Middle School

Charlie and Frog

Karen Krane

All Charlie Tickler wants is for his parents to listen.

Charlie‘s parents have left him (again). This time they are off to South Africa to help giant golden moles. And Charlie? He‘s been dumped with his TV-obsessed grandparents. Lonely and curious, Charlie heads into the village of Castle-on-the-Hudson, where a frightened old woman gives him a desperate message-in sign language. When she suddenly disappears, Charlie is determined to find answers.

All Francine (aka Frog) Castle wants is to be the world‘s greatest detective.

Frog, who is Deaf, would rather be solving crimes than working at the Flying Hands Cafe. When Charlie Tickler walks into the cafe looking for help, Frog jumps at the chance to tackle a real-life case.

Together, Charlie and Frog set out to decipher a series of clues and uncover the truth behind the missing woman‘s mysterious message. Charlie needs to learn American Sign Language (fast) to keep up with quick-witted Frog. And Frog needs to gather her detective know-how (now) to break the case before it‘s too late.

Discover the surprising ways people listen in debut author Karen Kane‘s page-turning mystery filled with humor, intrigue, and heartwarming friendships.

Deaf Child Crossing

Marlee Matlin

Megan is excited when Cindy moves into her neighborhood -- maybe she‘ll finally have a best friend. Sure enough, the two girls quickly become inseparable. Cindy even starts to learn sign language so they can communicate more easily.

But when they go away to summer camp together, problems arise. Cindy feels left out, because Megan is spending all of her time with Lizzie, another deaf girl; Megan resents that Cindy is always trying to help her, even when she doesn‘t need help. Before they can mend their differences, both girls have to learn what it means to be a friend.

Resources

ASL excerpt of the book signed by author Marlee Matlin

deaf not Deaf

Christian Fusco

Rian is starting her sixth grade year in a new home and at a new school in Northeast Philadelphia. On her first day, she is greeted by Shack, the class bully, who wastes no time breaking one of her cochlear implants. She’s used to feeling like an outsider, but nothing could prepare her for life at John Hancock Elementary. Her teachers can’t pronounce her name, the “normal” kids think she’s Deaf and the Deaf kids think she’s a joke, especially Luis Rodriguez, a Deaf boy who uses American Sign Language to communicate with his small circle of family and friends.

deaf not Deaf is a story about an unlikely friendship between Rian and Luis, two sixth graders who understand deafness in very different ways. Drawn together by a common enemy, Rian, Luis and their small group of misfit friends hatch a ghoulish plan to get revenge on Shack once and for all…but will their idea be an epic success or will playing with the supernatural come back to haunt them in the end?

Resources

Interview with the author (English)

El Deafo

Cece Bell

Starting at a new school is scary, especially with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here, she’s different. She’s sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Resources

Apple TV series trailer

Reading Guide

Feathers

Jacqueline Woodson

“Hope is the thing with feathers” starts the poem Frannie is reading in school. Frannie hasn’t thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more “holy.” There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he’s not white. Who is he?

During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light—her brother Sean’s deafness, her mother’s fear, the class bully’s anger, her best friend’s faith and her own desire for “the thing with feathers.”

Jacqueline Woodson once again takes readers on a journey into a young girl’s heart and reveals the pain and the joy of learning to look beneath the surface.

Resources

Reading Rockets interview with the author (English)

Goodbye, Tchaikovsky

Michael Thal

A twelve-year-old violin virtuoso, David Rothman is an overnight success. He performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in New York’s Symphony Hall and gets rave reviews that attract the attention of the Queen of England. His future as a musician lies brilliantly before him. Then one morning, David wakes up to discover that he has sudden and irreparable hearing loss, plunging him into a silent world and forcing him to adapt to a new culture and language in order to survive. Written from David’s perspective, the novel shows how an adolescent boy sets about coping with what he perceives as a devastating new condition. It takes time. How will he communicate with his friends? What can he do about school? How does he deal with unexpected and possibly dangerous situations? What will his future be like?

Hear Me

Kerry O‘Malley Cerra

One year after being diagnosed with hearing loss, Rayne‘s hearing keeps getting worse, even with aids. It‘s a struggle to maintain friendships and keep up in school, surfing is now a wipeout, and she can‘t understand her favorite singer‘s lyrics. But worst of all, Rayne‘s parents are pushing for her to get cochlear implants, a surgery Rayne‘s not convinced is worth the risks and challenges.

Rayne begs her parents to consider other options, but they‘re not budging. With the surgery looming, Rayne sets off on a bus journey that forces her to face her own assumptions about what her hearing loss means and what kind of life she could have. With the help of some new friends, Rayne realizes that even though her ears may be broken, she is not.

Hello, Universe

Erin Entrada Kelly

In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his crazy-about-sports family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and she loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so he can concentrate on basketball.

I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler

Karlie Waldrip

Rhett the heeler is a deaf Australian Cattle Dog who was placed at a small town shelter in Texas. He was adopted by a deaf owner named Karlie, who taught him sign language. They now love to show the world of all their abilities!

Left Out

Tim Green

Landon Dorch wants to be like everyone else. But his deafness and the way he talks have always felt like insurmountable obstacles. But now he finally sees his chance to fit in. Bigger and taller than any other seventh grader in his new school, Landon plans to use his size to his advantage and join the school’s football team. But the same speech problems and the cochlear implants that help him hear continue to haunt him.

Just when it looks like Landon will be left out of football for good, an unlikely friend comes along. But in the end only Landon can fight his way off the bench and through a crowded field of bullies bent on seeing him forever left out.

Now Hear This: Harper soars with her magic ears

Valli Gideons

When a child is diagnosed with hearing loss, it is overwhelming. The future can feel uncertain and parents might worry whether or not their child will thrive. Harper‘s real life story allows readers to follow her journey, providing both parents and children who are facing any kind of diagnosis a much-needed dose of encouragement. Through Harper‘s navigation of hearing loss, kids can imagine what is possible. Understanding and awareness are key to feeling included, and the community around a child with hearing loss is critical. This story shares ways people in a deaf or hard of hearing child‘s life can better support them. Harper‘s witty approach to storytelling resonates with young readers and will surely inspire the people who love and support them.

She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer

Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander

When she was just two years old, Laura Bridgman lost her sight, her hearing, and most of her senses of smell and taste. At the time, no one believed a child with such severe disabilities could be taught to communicate, much less lead a full and productive life. But then a progressive doctor, who had just opened the country’s first school for the blind in Boston, took her in. Laura learned to communicate, read, and write—and eventually even to teach. By the age of 12, she was world famous.

Audiences flocked to see her, and she was loved and admired by children everywhere. This fascinating and moving biography shows how Laura Bridgman paved the way for future generations of children with disabilities, making possible important advances in the way they would be educated. As a blind person with some hearing loss, Sally Hobart Alexander lends a unique and intimate perspective to this inspiring account. At last, the story of Laura Bridgman can find its long-deserved place alongside those of Louis Braille and Helen Keller.

Show Me a Sign

Ann Clare LeZotte

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.

The Silence Between Us

Alison Gervais

Deaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn’t hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating—and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL. As Maya looks past graduation and focuses on her future dreams, nothing, not even an unexpected romance, will not derail her pursuits. But when people in her life—Deaf and hearing alike—ask her to question parts of her Deaf identity, Maya stands proudly, never giving in to the idea that her Deafness is a disadvantage.

Silence In Center (Softball Star)

Jody Studdard

Silence in Center is part of the Softball Star series, inspiring stories about girls who love playing softball and baseball. 14-year-old Melody Gold is a fastpitch player who wants to make the move from Little League to Select Ball, but none of the coaches want her on their teams because she has a hearing impairment and must wear hearing aids at all times, even during games. Melody is unwilling to take no for an answer, and against the odds she leads her team to the championship game.

Silence in the Wild: A Summer in Maine

Dale C Jellison

In this coming-of-age adventure set in 1986 about a deaf boy, life hasn‘t been the same for twelve-year-old Jake Graham since his beloved grandfather passed away. After a rough school year and constant harassment by bullies, Jake wishes he could spend his entire summer with his grandfather again, but instead, his parents are sending him to a boys‘ camp in Maine. Jake arrives at Camp Pawtuckaway feeling nervous and uncertain about being outside his comfort zone, but all is forgotten after he meets Paddy, a twelve-year-old from Ireland. The friendship between the two grows as Paddy helps Jake adjust to life in the outdoors. They share their past with each other and wonder if fate brought them together to be brothers. The boys‘ summer takes an unexpected turn when Paddy is rushed to the hospital after a freak accident, then Jake gets left behind in a remote area of Maine. Alone and completely deaf, after his hearing aid stops working, Jake must make his way through the rugged wilderness in hopes that someone will find him before it‘s too late. Along the way, a mystical creature follows him, and Jake‘s life is forever changed.

Song for a Whale

Lynne Kelly

From fixing the class computer to repairing old radios, twelve-year-old Iris is a tech genius. But she‘s the only deaf person in her school, so people often treat her like she‘s not very smart. If you‘ve ever felt like no one was listening to you, then you know how hard that can be.

Tone Deaf

Olivia Rivers

Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the Twenty-First Century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and her bruises are getting harder to hide. When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.

TURBO Racers (Series)

Austin Aslan

The roar of the crowd, the glow of the spotlight, the thrill of the race—Mace Blazer dreams of going TURBO.

TURBOnauts thrive on the thrum of trimorphers’s rocket engines as the vehicles morph from super-powered race cars to speeding jet aircrafts to torpedo-fast submarines, while they race full-throttle around every bend. And Mace believes he’s got what it takes to join their ranks—he only needs the chance to prove it.

So when a reclusive retired racer chooses Mace to try out to be part of the next generation of TURBOnauts, Mace knows that this is his moment to show what he can do. But the path to his big shot means facing down the best and the brightest from around the world. Mace will have to live more fearlessly, hone quicker reflexes, be revolutionary—but will it be enough?

Mace quickly realizes that everything he’s ever hoped for comes at a price. He’ll have to decide between what is right and what is easy. Every morph counts in the first book in this exhilarating new adventure series by the acclaimed author of The Islands at the End of the World, Austin Aslan.

Wonder Struck

Brian Selznick

In this groundbreaking tour de force, Caldecott Medalist and bookmaking pioneer Brian Selznick sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Ben and Rose secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known. Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother‘s room and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing.Set fifty years apart, these two independent stories--Ben‘s told in words, Rose‘s in pictures--weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful--with over 460 pages of original artwork--Wonderstruckis a stunning achievement from a gifted artist and visionary.

You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P!

Alex Gino

Jilly thinks she‘s figured out how life works. But when her sister, Emma, is born deaf, she realizes how much she still has to learn. The world is going to treat Jilly, who is white and hearing, differently from Emma, just as it will treat them both differently from their Black cousins.A big fantasy reader, Jilly makes a connection online with another fantasy fan, Derek, who is a Deaf, Black ASL user. She goes to Derek for help with Emma but doesn‘t always know the best way or time to ask for it.As she and Derek meet in person, have some really fun conversations, and become friends, Jilly makes some mistakes . . . but comes to understand that it‘s up to her, not Derek to figure out how to do better next time -- especially when she wants to be there for Derek the most.Within a world where kids like Derek and Emma aren‘t assured the same freedom or safety as kids like Jilly, Jilly is starting to learn all the things she doesn‘t know--and by doing that, she‘s also working to discover how to support her family and her friends.