Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Book Review

Title: Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 Stars

While middle grade isn’t the sort of thing I normally read I have been trying to branch out more. I picked it up mainly because it features a deaf main character and it is written by a sign language interpreter so the representation is going to be accurate. We are introduced to Iris who is named after a whale that beached on the day she was born and it was a connection she shared with her grandparents since they are both deaf. Iris has a hearing parent in her father and she also goes to a hearing school which causes some issues since she needs an interpreter there but he is funny and Iris goes out of her way to make him laugh throughout the day. Iris also likes to fix radios despite not being able to hear as it presents a challenge to her and she is good at it, however, the recent death of her grandfather and the moving of her grandmother into a retirement home has shattered the connection that Iris thought she has to the world and she is struggling.

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As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we learn Iris was sent to a hearing school to be with her friends even though she doesn’t really have any and would much rather be at the local deaf school but her father mentions that ship has sailed and Iris doesn’t understand why he said this. She has also been getting in trouble at school because certain students are convinced they know sign language and invade Iris’ personal space so she lashes out but this costs her the radios she loves as punishment. However, Iris learns about a whale called Blue 55 and there is something unique about this whale. Blue sings at a much higher frequency than other whales and because of this it can’t be understood by other whales and is alone. Iris feels a connection to the whale as neither are able to communication freely with others and Iris wants to find a way to help the whale communicate but she isn’t sure where to start. We also get the whale’s perspective which was interesting and we know Blue can understand other whales they just can’t understand Blue despite repeated attempts at proving this.

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Iris learns everything she can about whale songs and why Blues’ is different. In the end she decides to create a song for Blue to see if he can understand it and be heard by someone who understands what it is like to not be able to communicate with other even your own parents. Iris does create the song and sends it to the sanctuary and they are going to use it to see if they can get Blue close enough to tag and she is so excited especially when they offer her the chance to come to the sanctuary to see her plan in action. However, Iris’ parents don’t want her to go despite it meaning so much for her and Iris is angry especially at her father who makes no effort to improve his sign language relying on her mother to interpret for him. Iris also realises in the deaf school everyone has to sign slower for her since she is used to communicating via an interpreter and can’t sign as fast as them. Iris seems to be very lost since the death of her grandfather and she is determined to see Blue in person even if she has to pay for the trip herself.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Iris is determined to go and see Blue in Alaska and ends up selling her precious radios in order to pay for it but she needs her parent’s permission to withdraw the money. She ends up turning to her grandmother for advice and she reveals that she and Iris’ grandfather had been planning a cruise to the exact location where the sanctuary is and they decide to head their together without telling Iris’ parents. Over the next few days they end hiding away the things they will need for the trip before heading out and I have a feeling this is where the real story is going to be begin as Iris has been searching for her place in the world like Blue has been searching for his. Blue’s perspective is heart-breaking to read as he desperately wants a family of his own but every pod he joins ends up leaving him because he can’t communicate with them even though he understands everything they are saying and I have a feeling that Iris is going to forge a strong connection to the whale at some point in the book.

As we cross into the second half of the novel, I was really enjoying the story but I have a feeling it has taken over halfway to get to the real meat of the novel. Iris and her grandmother head out on their little adventure to see Blue 55 but it actually turns out to be a lot more than that. On the cruise Iris gets to see whales up close for the first time and it turns her thoughts towards Blue, with the help of Bennie a girl she meets on the ship they work on her song. Iris ends up adding her own voice to the song since Bennie shows her how to alter the frequency of her own voice to make it low enough for Blue. She also ends up thinking a lot about her grandfather since this was the trip he and her grandmother were planning to go on before his death and it seems to have brought something back to her grandmother. Iris sees her grandmother laugh and enjoy herself for the first time since her grandfather died and she hopes that even when they get back the trip would have helped her grandmother come to terms with the death of her grandfather and it seems to be helping Iris as well. Iris also gets homesick being away from her family but it does spark some thoughts in her about them. We saw how her father didn’t really make an effort to learn sign language but he does make an effort to communicate with Iris in his own way and she can’t wait to share the experience with him when she gets home.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Iris is dealt a blow when they learn that Blue has taken a different route just as they are approaching the sanctuary. Between Iris, her grandmother and Bennie they are able to plan a route to where Blue is going to end up but there is the question of whether or not they are going to make it in time to see Blue. From Blue’s perspective we know he has been hanging out with some dolphins since they can communicate without words in a way but they never stay around him long. Iris decides since the other sanctuary isn’t going to use her song that she needs to do it herself and when they stop next she picks up all the parts she needs for a waterproof speaker from the local junkyard since she has had the song with her all along. I was excited to see Iris finally get to play her song and see whether she meets Blue in person after all this. I also really liked the fact that it isn’t just about the whale as Iris and her grandmother especially are coming to terms with the loss of the grandfather and how they lives will continue without him in them. Seeing Iris’ grandmother learning to cope with her grief and finding enjoyment out of life again was amazing and she really inspires Iris to do more and try harder with those that aren’t deaf to communicate like her grandmother has been doing despite the fact she does wear a hearing aid.

As we cross into the final section of the novel, Iris and her grandmother finally get to their destination and with some creative thinking Iris is finally able to meet Blue in person. While this scene and the ending of the book were beautifully written I felt they were a little rushed and I would have liked Iris to spend more than a minute or two with Blue after all the work she put into getting there. I really liked how authentically the author writes about deaf culture since she is in an interpreter herself and it really adds another dimension of realism to the book and I will be picking more work up by Lynne Kelly in the future.

Buy it here:

Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com

Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com