Read My Lips

Popularity is as easy as a good secret.

Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there's no turning back.

From skater chick to cookie-cutter prep, Serena's identity has done a 180...almost. She still wants to date Miller, the school rebel, and she's not ready to trade her hoodies for pink tees just yet. But she is rising through the ranks in the school's most exclusive clique.

With each new secret she uncovers, Serena feels pressure to find out more. Reading lips has always been her greatest talent, but now Serena just feels like a gigantic snoop...

Serena just wants to fly under the radar at her new school. But Serena is deaf, and she can read lips really well-even across the busy cafeteria. So when the popular girls discover her talent, there's no turning back.

From skater chick to cookie-cutter prep, Serena's identity has done a 180...almost. She still wants to date Miller, the school rebel, and she's not ready to trade her hoodies for pink tees just yet. But she is rising through the ranks in the school's most exclusive clique.

With each new secret she uncovers, Serena feels pressure to find out more. Reading lips has always been her greatest talent, but now Serena just feels like a gigantic snoop...

KLIATT

Being the new kid in school is never fun, but for 10th-grader Serena, it is extra difficult. Serena is not only deaf, but she seems to be the only punk/skater in the school. Surroundedby lots of preppy kids in pastel shirts, Seren a longs for her old school, where she at least had some friends. When the popular girls discover she reads lips, they accept her into their tight group. Serena isn't stupid; she knows the girls want to use her for gossip about their peers, teachers, and each other. But Serena can't help but think that maybe for once she could fit in. If she gives the girls what they want—dirt on everyone around them—they will continue to invite her to parties, sit with her at lunch, and hang out on the weekends. Serena gets caught up in her new "friends" and finds she is losing who she really is in her attempt to fit in. Her crush on Miller, a brooding misfit, is deemed unacceptable by the clique, so Serena tries to see him on the side and keep it quiet. When Serena gets involved in a secret sorority and gets on the bad side of one of the queen bees, all of the gossip she helped spread comes back to haunt her. It is unique to see a deaf main character, which makes this book a great addition to any library collection. Serena is easy to relate to. She comes off as smart and not swayed by something like popularity, but once she gets a taste of that acceptance, she gets sucked so easily into the popular girls' world. It is hard to believe, though, that it never occurred to Serena to eavesdrop on other people's conversations before. Readers who may initially feel frustrated with Serena's easy cave to conformity will be pleased with how she negotiates fitting in whilestaying true to herself. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregor

Teri Brown is the author of the young adult novel Read My Lips, and her writing has appeared in a wide array of magazines from Writer’s Digest Magazine, Women’s Health and Fitness, Dog Fancy, and Oregon Coast Magazine, among many others. She lives in Portland, Oregon.