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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
I paired listening to GIVE ME A SIGN on audio with reading TRUE BIZ by Sara Novic in print this month. It was cool seeing how both have Deaf main characters learning to sign for the first time in their teens, and how that experience varied for them both. The Deaf community is not one I have any contact with (and is unfortunately not often featured in media), so it was really cool to learn about their unique culture and the diversity within it. I learned so much from both books!
I also learned (or confirmed?) that YA romance is just not my jam. I'll keep reading it occasionally since it's such a hit genre in my classroom, but the romantic elements of the plot of this book just didn't hold my interest - my problem, not the book's! YA readers who like THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han will love this plot.
The parts I DID love were the plot points centred on the Deaf experience, Lilah's growth in her Deaf identity, and the issues Sortino raises so skilfully about discrimination and self-identification. I especially loved the last couple hours of the audiobook!
Elizabeth Robbins is a fantastic narrator, and the production is superb. There is a cool technique they used to cue listeners for when dialogue is being signed rather than spoken - very neat. Many thanks to LibroFM's educator ALC program for the advance listening copy!
I paired listening to GIVE ME A SIGN on audio with reading TRUE BIZ by Sara Novic in print this month. It was cool seeing how both have Deaf main characters learning to sign for the first time in their teens, and how that experience varied for them both. The Deaf community is not one I have any contact with (and is unfortunately not often featured in media), so it was really cool to learn about their unique culture and the diversity within it. I learned so much from both books!
I also learned (or confirmed?) that YA romance is just not my jam. I'll keep reading it occasionally since it's such a hit genre in my classroom, but the romantic elements of the plot of this book just didn't hold my interest - my problem, not the book's! YA readers who like THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han will love this plot.
The parts I DID love were the plot points centred on the Deaf experience, Lilah's growth in her Deaf identity, and the issues Sortino raises so skilfully about discrimination and self-identification. I especially loved the last couple hours of the audiobook!
Elizabeth Robbins is a fantastic narrator, and the production is superb. There is a cool technique they used to cue listeners for when dialogue is being signed rather than spoken - very neat. Many thanks to LibroFM's educator ALC program for the advance listening copy!
I will preface by saying that I have a degree in Deaf Studies so I was excited to see how the author wrote about Deaf Culture and ASL. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the author is Deaf which I love because there is no one better to write about the culture. Even if you do not have any background in ASL or Deaf Culture, this book addresses many stereotypes and common forms of discrimination the Deaf community faces. If you have ever wanted to learn about the culture or are an ASL student, this book is a great introduction without being a textbook.
I really loved this book, and learned so much while reading it. Anna Sortino was gentle in her teaching about the deaf, hard of hearing, and blind communities. She also wrote very realistic dialogue for teenagers who are undergoing the same developmental milestones as those without hearing or sight loss. There's love, there are misunderstandings, there are squabbles and apologies, and very sweet friendships. I also liked the setting of the summer camp. I particularly appreciated the discussions of the why and how of cochlear implants, and the usage of sign language. This is a world I do not know, and I needed the window through which to see it. I also think teachers should definitely read this book because there's so much more thinking that we need to do around how schools treat those with hearing loss. There isn't a blanket solution for everyone, and students and families are dealing with so much more than we know.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.
DNF at 24%
—
It’s not that the book is bad, I just didn’t find it captivating enough to keep on reading. I still really love YA books, but in this book the FMC was just a little too young for me to relate with. So that’s the reason why I decided to not finish this book.
—
It’s not that the book is bad, I just didn’t find it captivating enough to keep on reading. I still really love YA books, but in this book the FMC was just a little too young for me to relate with. So that’s the reason why I decided to not finish this book.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spodziewałam się, że ta książka przypadnie mi fo gustu ale nie sądziłam, że aż tak ją pokocham!
Bohaterowie byli bardzo dobrze wykreowani, z głębią więc nawet jak za kimś nie przepadałam byłam w stanie go zrozumieć. Wątek romantyczny był ABSOLUTNIE CUDOWNY, PRZEKOCHANY I ROZTAPIAJĄCY SERCE. Kocham Isaaca.
Jako osoba słyszącą nie jestem w stanie ocenić dokładnie jak dobra merytorycznie jest reprezentacja ale na pewno mogę powiedzieć, że wiele rzeczy się dowiedziałam i zrozumiałam dzięki niej. Zawsze się cieszę kiedy znajduję takie reprezentację, bo wiem że są osoby dla których to oznacza bardzo dużo i mogą zobaczyć w tych bohaterach siebie
CZYTAJCIE CZYTAJCIE CZYTAJCIE
[książkę dostałam w ramach współpracy barterowej z wydawnictwem]
Bohaterowie byli bardzo dobrze wykreowani, z głębią więc nawet jak za kimś nie przepadałam byłam w stanie go zrozumieć. Wątek romantyczny był ABSOLUTNIE CUDOWNY, PRZEKOCHANY I ROZTAPIAJĄCY SERCE. Kocham Isaaca.
Jako osoba słyszącą nie jestem w stanie ocenić dokładnie jak dobra merytorycznie jest reprezentacja ale na pewno mogę powiedzieć, że wiele rzeczy się dowiedziałam i zrozumiałam dzięki niej. Zawsze się cieszę kiedy znajduję takie reprezentację, bo wiem że są osoby dla których to oznacza bardzo dużo i mogą zobaczyć w tych bohaterach siebie
CZYTAJCIE CZYTAJCIE CZYTAJCIE
[książkę dostałam w ramach współpracy barterowej z wydawnictwem]
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
Representation: Deaf MC, majority Deaf ensemble
This is a story about Lilah who is deaf, and isn’t very involved with the deaf community. Lilah used to go to a summer camp where she could learn and use sign, but stopped after a while. Both Lilah and her little brother both only speak with their parents. Summer is fast approaching, and Lilah needs something to do in between school, so she decides to be a counselor at that same camp, despite her signing being very rusty. She rediscovers a sense of belonging, being around others who understand being deaf, and learning responsibility as part of getting older. Of course, there’s this cute boy counselor who she starts practicing sign with. The counselors discover that the camp may have to close down, so they work on figuring out ways to keep it open for Deaf children who desperately need a space like this to continue existing.
Rating: 4.5/5 I really enjoyed this, and definitely brought me back to my camp days, both as a camper and staff. Books with Deaf characters are often adults, and can be pretty generic stories. This is not that, it’s a cute story targeted at youth, and I think it captures the feeling of summer camp pretty well. Summer camp can be so important for Deaf children, especially ones that are all Deaf. For many, it’s only time of the year that they have the opportunity to be around others like them, because they go to mainstream schools and have no deaf peers there. These camps are often struggling financially, because they try to balance between needing money to run the camp and maintain the grounds, while keeping it affordable for children who may come from lower-income families. If you’re able, please support them in any way you can.
Representation: Deaf MC, majority Deaf ensemble
This is a story about Lilah who is deaf, and isn’t very involved with the deaf community. Lilah used to go to a summer camp where she could learn and use sign, but stopped after a while. Both Lilah and her little brother both only speak with their parents. Summer is fast approaching, and Lilah needs something to do in between school, so she decides to be a counselor at that same camp, despite her signing being very rusty. She rediscovers a sense of belonging, being around others who understand being deaf, and learning responsibility as part of getting older. Of course, there’s this cute boy counselor who she starts practicing sign with. The counselors discover that the camp may have to close down, so they work on figuring out ways to keep it open for Deaf children who desperately need a space like this to continue existing.
Rating: 4.5/5 I really enjoyed this, and definitely brought me back to my camp days, both as a camper and staff. Books with Deaf characters are often adults, and can be pretty generic stories. This is not that, it’s a cute story targeted at youth, and I think it captures the feeling of summer camp pretty well. Summer camp can be so important for Deaf children, especially ones that are all Deaf. For many, it’s only time of the year that they have the opportunity to be around others like them, because they go to mainstream schools and have no deaf peers there. These camps are often struggling financially, because they try to balance between needing money to run the camp and maintain the grounds, while keeping it affordable for children who may come from lower-income families. If you’re able, please support them in any way you can.
A wonderful own voices story. I definitely enjoyed the summer camp; it felt almost exactly like the ones I went to as a kid - kinda beaten up but well loved. Some parts felt a lot more telling than showing as the MC brought up a bunch of problems with the deaf community which are very valid but more preachy? It's hard to strike that balance but sometimes it felt like she toed if not crossed that line.
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes