How to Speak Dolphin

by Ginny Rorby

Overview

Schneider Family Book Award-winning author Ginny Rorby has created an irresistible dolphin story about a girl's struggle to help her autistic brother and herself.

Lily loves her halfbrother, Adam, but his autism has taken over her life. Lily can't make friends or go out after school — caring for Adam has forced Lily to become as much mother as sister. All Lily wants is for her stepfather, Don, to acknowledge that Adam has a real issue, and to find some kind of program that can help him. Then maybe she can have a life of her own. Adam's always loved dolphins, so when Don, an oncologist, hears about a young dolphin with cancer, he offers to help. He brings Lily and Adam along, and Adam and the dolphin — Nori — bond instantly. Don is sure this is the answer to their problems.Though Lily sees how much Adam loves Nori, she also knows deep down that the dolphin shouldn't spend the rest of her life in captivity, away from her own family. Can Adam find real help somewhere else? And can Lily help Nori regain her freedom without betraying her family? This is a deeply moving story about love, freedom, and letting go.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545676076
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,058,638
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Award-winning author Ginny Rorby holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Miami and an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is the author of How to Speak Dolphin, which Booklist described as "perfect for readers looking for a book about animals in captivity or tweens making a difference." She is also the author of Hurt Go Happy, a Schneider Family Book Award winner, and others. Rorby is co-director of the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, now in its 15th year. She lives in Fort Bragg, California.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for How To Speak Dolphin by Schneider Family Book Award-winning author Ginny Rorby:"Perfect for readers looking for a book about animals in captivity or tweens making a difference." — Booklist"In her newest exploration of animal-human relationships, Rorby's lonely, mature heroine faces tough but realistic situations. Siblings of children on the spectrum will identify with Lily [and] dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals." — Kirkus Reviews"Rorby paints a vivid picture of life with a child with autism and the struggles a family can face. This book will raise questions about the ethics of marine life attractions and leave readers rooting for Lily, an appealing narrator." — School Library Journal"The novel is brave and unflinching as it confronts difficult topics such as coping with disability, accepting a parent's death, and standing up for animal rights." —Horn Book Guide "A compassionate look at a family coping with autism, as well as a surefire hit with budding animal-rights advocates." —The Plain Dealer

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 4–7—Lily has little time for friends or activities since her life seems to revolve around her half-brother, Adam, who has autism. Life has not been easy. Her stepfather, Don, doesn't acknowledge that Adam needs to attend a special school, and Lily has yet to get over the grief of losing her mother in a car accident two years ago. When Don, an oncologist, receives a call about assisting with a young dolphin who has cancer, he eagerly agrees to help. Adam has a strong attachment to dolphins, and Don thinks this will be the panacea to cure all his troubles. Adam quickly bonds with the dolphin Nori, but Lily begins to suspect that life in captivity in a marine mammal park is not the best scenario for Nori. Rorby paints a vivid picture of life with a child with autism and the struggles a family can face. VERDICT This book will raise questions about the ethics of marine life attractions and leave readers rooting for Lily, an appealing narrator.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY

School Library Journal

2015-02-16
Is dolphin-assisted therapy so beneficial to patients that it's worth keeping a wild dolphin captive?Twelve-year-old Lily has lived with her emotionally distant oncologist stepfather and a succession of nannies since her mother died in a car accident two years ago. Nannies leave because of the difficulty of caring for Adam, Lily's severely autistic 4-year-old half brother. The newest, Suzanne, seems promising, but Lily is tired of feeling like a planet orbiting the sun Adam. When she meets blind Zoe, who will attend the same private middle school as Lily in the fall, Lily's happy to have a friend. However, Zoe's take on the plight of the captive dolphin, Nori, used in Adam's therapy opens Lily's eyes. She knows she must use her influence over her stepfather, who is consulting on Nori's treatment for cancer (caused by an oil spill), to free the animal. Lily's got several fine lines to walk, as she works to hold onto her new friend, convince her stepfather of the rightness of releasing Nori, and do what's best for Adam. In her newest exploration of animal-human relationships, Rorby's lonely, mature heroine faces tough but realistic situations. Siblings of children on the spectrum will identify with Lily. If the tale flirts with sentimentality and some of the characters are strident in their views, the whole never feels maudlin or didactic.Dolphin lovers will appreciate this look at our complicated relationship with these marine mammals. (Fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews