Reviews

A Deaf girl in an abusive situation has a chance at a new home.
Twelve-year-old Effie and her sister have been sent away from their mother and sexually abusive stepfather to live with their neglectful father. Effie’s family and peers don’t know ASL and barely try to communicate with her, and her two Deaf friends have gone off to a residential school. She’s repeating fifth grade because of her poor English and math skills, both stemming from language deprivation and neglect. Only ASL interpreter Miss Kathy sees that something very wrong is going on in Effie’s life. The story is told from Effie’s point of view in non-diegetic narrative poems that convey the feelings and thoughts she’s unable to communicate to her family. Effie learns that poetry allows her to celebrate her way of expressing herself, free from the pressures of grammar. LeZotte conscientiously portrays a Deaf child who’s experiencing language deprivation, a member of an often-forgotten population. Though Miss Kathy plays a pivotal role in turning Effie’s life around, the author is careful not to deify those who assist people with disabilities. She juxtaposes Effie’s storyline with that of her friend Cait, who has cerebral palsy and struggles with a controlling and condescending paraprofessional. While the issues Effie faces are huge, the story avoids didacticism; this poignant and compelling book is meant for anyone, yet it is accessible to kids who, like Effie, struggle with reading. Effie presents white.
Quietly extraordinary. (resources, ASL learning links) (Verse fiction. 10-14)
-Kirkus Starred Review

Gr 4-9–Effie’s first language is American Sign Language (ASL), but no one in her family takes the time to learn it. When she and her sister move in with their dad and her two bestfriends leave for a residential school, Effie is alone and unable to communicate fluently with anyone around her. She mourns for her neighborhood deer displaced by new construction and wonders if there is a place in the world for her as well. When school starts and her ASL interpreter gets permission for Effie to live with her for a month, a whole new world opens to Effie—a world where she is heard, valued, and worthy. What will happen when this month of bliss comes to an end? This novel in verse blends ASL grammar with English, infuses appalling circumstances with poetry, and elegantly weaves a heartbreaking story with hope. LeZotte shares some of her own experiences as a member of the d/Deaf community and draws on an actual custody case for inspiration, discussed in two different author’s notes, one before and one after Effie’s story. The themes of found family, abuse, neglect, conservation, friendship, independence, and self-worth are faced head-on, with grace and dignity. Readers of all ages will cry with Effie as she struggles to be heard and celebrate each victory as she learns how to make the world around her understand what she deserves.
VERDICT Highly recommended for purchase in all collections.
–Emily Beasley - School Library Journal Starred Review