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Show Me a Sign
CCBC Review:
Mary lives in Chilmark on Martha’s Vineyard in 1805. Along with a significant portion of the population of Chilmark, Mary is deaf. There is no distinction between those who can and cannot hear and most in the community know and use sign language. When a scientist from the mainland arrives, it quickly becomes clear he thinks people who can’t hear suffer from an “infirmity” and are less intelligent than hearing people. Kidnapping Mary, he takes her to the mainland, turning her over to another scientist who plans to conduct research to understand why some people can’t hear. The kidnapping plot makes for high adventure, but it’s as a work of historical fiction illuminating Mary’s community and its little-known history that this novel shines. Author LaZotte, who is Deaf, includes an informative note telling more about the high incidence of deafness on Martha Vineyard and other aspects of the island’s history. The novel’s fascinating backstory is wonderfully realized in her depiction of the setting and people of Chilmark. The story and author’s note also reference the complex, troubling, and too often unacknowledged history of how colonialism and white settlement impacted Indigenous Wampanoag and Black community members. Fictional Mary’s attitudes toward Wampanoag and Black members of her community are likely progressive for a white person of the time. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
19th Century
Ableism
Action/Adventure
Community
Deaf and Hearing Impaired People
Families
Historical Fiction
Diversity subject:
Christian
Cognitive/Neurological Disability/Condition
Publisher:
Scholastic Press
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 269
ISBN: 9781338255812
CCBC Location: Fiction, LeZotte