Song for a Whale

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade realistic
• Originally Published: 2019
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 800L; grades 3-7
• Structure/Length: 48 chapters; approx. 304 pages; approx. 6 hours, 34 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Like her grandparents, 12-year-old Iris is Deaf, but her mother refuses to let her attend a school where she could join a thriving Deaf community. When Iris learns about a hybrid whale who cannot communicate with other whales because of the unusual frequency of his songs, Iris becomes determined to reach out to him by composing a song at his frequency.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Isolation; difficulty in communication      

Lynne Kelly, Author

• Bio: Born in 1969 in Illinois; grew up in Houston, Texas; began working as a sign language interpreter while studying psychology in college; worked as a special education teacher for several years before turning to writing full-time; her book Song for a Whale has been translated into French, Russian, German, Farsi, and Korean; lives in Houston
• Other Works: Chained (2012)
• Awards: Schneider Family Book Award (2020)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Iris and the Whale: Singing Without Being Heard
• Self-reliance and Collaboration
• The Gap Between the Deaf and Hearing Worlds

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding communication that incite Iris’s conflict.