September 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 This is the ultimately empowering story of Rayne, 12, who, as she loses her hearing, is made by her parents, without her consent, to get cochlear implants because they believe it will "fix her." Rayne, who's afraid the surgery won't work, is terrified of getting it. She's beginning to socially isolate herself from her friends and realizes she can't understand her favorite singer's lyrics. After she finds out her parents have already scheduled the surgery date, Rayne makes a desperate decision to run away in search of a doctor undertaking a stem cell research trial for children, even though she doesn't qualify because she's too old. Cerra, who has hearing loss herself, sensitively examines all sides of the complex issue of communication within the Deaf community. Her use of asterisks in place of dialogue that Rayne can't hear is very effective. Characters are cued as white. This empathetic, appealing story highlights Rayne's journey to self-acceptance while also exploring her complicated but loving family relationships, loyal friendships, and a little romance. Discussion questions wrap everything up.
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August 1, 2022
Florida seventh grader Rayne is losing her hearing, and neither she nor her parents know how to handle it. Rayne, an implied White girl, wears hearing aids that she is self-conscious about. It's getting harder and harder to hear, and now her parents want her to get cochlear implants, which she is desperate to avoid. The dialogue is written with many omitted words replaced with asterisks to represent what Rayne misses, and it is an effective choice. Readers may get just frustrated enough to develop insight into Rayne's experiences, but the text remains readable and comprehensible. In the end, the lesson is loud and clear: Neither Rayne nor her ears are "broken," and there is more than one way for her to live with her increasing deafness. Cerra does a good job of presenting many of the pros and cons of cochlear implants, acknowledging that while they help some, they are not a cure-all. Two resources at the end unfortunately undermine the book's central message: the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a group that is controversial at best in the signing Deaf community that Rayne ultimately enters, and the Signing Exact English Center. Organizations supporting American Sign Language, a natural language central to Deaf culture in the U.S., are also included. Still, Rayne is a likable protagonist, and readers will root for her. (This review was updated for accuracy.) An interesting story of a particular deaf experience. (author's note, discussion questions) (Fiction. 10-14)
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