Posted in MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Song for a Whale

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday

Song for a Whale (Delacorte Press, 2019) by Lynne Kelly is an incredible story. I loved it so much.

Iris is a tech genius who restores old electronic equipment such as antique radios. She’s also only twelve. Being the only deaf person at her school is very difficult. When she learns about Blue 55, a whale who can’t speak to other whales because he sings at the wrong frequency, Iris gets an idea. She wants to communicate with Blue 55 to show him he’s not alone. However, there are lots of obstacles in her way–like being 3000 miles away.

My grandparents and father repaired electronic equipment so loved reading about a character interested in the subject. The uniqueness of a deaf person wanting to help someone else hear is so cool, too.

I recommended Lynne’s book Chained here. Read about Lynne on her author site.

Posted in Award Winners, MG Novels, So Many Good Books

Chained

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
CHAINEDChained (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012) by Lynn Kelly is a story about a young boy in India rescuing others. First, it’s his mother, then it’s a baby elephant.
10-year-old Hastin thought that working at a circus taking care of an elephant would be fun. But he doesn’t like the cruel treatment of the Nandita, who has become his best friend. Can he escape his master? Can he help Nandita escape, too?
While doing research for this book, author Lynn Kelly came across some interesting elephant facts, which she shares here. There’s also a Chained website that includes deleted scenes and more, such as information about the elephant bell.
This book is a 2013 Crystal Kite winner–the award selected by SCBWI peers.ChainedIndiaFront
And here’s the cover for the book published in India–just because I like it.