard for her to make her own friends, which is true. Children being parentified (put into the position of taking care of others and putting their needs before their own) is a serious issue that has lifelong consequences on mental and emotional wellbeing. What Chau writes here is exactly what Martin should have written, and what she *could* have written had she sought out in-group perspectives (either from deaf individuals or from hearing members of the deaf community).
Moving back a little, chronologically, I want to address the dynamics between Katie Beth (hereafter KB), one of Jessi's ballet peers, and KB's younger hard of hearing sister, Adele. In the original, KB treats Adele like a cockroach. In the adaptation, however, KB just seems and embarrassed lost when it comes to Adele. It’s still very weird that the real-world racialized aspects of KB and her friend’s dislike of Jessi is ignored, and that, like the original, their disdain suddenly turns to reluctant acceptance. I understand that this was written so that Jessi would be able to teach KB what she knows about deaf culture, reinforcing it for the reader, but it doesn’t really make sense that KB needs an outsider to make her realize that communication with her own sister is important. I rant more about this in my review of the original. It remains one of the weakest points in both stories.
Luckily, Chau's adaptation hits another high point. Rather than letting Jessi walk in on a deaf class and sim-com, as Martin writes, she is invited to speak and allow the teacher, Ms Frank, interpret for her. Less great about this scene is that when Ms Frank introduces Jessi, she is speaking to the deaf children rather than signing, which doesn't make sense. Chau is apparently avoiding depicting sim-com like it's the source of all evil, but to tell the truth, sim-com can be an effective tool in some circumstances. One of those circumstances would be this scene.
Ms Frank was speaking directly to Jessi, who is not fluent in ASL, but she was in the presence of deaf people. Deaf etiquette--which is, as far as I'm aware, part of training courses for interpreters and teachers of the deaf--dictates that in the presence of a deaf person, hearing people should sign to include them. This is because if hearing people within earshot would have access to the conversation, deaf people within eyeshot should also be have access. In situations where you have a mix of non-signers and signers, sim-com may be used. If Chau was desperate to avoid sim-com, why not have Mrs. Braddock, who is standing in the room, step in to interpret and facilitate the flow of information? It just doesn't sit right with me that a teacher of the deaf with students who canonically do not speechread would introduce a newcomer in English rather than ASL.
Anyway, Jessi invites the children to her ballet recital, with Ms Frank actually interpreting now. It’s still only Matt’s class that was invited, which I still don’t really get, but I address all that in my review of the original.
An excellent touch is that Jessi receives her sign name from Matt after her performance instead of making up her own, as she does early on in the original book. Only deaf people are allowed to create and assign name signs, so not only does this make the story more authentic, but also far more touching. A name sign is a special gift. It's a signal that you've been accepted into the deaf community.
Overall, the adaptation immensely improves on the original. There are still some weaknesses, as I discussed above, but I think these are a result of trying to remain faithful to the source text. It can be hard to strike a balance.
As a final note, "Jessi's Secret Language" no longer works for a title as it had for the original, as discussed in my review of the original. It was never her language to begin with.
It occurs to me that I need to actually start linking to my ranked list of these books with deaf characters.
September 25, 2022
Jessi is the newest member of The Baby-sitters Club. Jessi loves ballet and she is gearing up to perform in an upcoming ballet recital. When she has to learn sign language for Matt Braddock, who has been Deaf since birth and uses sign language to communicate, she looks forward to learning a new language and can't wait to teach the members of The Baby-sitters Club too.
This was adorable and heartwarming. I loved the adaptation, the rep, and the art. I also loved the connection between sign language and dance that both are different forms of expressing oneself. One of the best in the series.
5 stars
This was adorable and heartwarming. I loved the adaptation, the rep, and the art. I also loved the connection between sign language and dance that both are different forms of expressing oneself. One of the best in the series.
5 stars
January 18, 2023
Jessi’s Secret Language is the twelfth book in the graphic novel series and is the adaptation of the sixteen book in the original Baby-Sitters Club series by the same name. It is also my personal favorite graphic novel adaptation of the Baby-Sitters Club books (so far)!
The story is upbeat with enough conflict to be interesting and the characters are relatable people I’d want to be friends with. Plus, the adaptation fixes some of the problematic elements in the original (1988) publication. In addition to fixing some plot points and dialog, the graphic novel does something the original book could not – the artist has accurately illustrated signing throughout the book. ASL is shown as natural parts of the action and also in close-up views of hands or panels of characters demonstrating ASL signs when appropriate. – Diana F.
The story is upbeat with enough conflict to be interesting and the characters are relatable people I’d want to be friends with. Plus, the adaptation fixes some of the problematic elements in the original (1988) publication. In addition to fixing some plot points and dialog, the graphic novel does something the original book could not – the artist has accurately illustrated signing throughout the book. ASL is shown as natural parts of the action and also in close-up views of hands or panels of characters demonstrating ASL signs when appropriate. – Diana F.
January 8, 2023
It's nice to have a BSC book that concentrates almost entirely on one member! Even so, 30 (thirty!) other characters manage to make appearances throughout the book.
Jessi starts at a new ballet school and has a brief, mild conflict with a couple other dancers that doesn't amount to much. She also takes on a new babysitting job where she agrees to start learning ASL as one of the children, Matt, is deaf. But Jessi finds she needs to pay more attention to his sister, Haley, who is having some sibling issues with resentment and coping. Eventually, the two storylines come together for a feel-good night at the ballet.
It was all quite enjoyable, but I wondered a bit about the representation. Deaf reviewer Leigh Ann recently posted a very sharp critique of the original 1988 novel on Goodreads. In updating the story for this graphic novel over three decades later, some -- but not all -- of the problems Leigh Ann highlights seem to have been remedied or softened.
(Update Jan. 7, 2022: Leigh Ann has now reviewed this graphic novel also.)
Jessi starts at a new ballet school and has a brief, mild conflict with a couple other dancers that doesn't amount to much. She also takes on a new babysitting job where she agrees to start learning ASL as one of the children, Matt, is deaf. But Jessi finds she needs to pay more attention to his sister, Haley, who is having some sibling issues with resentment and coping. Eventually, the two storylines come together for a feel-good night at the ballet.
It was all quite enjoyable, but I wondered a bit about the representation. Deaf reviewer Leigh Ann recently posted a very sharp critique of the original 1988 novel on Goodreads. In updating the story for this graphic novel over three decades later, some -- but not all -- of the problems Leigh Ann highlights seem to have been remedied or softened.
(Update Jan. 7, 2022: Leigh Ann has now reviewed this graphic novel also.)
January 3, 2025
A new favorite in this series! Jessi recently starting sitting for the BSC newest charge who uses sign language to communicate. Jessi takes on this responsibility with enthusiasm and compassion. Influencing others around her and the BSC to learn how to sign and make a difference. This edition inspired me so much! And of course a pretty little brown girl on the cover was a plus too! Out of all the BSC books this is one to add to the top of the list.
September 3, 2022
I've been a BSC fan for over 30 years, I've read the series at least a billion times, and I have literally loved everything to do with the franchise: spinoffs, adaptations, everything. So whyyyy am I always so surprised at how GOOD the graphic novels are?!
Jessi has become one of my fave BSC members, so I loved getting a graphic novel about her. The artwork was great, the parts of Jessi dancing especially flowed beautifully. And needless to say, the story was perfect. A great adaptation of the source material. I laughed, I cried, same old same old lol.
Jessi has become one of my fave BSC members, so I loved getting a graphic novel about her. The artwork was great, the parts of Jessi dancing especially flowed beautifully. And needless to say, the story was perfect. A great adaptation of the source material. I laughed, I cried, same old same old lol.
October 31, 2022
Another great entry in the series! I wish ASL had been integrated into the art a little more (More like Fraction's Hawkeye), but what's here is beautiful. I'd forgotten about Katie Beth's Deaf sister Adele, who visited every few weeks even though no one in her family would learn ASL to communicate with her. Breaks my heart that 30+ years after the original version came out, there are still families who don't learn their child's language.
October 17, 2022
This is part of a series of graphic novel adoptions of the original Baby Sitters club. The one is fun because we learn American Sign Language. This is done very well, with examples, and you can pick up a little of your own to learn.
January 10, 2023
Jessi's Secret Language is beautifully done and I enjoyed having the focus be pretty much solely on Jessi. I did kind of expect more Matt but I haven't read the original in years so for all I know, it's simply how the original was as well.
When I was younger, I learned to finger spell for a class project and I kind of expected there to be a page or two in here for those but no such luck. We do get other signs throughout the book, though some are easier to figure out than others. We can't all master languages as quickly as Jessi.
I did take a moment to absolutely howl, internally at least, at Jessi's mother pointing out how they specifically chose Madame Noelle's studio because of her reputation... considering Sweet Valley Twins also does Coppélia and has one of the newer members win the lead annnnnnd it's very much a teacher's pet, did not earn it due to actual talent thing. HOWLED, I tell you. Particularly because that book is also getting a graphic novel adaptation very, very soon.
When I was younger, I learned to finger spell for a class project and I kind of expected there to be a page or two in here for those but no such luck. We do get other signs throughout the book, though some are easier to figure out than others. We can't all master languages as quickly as Jessi.
I did take a moment to absolutely howl, internally at least, at Jessi's mother pointing out how they specifically chose Madame Noelle's studio because of her reputation... considering Sweet Valley Twins also does Coppélia and has one of the newer members win the lead annnnnnd it's very much a teacher's pet, did not earn it due to actual talent thing. HOWLED, I tell you. Particularly because that book is also getting a graphic novel adaptation very, very soon.
November 24, 2022
I adored the Babysitter’s Club as a kid, so returning to the BSC in this format is both comfortingly familiar, yet fresh and new. I love the subtle storytelling and additional character building that the graphic novel format is able to lend to this series. This was actually the first volume of this adaptation run that I’d read. Chau’s pencils were a perfect fit, bringing Jessi’s world to life and providing great visuals to introduce young readers to ASL while Matt’s story unfolds. Martin’s characters are just as engaging today as they were several decades ago.
I love that the BSC is finding new fans in the younger generations.
I love that the BSC is finding new fans in the younger generations.
March 3, 2024
Cute! I love that this graphic novel series exists to introduce new kids to these stories, but also to make the problematic elements of them slightly less problematic for my nostalgic rereading purposes.
December 17, 2022
These BSC graphic novels are super fun. They've generally been updated really well to bring them into a modern setting, and this one was especially updated from the original to be less othering and more accurate about Deaf culture.
January 10, 2023
My favorite of the series thus far. I'm also starting to enjoy the switching of the artists between the volumes. It's like seeing your favorite sitcom turn into a cartoon and then into an old black and white noir style... it's the same show, but with a different twist with each switch.
January 5, 2023
Another cute installment that incorporates ballet, deaf kids, and ASL. My students love these books and I do too. Such sweet stories turned into graphic novels.
Read
May 8, 2023I really love this book. I love how she evolves and becomes a better and better baby-sitter. I recommend reading this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2024
Loved the artwork & really sweet story. :)
January 10, 2023
super cute. love the representon. I know a little bit about ASL and the deaf community
September 10, 2022
Read via library.
June 28, 2025
This was beautifully done and great for children of different abilities to see themselves represented in different mediums like this book.
My daughter isn’t of the deaf community, but she saw herself in Jessi the black ballerina as she’s a black ballerina herself. So much so that at every storybook parade at her school she used this book and dresses as Jessi.
My daughter isn’t of the deaf community, but she saw herself in Jessi the black ballerina as she’s a black ballerina herself. So much so that at every storybook parade at her school she used this book and dresses as Jessi.
December 19, 2023
A huge fan of the BSC graphic novels and I love this artist's work. Not a fan of Gabriela Epstein's artwork (too anime-ish) and hope to see more from this and other artists. Also, fantastic storyline.
September 26, 2022
I loved this addition to the BSC graphic novel series. I think they portrayed Matt’s character really well and I liked how they explained the challenges being deaf causes. I loved the graphics in this one too! Definitely one of my favourite’s in the series now.
October 22, 2022
Might be my PMS but this made me cry. Jessi is a middle school angel. Illustrator Chan Chau did wonderfully in keeping true to the artwork of the predecessors.
November 17, 2022
How are all these BSC graphic novels so gosh dang good? Ann M Martin is truly the princess of the Prince of Towns
January 11, 2023
Well, Jessi’s pretty much perfect.
May 31, 2024
I read the first twenty or so of these books when I was younger and am now reading the graphic novels.
Ok book I guess kids would like but with some issues.
This is a different artist than Claudia and the New Girl, but it has the same weird issue with missing noses or with the characters in profile having their noses and upper lip connected which makes them look like prairie dogs.
This book has Jessi learning sign language to communicate with a deaf child she sits for. Right away, she's astounded to learn that a wave means hello and goodbye. Uh, isn't that like standard to wave at people hello and goodbye? Seems pretty standard in the US and I'm guessing it is in other languages and cultures so how is it such a big deal to learn that about sign language?
Jessi takes it upon herself to help Haley learn to fit in to the new neighborhood. That's not your job Jessi! That's her parents job. But of course these tweens that see these kids a few hours a week know more than the parents that see them all the time.
Jessi says she learned the finger spelling alphabet but then asks Haley to translate "Eight-year-old boy Nicky" to Matt. If you learned finger spelling, you could easily say that yourself.
Why was the event Jessi put together such a secret? All she did was invite Matt's class to the ballet. And why did there need to be a narration for the kids before each act? Just because they are deaf doesn't mean they can't follow the story like everyone else. A real experience would be setting up something for them to experience the music along with the dance, like chair vibrations or something. Otherwise, Jessi really didn't do anything.
Ok book I guess kids would like but with some issues.
This is a different artist than Claudia and the New Girl, but it has the same weird issue with missing noses or with the characters in profile having their noses and upper lip connected which makes them look like prairie dogs.
This book has Jessi learning sign language to communicate with a deaf child she sits for. Right away, she's astounded to learn that a wave means hello and goodbye. Uh, isn't that like standard to wave at people hello and goodbye? Seems pretty standard in the US and I'm guessing it is in other languages and cultures so how is it such a big deal to learn that about sign language?
Jessi takes it upon herself to help Haley learn to fit in to the new neighborhood. That's not your job Jessi! That's her parents job. But of course these tweens that see these kids a few hours a week know more than the parents that see them all the time.
Jessi says she learned the finger spelling alphabet but then asks Haley to translate "Eight-year-old boy Nicky" to Matt. If you learned finger spelling, you could easily say that yourself.
Why was the event Jessi put together such a secret? All she did was invite Matt's class to the ballet. And why did there need to be a narration for the kids before each act? Just because they are deaf doesn't mean they can't follow the story like everyone else. A real experience would be setting up something for them to experience the music along with the dance, like chair vibrations or something. Otherwise, Jessi really didn't do anything.
March 30, 2024
So far this has been my favourite book in the BSC graphic novel series because it raises awareness about deafness and hearing loss and shows characters (Jessi, Matt's friends, Katie Beth) as well as readers the importance of creating inclusive environments at home, school, and beyond. I also loved the way that signing was depicted in the book and the connection that was made between signing and dance. Chan Chau has adapted this story with care and the illustrations are also beautifully done.
July 20, 2023
The book Jessie’s secret language. I rating was 5/5 because I like about it is that Jessie invites the sign language class. they have a Mom that does all the sign language is for them so they can can make sure they now the same words .so that a story I will tell you how l like It’I will make you feel happy.❤️
Great!🥰
Great!🥰
October 29, 2022
This might be my favorite of the series so far. The representation and conversation around ASL is so important—building an inclusive world through kids’ lit is remarkable.
April 1, 2023
Cute! I’m really enjoying reading through these
May 29, 2023
Very heartwarming to see dance and asl in this book!
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