Overview
Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails.
Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow—until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.
Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Joey Willis is used to being left out of conversations. Though she's been deaf since the age of six, Joey's mother has never allowed her to learn sign language. She strains to read the lips of those around her, but often fails.
Everything changes when Joey meets Dr. Charles Mansell and his baby chimpanzee, Sukari. Her new friends use sign language to communicate, and Joey secretly begins to learn to sign. Spending time with Charlie and Sukari, Joey has never been happier. She even starts making friends at school for the first time. But as Joey's world blooms with possibilities, Charlie's and Sukari's choices begin to narrow—until Sukari's very survival is in doubt.
VOYA
Joey Willis has been deaf since the age of seven. Her mother, Ruth, has not allowed her to learn sign language, so Joey relies on lip-reading to understand others, with limited success. A chance encounter with Sukari, a young chimpanzee, and Charlie, the scientist who taught the chimp to use sign language, opens a whole new world for Joey, eventually giving her the strength to defy her mother and defend everything she holds dear. It has been ten years since Rorby's first well-received novel about young people and animals, Dolphin Sky (Putnam, 1996/VOYA June 1996), and her second effort is certainly worth the wait. This unusual and emotional story will intrigue animal lovers and those looking for a gripping family drama. The characters are well crafted, and Joey and Charlie are especially convincing. Because of the compassion readers will have for Joey, they are sure to share her outrage and helplessness in the face of the decisions her mother makes. Younger readers, however, might have trouble fully understanding why Ruth is so resistant to Joey learning sign language. When Joey does begin signing, it seems almost too easy, as she is able to communicate with Sukari quite soon. For the most part, however, the novel is beautifully written and believable. A disturbing scene at an animal testing facility and the real stories that inspired the book could distress sensitive readers, although the information adds to the emotional impact of the story. It is a thought-provoking addition for school and public library collections.
Editorials
VOYA -
Joey Willis has been deaf since the age of seven. Her mother, Ruth, has not allowed her to learn sign language, so Joey relies on lip-reading to understand others, with limited success. A chance encounter with Sukari, a young chimpanzee, and Charlie, the scientist who taught the chimp to use sign language, opens a whole new world for Joey, eventually giving her the strength to defy her mother and defend everything she holds dear. It has been ten years since Rorby's first well-received novel about young people and animals, Dolphin Sky (Putnam, 1996/VOYA June 1996), and her second effort is certainly worth the wait. This unusual and emotional story will intrigue animal lovers and those looking for a gripping family drama. The characters are well crafted, and Joey and Charlie are especially convincing. Because of the compassion readers will have for Joey, they are sure to share her outrage and helplessness in the face of the decisions her mother makes. Younger readers, however, might have trouble fully understanding why Ruth is so resistant to Joey learning sign language. When Joey does begin signing, it seems almost too easy, as she is able to communicate with Sukari quite soon. For the most part, however, the novel is beautifully written and believable. A disturbing scene at an animal testing facility and the real stories that inspired the book could distress sensitive readers, although the information adds to the emotional impact of the story. It is a thought-provoking addition for school and public library collections.KLIATT
This has the potential to be a classic animal story with wide appeal. It is a heartbreaker, based on the true story of Lucy, a chimpanzee raised in a loving human family, who communicated using sign language. Rorby has created a fictional story of Sukari, a young chimpanzee raised by an elderly doctor, befriended by a young deaf girl named Joey. Sukari speaks sign and behaves like a curious, mischievous three-year-old human child. She gets along well with Luke, Joey's toddler brother. When the elderly doctor dies, Sukari's life changes drastically, and her plight tells us about the plight of other chimpanzees like her, housed in cages, used for research. Joey's story is also powerful. We learn eventually that her deafness was caused by her father's violence toward her when she was much younger. She is able to speak, but struggles to read lips and essentially is cut off from most friendships. Her mother refuses to allow her to learn sign language, because she feels this only announces to the world that Joey is handicapped. The doctor's estate, however, allows Joey to leave home to live in a boarding school for the deaf and to eventually attend Gallaudet College. The abuse Joey endured is echoed in the abuse Sukari faces, and gives Joey the strength to fight for a better life for Sukari. Rorby successfully gets to the core of a moving animal-human relationship; she conveys how sign language can liberate those unable to speak or hear; she horrifies us with the reality of abuse of children and abuse of helpless animals. KLIATT Codes: JSA*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2006, Tor, Starscape, 267p., Ages 12 toadult.—Claire Rosser
School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-Joey Willis is deaf, and her mother won't allow her to learn American Sign Language. Her isolated existence is turned upside down, however, when she meets her elderly neighbor, Dr. Charles Mansell, and his sign-language-using chimpanzee, Sukari. Against her mother's wishes, Joey begins to learn to sign, and Charlie, whose parents were deaf, opens her eyes to a future filled with possibilities. When he dies, Sukari's fate is left in Joey's hands. Rorby has clearly done her research. From the dialogue gaps that allow youngsters to share the frustration even a skilled lip reader feels, to a brutal scene in a chimp-filled research facility, the wealth of details support but, unfortunately, often overwhelm the story. The tale is so dense that many plot threads are abruptly abandoned, and the narrative skips ahead at random intervals. Laden with issues-parent-child relationships, the treatment of research animals, and child abuse (Joey's deafness is the result of a beating by her father)-the book often gets bogged down in its own seriousness. However, the writing shines when Rorby focuses on what is obviously her true passion: Sukari and the fate of chimpanzees like her.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.From the Publisher
"Readers will dive right into this affecting first novel….Believable characters, convincingly portrayed relationships, a deeply moving plot and a wealth of intimate details…combine to make this debut a real winner."—Starred review, Publishers Weekly on Dolphin Sky"[A] distinctive voice and well-developed characterization, a beautifully-evoked setting, and an emotionally satisfying conclusion."—Kirkus Reviews on Dolphin Sky"The characters are sensitively drawn….the issue of animal rights is provocatively and emotionally discussed."—School Library Journal on Dolphin Sky