| View Larger Image | Deaf Child Crossing | Paperbackby Marlee Matlin (Author)
| List Price: | $5.99 | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Aladdin | | Page Count: | 208 Pages | | Publication Date: | February 24, 2004 | | Sales Rank: | 81,379st |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780689866968
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
Megan is excited when Cindy moves into her neighborhood -- maybe she'll finally have a best friend. Sure enough, the two girls quickly become inseparable. Cindy even starts to learn sign language so they can communicate more easily. But when they go away to summer camp together, problems arise. Cindy feels left out, because Megan is spending all of her time with Lizzie, another deaf girl; Megan resents that Cindy is always trying to help her, even when she doesn't need help. Before they can mend their differences, both girls have to learn what it means to be a friend. |
Amazon.com Review
Oscar-winning actor and producer Marlee Matlin makes her writing debut about a topic she knows very well--the difficulties of growing up deaf. Nine-year-old Megan is thrilled when Cindy moves in down the street, even though the two couldn't be more different. Megan is boisterous; Cindy is shy. Megan loves everything with a passion, especially the color purple; Cindy shrinks from attention. Megan is deaf; Cindy can hear. Together, they forge an unlikely friendship that is tested when the two decide to attend summer camp together. There is another deaf child in their bunk, and suddenly Megan seems to forget the promise she made to Cindy to be "BFF," Best Friends Forever. Cindy struggles with this rejection, even as it forces her to step out from behind Megan's shadow and learn to speak up for herself. Once they are home again, the two reconcile when a hair-pulling argument dissolves into laughter. The preeminent author of fiction about children with disabilities has always been the beloved Jean Little (Little by Little, Mine for Keeps, etc.). Having said that, Matlin is no Little, but her writing style is competent and clearly describes the realities of Megan's world. And even though Matlin's gently told story doesn't rise much above the "message" of Megan's disability, it's still a message that youngsters need to hear. (Ages 8 to 10) --Jennifer Hubert |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 17 reviews)
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Great series by M. K. Lee (Walkersville, MD)  5 Stars
September 07, 2009
I've really enjoyed the 3 books in this series that I've read. I keep recommending them to friends.
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Growing up Deaf by Zahra Brown (Toronto, ON Canada) 5 Stars
September 27, 2008
If you are a camper throughout your childhood, then read this book. This book leads you to the childhood memory of how camping was like for you as a kid. I love it. So much reality is put into this book.This books discussed the pain, the isolation, and friendship. One of the best books I've read. So much humor and its a great children book and for adults as well. Its about time it raises issues of what its like being Deaf and the issues of trying to fit in the Hearing world. Love the way how ASL is described so well in the novel. Deaf Child Crossing the title itself is metaphoric message as well.It's about time! It puts a little twist in learning about advocacy as well. Brilliant way of using it. You'll know what I mean once you read it.
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A bundle of contradictions... by Veggiechiliqueen  3 Stars
May 26, 2008
Marlee Matlin's Deaf Child Crossing stars Megan Merrill, a profoundly deaf nine-year-old living in Illinois. Her parents and her older brother Matt are all hearing, but they communicate with Megan through a combination of sign language and speech. Megan wears hearing aids and is able to read lips, but is unable to use the telephone, a constant source of frustration for her.
As the story begins, Megan is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her new neighbors...of their daughter in particular. She has few school friends, and longs for a friend her own age. Cindy is at first intimidated by the loud, forward Megan (she is unable to modulate her speech volume), but the two strike up a friendship. The two are like day and night: Megan's room is messy, everything is purple, and she plays Billy Joel songs really loudly, where Cindy's room is white, plain, and orderly. Megan is computer savvy, where Cindy's never been on a chat room. Megan is good at Rollerblading, while Cindy runs into things. But Megan and Cindy quickly declare each other BFF: Best Friends Forever, and Cindy tries to learn sign language so that the two have an easier time communicating.
Megan becomes really upset when her mom wants her to go to a summer camp, throwing tantrums and going into hysterics. She has a top-secret reason why she's reluctant, but Cindy eventually convinces her that they should go to camp together. Before they even get on the bus, the two have had a major falling out over Cindy signing for Megan in a department store. Megan is furious that Cindy would dare to help her without asking first, and Cindy can't understand what Megan is so upset about.
Megan has a lot to learn about being a good friend, though. At camp, she quickly abandons Cindy for Lizzie, another deaf girl. And when Megan and Cindy's cabin come up with a great idea, Megan claims all the credit, even though it was Cindy's idea. A dramatic ghost story sets the climax in motion, but there's nothing too traumatic.
The child-friendly introduction to Deaf culture (Closed Captioning, TDD, sign language interpreters, signing songs) was generally effective, but it would have been nice if a fingerspelling alphabet had been included in the back as was done with the sequel Nobody's Perfect.
Overall, I found Deaf Child Crossing to be a bundle of contradictions: Megan is an unlikeable protagonist. She's pushy, whiny, and when she comes up against something she can't do, like talk on the telephone, she throws tantrums and takes out her frustration on her family and friends. Instead of facing challenges, she runs, frequently getting herself into trouble. And she treats her supposed BFF like dirt, not understanding why it's important to give other people credit.
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"I Love This Book Just The Way It Is" by rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) 5 Stars
October 19, 2007
Coining Megan's favorite Billy Joel song, this book is fine read for all. The book says it is appropriate for ages 8-12, but I think even older youth and adults alike will enjoy this fine read about young people maturing.
The story revolves around the maturing of two neighborhood girls of 9, one deaf and the other hearing. From each other they gain much: a best new friend, understanding of differences, and growing to find love even among quarreling, the best part is making up, etc. Takes youth of all ages back to summer vacations, summer camp, discovering best friends, learning about one's self. Truly enjoyable to dream back to those days!
This fine story by Matlin will expand many young and old people's perceptions about the deaf and their abilities. I'm going to share this book with youngsters I know, and have already donated a copy to a classroom's library.
Nice to see that so many of the reviews here did not take away the surprises at the end
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Loved it! by M. Sanders 5 Stars
March 08, 2007
This book illustrates how it feels to be a deaf child growing up in a hearing world. Even though the character isn't 100% deaf.
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SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
| Nobody's Perfect
by Marlee Matlin (Author), Doug Cooney (Author)
Megan has spent forever planning her positively purple birthday sleepover. She's even made glittery purple invitations for every girl in her class. Then a new girl, Alexis Powell, joins their class. Alexis seems perfect: She's smart, pretty, and rules the soccer games on the playground. But no matter how hard Megan tries to be a friend to Alexis, the new girl is aloof or rude. At first Megan thinks Alexis is shy. Then Megan starts to fear that Alexis is treating her differently because she's...
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| Leading Ladies
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"It doesn't make sense to me...in the book, Dorothy is a girl who can hear and talk - and Toto is a little dog. So I'm sorry - but I just don't see a Dorothy who's deaf and talks with her hands and has a great big dog for Toto!"Megan's fourth-grade class is putting on their own original musical based on the book The Wizard of Oz, and Megan wants to be the star of the show and play Dorothy. Since she's deaf, she will sign the songs for her audition. However, a problem develops when Lizzie,...
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| I'll Scream Later
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Critically acclaimed and award-winning actress Marlee Matlin reveals the illuminating, moving, and often surprising story of how she defied all expectations to become one of the most prolific and beloved actresses of our time. Marlee Matlin entered our lives as the deaf pupil turned custodian audiences fell in love with in Children of a Lesser God, a role for which she became the youngest woman ever to win a Best Actress Oscar. More than twenty years after her stunning big screen debut,...
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| Deaf Like Me
by Thomas S. Spradley (Author), James P. Spradley (Author)
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| Through Deaf Eyes
Starring: Linda Gabriel, Stockard Channing, Ed Chevy, Rita Corey, d'Artagnan
Directed By: Diane Garey, Lawrence R. Hott
Also With: Allen Moore (Cinematographer), John Baynard (Cinematographer), Kimby Caplan (Cinematographer), Lawrence R. Hott (Producer), Dalton Delan (Producer), Karen Kenton (Producer), Rebecca Rideout (Producer), Jack R. Gannon (Writer), Ken Chowder (Writer), Tracey Salaway (Writer)
Studio: Pbs Release Date: 05/06/2009 Run time: 120 minutes
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