Iris’s quest to help Blue 55 hear his own song will melt your heart. With Iris narrating, readers will gain insight into what it’s like to be deaf in a hearing world. Kelly is a remarkable storyteller who weaves together the parallel lives of these two unlikely characters, who are lonely and want to be heard.

Lynn Kelly’s Song for a Whale is a captivating story about the connection between a deaf girl and a whale. How will she play her song for him? How will she see him? Iris wants to be there, but Blue 55 and the sanctuary are three thousand miles away. The marine biologist responds enthusiastically and says she will play the recording. Iris hopes that sanctuaries will play it as he migrates along the west coast, so he can hear his song. She sends it to a marine biologist from an Alaskan sanctuary trying to tag Blue 55. She uses her tech skills, works with the school musicians to record a song at Blue 55’s frequency, and mixes it with his own song. Iris has an idea to invent a way to “sing” to him. He has swum alone for decades with little contact with other whale pods or his family. His unique voice isn’t understood by the other whales. Most whales call out at frequencies of 35 hertz and lower, but Blue 55 sings at 55 hertz. When she learns about Blue 55, a hybrid whale (his mother a blue whale, his father a fin whale) who is unable to communicate with other whales, Iris understands how he must feel. If you’ve ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be. But she’s the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she’s not very smart. Themes: Deaf girl, School, Whales, Grandmother, Communication, Hope, Travelįrom fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius.

Suitable for Ages: 8-12 (adults will enjoy) Theme for Earth Day - Protect our Speciesĭelacorte Books for Young Readers, Fiction, Feb.

Song for a whale