A Second Review of Read My Lips by Teri Brown....

...because, well, my sister and I don't always agree.



Serena Nelson is oral deaf (meaning that she has the ability to speak and with her hearing aid she has some hearing). Luckily for her, Serena is also very adept with reading lips. A skill that's about to come in handy when she goes to a new school.

At her new high school, Serena reads the lips of a private conversation and then shares it with some classmates. Right away, the “Popular Girls” realize what an asset a lip reader would be to their spread of gossip. So, soon Serena is part of the exclusive group of girls and also begins vying for a position in their secret sorority.

Life's going good for Serena. She has a huge crush on Miller, the high school outcast, and he seems to like her back! But, Serena is forced to discover who her real friends are. But soon, one person takes it too far and Serena is forced to defend and fight what she truly believes in. Read My Lips is a novel about the price of fitting in, finding your real friends and learning about who you really are.

Read my Lips is a fun read. On one hand, it was rather predictable and some parts of the plot came off as a little cliche. At the same time, I couldn't quite believe that Serena had been a skater punk. However, it was nice to have a book where the "popular people" weren't stereotyped. I agree with almost everything my older sister said about this book except I think that they were a few more good things than she did.

Despite the fact that Serena is deaf, the novel never focuses on her deafness. Serena has normal problems and behaves like a normal teen. Sure, she's deaf, but it doesn't affect the way she lives her life.
Teri Brown also does a good job of showing people's misconceptions against Serena in a humorous way. As in the beginning of the novel where the teacher just naturally assumes that Serena's deafness prevents her from talking. Or when the principal talks VERY LOUDLY whenever Serena is nearby.


Despite its flaws, I still found the book a fairly entertaing read and would recommend it as a fun read for the summer.


6/10


Happy Reading,
Reader Rabbit the Second