Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33300 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689866968
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Oscar-winning actor and producer Marlee Matlin makes her writing debut about a topic she knows very well--the difficulties of growing up deaf. Nine-year-old Megan is thrilled when Cindy moves in down the street, even though the two couldn't be more different. Megan is boisterous; Cindy is shy. Megan loves everything with a passion, especially the color purple; Cindy shrinks from attention. Megan is deaf; Cindy can hear. Together, they forge an unlikely friendship that is tested when the two decide to attend summer camp together. There is another deaf child in their bunk, and suddenly Megan seems to forget the promise she made to Cindy to be "BFF," Best Friends Forever. Cindy struggles with this rejection, even as it forces her to step out from behind Megan's shadow and learn to speak up for herself. Once they are home again, the two reconcile when a hair-pulling argument dissolves into laughter.

The preeminent author of fiction about children with disabilities has always been the beloved Jean Little (Little by Little, Mine for Keeps, etc.). Having said that, Matlin is no Little, but her writing style is competent and clearly describes the realities of Megan's world. And even though Matlin's gently told story doesn't rise much above the "message" of Megan's disability, it's still a message that youngsters need to hear. (Ages 8 to 10) --Jennifer Hubert

From Publishers Weekly
Matlin, the first deaf actor to win an Academy Award, makes her fiction debut with this problematic novel about a friendship between two nine-year-old girls. Megan, who is deaf, is almost opposite in temperament from her new neighbor, the bookish, shy Cindy, but nonetheless decides that Cindy will be her best friend. Much of the book's tension relies on the girls' best-friend status, but the friendship isn't convincingly developed. Nor are the characters-even though the point of view alternates between the girls, Cindy seems sketchy next to Megan, and neither voice seems authentic (e.g., nine-year-old Megan asks herself what kind of toys the new girl will have). Matlin is at her best when delving into Megan's inner world, such as her heightened sense of smell (her father-like the other parents, distractingly referred to by his first name-claims her deafness sharpens her other senses) or her anger at not being able to use the phone, but generally these moments are fleeting and the conflicts they evoke too neatly resolved. Unfortunately, the pages are riddled with errors in grammar and syntax ("Like any other home, dinnertime was a chance to share events of day"; a paragraph written in the past tense briefly switches to present tense and back; etc.), further undermining the storytelling. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-When Cindy, who is hearing, moves in down the street from Megan, who is deaf, the nine-year-olds quickly become best friends. Megan wears hearing aids and lip-reads, but the girls become even closer as Cindy begins to learn sign language. Problems crop up when her attempts to be helpful offend Megan's sense of independence, and things get even worse at summer camp, where they meet another deaf girl, Lizzie. While this novel is a solid attempt to chronicle the issues that arise in deaf/hearing friendships, the communication difficulties are often downplayed; for example, Cindy learns to sign in a matter of months and is communicating fluently by the end of camp. The writing, too, is often awkward. Lizzie is never fully realized, though she is the prime catalyst for the conflict between the two main characters. Matlin succeeds, however, in creating a winning, spunky, sometimes frustrating Megan, and if the ending is a bit abrupt or contrived, it is nevertheless in keeping with her actions. Indeed, the story's greatest strength is in demonstrating that the two protagonists' main differences have nothing to do with hearing or the lack of it.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The best
I know I'm only tweleve and older people dont really listen to us, but hear me out for a second. This book is a heart touching storie that talks about a girl named Megan who is deaf. I read this in my sign language class. Just the first chapter caught my attention. Its shows that a girl, 10 years old, who's deaf, can still be who she wants to be. A leader. Not only of her street but also being proud of being deaf. That is what I like to read. Someone who has a diablility can still feel proud of who she is. Amazing! Now go a buy this book. It will truely turn your life around and have you look at life in a different light.

This is a fantastic book
This is a great book for any child, but if you have a deaf child it's a must. It's well written and, let's be frank, there isn't a lot of fiction with deaf characters that kids can relate too. If your child is a little older (teen or adult), Jack Haldeman's "The Fall Of Winter" is a sci-fi story with several deaf characters (and their deafness is definetely *not* a handicap!).

Deaf Child Crossing
I read this book for a book report. My mom picked it out for me. It was interesting because I have a brother who is hearing impaired, but not a severe as Megam in the book. I saw how Cindy did things for Megan as my mom says I do for my brother. As far a relationships you should choose your friends by what you have in common and sometimes just being different is what you might have in common. Make sure you are honest with each other.