Author : Ginny Rorby
Publication date : May 26th 2015 by Scholastic Press
Hey ya'll! Long time no see. I took an almost two month blogging hiatus and now I am ready to start rambling again! So, why not now? How to Speak Dolphin is a book about 12 year old Lily and his autistic younger brother, Adam. Well, this is my first time reading about autistic children, heck, I actually know very little about them. I think it's a very good theme to write about, and yes, that's why I picked this book.
Lily's life was hard enough. Her mother has passed when she needed her the most and her step father, Don was so busy with his job as a doctor. Being a student who had no real friends and an autistic brother she had to take care of, she definitely was overwhelmed. She begged Don to get help for Adam and they met a baby dolphin who was so affectionate towards Adam.
How to Speak Dolphin is a typical heartwarming middle-grade book and I have to admit, I am so addicted to this kind. It is beautifully written and Lily is such a nice girl. She's emotionally more mature than girls of her age, I think, and I believe it's because she had to be there for Adam since her mother died. Well, she was forced to be a mother and a sister for Adam which is basically too much to handle for a twelve-year-old girl. Don, on the other hand is a cynical character. While he loved Adam it was hard for him to believe his own son needed help.
The story is very realistic and the characters interact with one another smoothly. It also brought out tons of emotion from me. The narration is clear and it's easy to understand how Lily feels (since she's the narrator of this story). Her words and dialogue really reflect how much she loved Adam. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with her and I am confident enough to say that she's a true definition of a heroine. Now, time for a favorite quote, just to show you that she can be fragile too:
I put my hands out to protect myself in case I trip and fall. I wonder if this is what Zoe goes through - feeling her way through life, every step an uncertainty. I don't think so. Even with my eyes open, my life is more uncertain that hers.
Oh, and the ending left me teary eyed. It is so touching and relieving. I am glad it ends the way it does and since this is the first time I read Rorby's book, I am definitely looking forward to read her other works, especially if it falls in middle-grade category.
5 rating for How to Speak Dolphin. I strongly recommend this book for those of you who'd love to learn more about children with autism but don't feel like reading medical articles. Though this book doesn't substitute them, it's still good enough to find out about the basics, especially living with children with autism. Now, let's talk about you! Have you read Rorby's other books? What's your favorite middle-grade read this year?
