Show Me a Sign
by
Ann Clare LeZotte
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Scholastic
Imprint
Scholastic Press
ISBN
9781338255812
Awards and Honors
2021 Schneider Family Book Award for Best Middle Grades Book
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Crime: Against Children , Discrimination: Ableism , Discrimination: Disability , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: Child Abuse
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there—including Mary—are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability. It will make you forever question your own ideas about what is normal.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Crime: Against Children , Discrimination: Ableism , Discrimination: Disability , Discrimination: Racial Insensitivity/Racism , Violence: Child Abuse
Details
Format
Page Count
288
Trim Size
8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Dewey
F
AR
5.1: points 7
Lexile
730L
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
0
JLG Release
Jul 2020
Book Genres
Historical Fiction
Topics
Deaf children. Chilmark, Massachusetts. Kidnapping victims. Identity. Human experimentation in medicine. Sign language. Deaf community. People with disabilities. Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Nineteenth-century US history.
Standard MARC Records
Download Standard MARC Records
Cover Art
Download Cover Art
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Publishers Weekly*, Booklist*, School Library Journal*
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
Free-spirited, inquisitive 11-year-old Mary Lambert loves to spin stories. She’s also deaf, as are her father and many others on Martha’s Vineyard. No one knows why the island has such a high population of deaf people. Mary’s friend Ezra Brewer, the old seaman, says that deafness is in the blood and was brought to the island when the original Lamberts settled there more than 100 years ago, in 1692. Signing is the only language Mary has ever known, and her life is full. But when tragedy strikes her family, she keeps a deep secret from her parents; she knows it is all her fault. Her relationship with her mother becomes strained, and everyone is on edge. Learning that a scientist is coming to the island to study why there are so many deaf residents sparks Mary’s curiosity. He charms her mother and many others on the island, but Mary soon discovers his intentions are not honest while falling victim to his deceitful plan. She is taken from her home and becomes his “live specimen” for scientific study. Her struggle to regain control of her life in a world where the deaf are considered “moronic” and her determination to find a way home will take all of her strength, cunning, and courage. LeZotte crafts a moving tale of 1805 Martha’s Vineyard that highlights issues still relevant more than 200 years later, including racism, ableism, and prejudice. Colonialism of the Wampanoag land as well as a perception of savagery among the Indigenous people, the preconceptions of the deaf, and a family’s attempt at overcoming tragedy while remaining whole are the underlying themes in the novel. But these themes add nuance to the expertly crafted story of Mary, her response to her situations, her courage, and her hope that she will reunite with the community she loves. Exceptionally written, faced paced, and full of topics that will inspire deep discussion. A valuable addition to secondary elementary or middle school collections.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-7-Free-spirited, inquisitive 11-year-old Mary Lambert loves to spin stories. She's also deaf, as are her father and many others on Martha's Vineyard. No one knows why the island has such a high population of deaf people. Mary's friend Ezra Brewer, the old seaman, says that deafness is in the blood and was brought to the island when the original Lamberts settled there more than 100 years ago, in 1692. Signing is the only language Mary has ever known, and her life is full. But when tragedy strikes her family, she keeps a deep secret from her parents; she knows it is all her fault. Her relationship with her mother becomes strained, and everyone is on edge. Learning that a scientist is coming to the island to study why there are so many deaf residents sparks Mary's curiosity. He charms her mother and many others on the island, but Mary soon discovers his intentions are not honest while falling victim to his deceitful plan. She is taken from her home and becomes his "live specimen" for scientific study. Her struggle to regain control of her life in a world where the deaf are considered "moronic" and her determination to find a way home will take all of her strength, cunning, and courage. LeZotte crafts a moving tale of 1805 Martha's Vineyard that highlights issues still relevant more than 200 years later, including racism, ableism, and prejudice. Colonialism of the Wampanoag land as well as a perception of savagery among the Indigenous people, the preconceptions of the deaf, and a family's attempt at overcoming tragedy while remaining whole are the underlying themes in the novel. But these themes add nuance to the expertly crafted story of Mary, her response to her situations, her courage, and her hope that she will reunite with the community she loves. VERDICT Exceptionally written, faced paced, and full of topics that will inspire deep discussion. A valuable addition to secondary elementary or middle school collections.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Grades 5-7
Upper Elementary & Junior High Plus
For Grades 5-7
A great way to ensure more titles for your middle-grade readers-with 12 additional popular B titles arriving at your door every year.
14 books per Year
$276.08 per Year
Interests
Clean Books,Chapter Books/Novels,Fiction,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers,Realistic Fiction
Grades 5-7
Upper Elementary & Junior High Plus
14 books per Year
$276.08 per Year
