How to Speak Dolphin

How to Speak Dolphin
Ginny Rorby
Scholastic, 2015
264 Pages
Grades 4-7
Realistic Fiction/Animal

Lily's life hasn't been the same since her mother tragically died in a car accident two years ago, leaving her with a stepfather and a severely autistic half-brother, Adam. Stepfather, Don, is a very important oncologist and has a hard time connecting emotionally or realistically accepting the best course of action for Adam. The only thing that seems to connect with Adam is dolphins and when they meet an injured dolphin, Nori, he finally makes a friend. Meanwhile, Lily makes her own friend, a blind girl named Zoe, who is trying to navigate her world using elocution, just like the dolphins. Lily has very little time of her own, having to bear the responsibility of caring for Adam. Help arrives in the form of a new unflappable babysitter, who not only gives Lily a much needed break, but helps to convince Don that putting Adam in a program geared towards autistic kids would help him learn to cope with his environment a bit better. Don seems to think that bringing Adam to a program at the aquarium where he can swim with the dolphins is the answer, but does the aquarium treat their animals humanely? Is this really the best course of action for both Adam and Nori?

How to Speak Dolphin manages to squeeze in a lot of issues in one book. Kids looking for a light and breezy animal story or very sensitive readers should look elsewhere. Young people who love to dive into a book where kids are battling obstacles will find lots to occupy them. The issues raised in the book include: the loss of a parent and the accompanying guilt and sadness, an emotionally abusive stepparent, living with a severely autistic sibling, animal cruelty, and blindness. The stepfather is over-the-top horrible to Lily and makes her responsible for caring for her brother, who throws food, is not toilet trained at four years old, and is non-verbal and violent. She has very little time away from her duties. Kids who love animals will applaud as Lily and Zoe work to free Dori from her prison of a tank and may empower readers to make a difference in their own world. Rorby certainly had an agenda when writing this book and it is the main focus of the book over character development or nuance, yet young readers, who can be very black-and-white, may appreciate the linear plot and clear messages. This story is not for everybody, but will appeal to certain animal-loving readers, who may be inspired to rescue their own animal friends.