Unknown Title

Title:

The silence between us / Alison Gervais.

Author:

Gervais, Alison author.

ISBN:

9780310766162

Personal Author:

Gervais, Alison author.

Physical Description:

317 pages ; 22 cm

Content Type:

text

Media Type (RDA):

unmediated

Carrier Type:

volume

General Note:

Includes an interview with author Alison Gervais.

Abstract:

Moving halfway across the country to Colorado right before senior year means Maya will be leaving Pratt School for the Deaf. She's been a student there for years; to attend Engelmann High, a hearing school, is a shock. When Beau Watson, Engelmann's student body president starts learning ASL to converse with her, Maya thinks he has a hidden agenda. But she can't deny it's nice to sign with someone. When Maya passes up a chance to receive a cochlear implant she sees it as being true to herself, but Beau doesn't understand why Maya wouldn't want to hear again. -- adapted from jacket

Subject Term:

Deaf -- Juvenile fiction.

Interpersonal relations -- Juvenile fiction.

High schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Schools -- Juvenile fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Juvenile fiction.

Deaf -- Fiction.

Interpersonal relations -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Cochlear implants -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Colorado -- Fiction.

Genre:

Young adult fiction.

Format:

Books

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Batavia - Richmond Memorial Library	34020003873732	YA GERVAIS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Medina - Lee-Whedon Memorial Library	34103001902420	YA GERVAIS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... North Tonawanda Public Library	34120006184655	YA FIC GERVAIS	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Sanborn-Pekin Free Library	34132000804543	YA GERVAIS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"The Silence Between Us is eminently un-put-down-able." (NPR)

Schneider Family Book Award, Best Teen Honor Book 2020

"This is a great YA contemporary (clean) romance that follows Maya as she navigates a new school and plans for her future. The addition of representation by a Deaf character was really beautifully done. Highly recommend for people looking for a sweet, engaging, and educational romantic read." (YA and Kids Book Central)

#OwnVoices YA novel features Deaf / Hard of Hearing Community

"It's time we see more Deaf characters in books. It's time we see more books celebrating sign language and Deaf culture," said author Alison Gervais.

Deaf teen Maya moves across the country and must attend a hearing school for the first time. As if that wasn't hard enough, she also has to adjust to the hearing culture, which she finds frustrating--and also surprising when some classmates, including Beau Watson, take time to learn ASL. As Maya looks past graduation and focuses on her future dreams, nothing, not even an unexpected romance, will not derail her pursuits. But when people in her life--Deaf and hearing alike--ask her to question parts of her Deaf identity, Maya stands proudly, never giving in to the idea that her Deafness is a disadvantage.

The Silence Between Us:

Features a Deaf protagonist and an #OwnVoices perspective on Deaf and Hard of Hearing culture Is a clean YA romance by Wattpad sensation Alison Gervais Is perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and CeCe Bell

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--Moving halfway across the country and changing schools senior year would be hard enough for anyone, but for Maya, moving from a Deaf school to a hearing school is one adjustment too many. At her Deaf school, people didn't stare or shout at her, and all the misconceptions about the Deaf didn't rear their ugly heads whenever she was signing to her interpreter or trying to lip-read. And then there's Beau, who makes it his mission to learn to sign to her the first day of school. Maya assumes he's one of the "populars" who only feels sorry for her and is trying to make himself look good. Besides, Maya doesn't have time to make new friends. She is focused on getting into a good respiratory therapy program in college so she can help people like her little brother Connor, who has cystic fibrosis. Can Maya let go and trust someone to care about her just as she is? Gervais has written a captivating novel that sheds light on how hearing and Deaf cultures make assumptions about each other or are stereotyped, woven into a teen love story. American Sign Language is utilized throughout the book, with Maya's thoughts and words easily discernible. Teens will relate to the issues of parental influence, peer pressures, and first loves, but also revealed is a deeper understanding of what it means to be different in a world where sameness is the standard. VERDICT A solid addition to middle/high school fiction that allows for deep discussion about stereotypes concerning disabilities.--Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Publisher's Weekly Review

Gervais (In 27 Days) uses her own experiences of hearing loss to lend authenticity to this novel about a teenage deaf girl starting over at a new school. Straight-forward Maya Harris, 17, was born with hearing but became deaf after an unexpected illness. Following her family's relocation from New Jersey--and the school for the deaf where she was comfortable--to Colorado, Maya must attend a hearing school and worries that she'll struggle to succeed and fit in ("It was not as if I publicly announced I was Deaf--my interpreter and the signing and my hearing aids kind of made that obvious"). New friends smooth the way: mentor Nina Torres is helpful, and overachieving good-guy Beau Watson attempts to learn ASL. But a lack of university interpreters jeopardizes Maya's dream to attend college and then work in the medical field, and tension over cochlear implants develops in her budding relationship with Beau. Maya at times comes off as more self-involved than self-assured, but Gervais adroitly pulls readers into her world--conveying ASL through all caps and spelled-out words--as well as her work navigating the deaf and hearing worlds and her awareness of who she is. Ages 13--up. (Aug.)

Booklist Review

Maya Harris, high-school senior, is changing schools; this would be hard enough on anyone, but this is also the first time in years that Maya won't be at a school for the Deaf. Embarrassed to need an ASL translator and furious that her classmates are gossiping about her, Maya just wants to graduate and become a doctor. When, to her surprise, hearing class president Beau tries to learn ASL to communicate with her, Maya begrudgingly becomes friends with him, then starts to fall for him but is a relationship with someone who will never fully understand her Deafness even possible? Though the book begins slowly, it soon picks up and doesn't slow again. Maya's spunk and independent streak will appeal to readers, and Gervais fills her story with endearing supporting characters. The romance, while sweet, often takes a back seat to let Maya's ambition and experience of Deafness shine. Gervais deftly renders both the nuanced, everyday realities of life with disability and Maya's fierce pride in her Deafness, delivering a vibrant story that will resonate with Deaf and hearing audiences alike.--Monica Brown Copyright 2010 Booklist