Whisper - Softcover

Chrissie Keighery is the author of Flower Girl, The Secret Club, and Surf's Up! under the pseudonym Chrissy Perry.

Gr 7 Up—Demi, 16, lost her hearing due to meningitis when she was 14 years old. Once a hearing person, she finds it particularly difficult to deal with her deafness. Her mother wants to control her, her father is a silent bystander, and her perfect sister has her own issues. And who are her true friends: The ones from her hearing days or the ones she is attempting to make at her new school for the deaf? This Australian import brings to light a fresh and important issue in teen literature. Demi is like any other teenager, concerned about clothes, boys, and grades. She has hopes of becoming a lawyer. But she feels that her hearing friends and the hearing community at large are not making it easy. The protagonist befriends a deaf girl who is out to make herself a change agent for the deaf, regardless of whom she runs over in the meantime, and who frowns upon Demi's hearing friends and new boyfriend. Thoughtfully depicting the ways in which "hearies" treat the deaf, Keighery makes great strides in portraying well-rounded characters. Filled with subtle reminders of how the hearing world often considers and treats the deaf community, this novel may serve as a gentle wake up call to teens that not everyone with a disability is so very different. Particularly poignant is how Demi's young nephews treat her, as if her deafness is just one more distinguishing part of who she is. This book also contains some Aussie words and expressions, which add to its charm. VERDICT Highly recommended for teens who like to explore social issues and for fans of realistic fiction.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH