The Music of Dolphins (Apple Signature Edition)

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Summary: This book is the best book ever
Review: The music of Dolphins by Keren Hesse. This amazing fiction book is about a girl named Mila. She has to face major changes in her life. At the age of 4 she was raised by dolphins . Now a teenager she has been rescued by reserchers. Thay teach her different languages and music. The more Mila finds out what it means to be a human the more she longs for a home. I would like to recommend this book to a person that likes books about what some kids have to face in their life because of the way they were raised. I hope you like and enjoy this book as much as I did!!
BY,
ALISON

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Summary: A popular book for girls in our school
Review: "The Music of Dolphins" has been a fairly popular book with 5th and 6th grade girls in our elementary school library, so I decided to listen to the audio-book on cassette read by the actress Michele McHall.

Just as Karen Hesse starts the book with large print and simple language, McHall reads the first part of the book in a slow, halting and almost annoying high-pitched voice. My teenaged son--who normallly loves to listen to books on tape--was so annoyed by this, he quit listening within the first few chapters.

However, just as the font in the book gets smaller and the language gets smoother, McHall's version of Mila's voice becomes easier to listen to as Mila ajdusts to being removed from her dolphin family and living with scientists who teach her English and music, while they study her in hopes of learning dolphin language.

Both the book and the audio-book have an atmosphere that grows on you, and it's easy to get caught up in Mila's confusion, hopes, concern for another feral child, and stirrings of love. In the end, you're left to ponder the question of what it means to be a human. I think that's why this book is so deceptively simple, when it's really dealing with some pretty profound questions.

Although I'm troubled with Karen Hesse's conclusion that a girl raised by dolphins is more "human" than the humans who care for her and study her, it does force you to stop and think about what the good qualities in human beings should be like.

I think my son would agree that this is a "girl's book," but it's certainly one that deserves to be read, discussed and pondered.

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Summary: One of my favorites!!!!!
Review: I really liked this book. It's about a girl that is found off the coast of Florida.She is taken and owned by the government.She lives w/Dr.Beck, Sandy,Dr.Troy,Justin,and Shay.She learns to act human.From dressing to playing a recorder.She writes in her journal,plays w/Shay(a friend w/ her at the clinic),reads,and plays music. She tries to understand the doctors.The more she understands the human world the more she longs for the sea.I really liked this book.Although it's not my favorite it's very close.Ms.Hesse put so much feeling and discription that it was like I was watching it and like I was actually there.It is a book that I think everyone should read.

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Summary: Life of Dolphins
Review: If you're a person that likes discovery books, you should read Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse. It's about a girl that was raised by dolphins. The name of the girl is Mila.

Mila was taken to doctors so they could teach her English because Mila made squeaky noises like dolphin language. After a couple of weeks Mila started to get better at English. There was a scientist who was a doctor too. Her name was Doctor Beck. Doctor Beck was really interested in Mila. She wanted to know everything she could about Mila's dolphin life. When Mila was learning English Mila sounded really funny. That reminded me of when my sister was learning English. She sounded really funny.

I think Karen Hesse writes really well because when she started to describe the house and the ocean you could picture it easily. Her writing is fantastic. This story is kind of sad because Doctor Beck tells Mila always that she is here to help her but she only wants Mila so she could get a lot of information and be rich

This book is a great book that l would recommend for all ages. All of my class read it they really liked it. My sister read it and she loved it too. You should definitely read it. It is just the perfect book for anyone.

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Summary: The Music of Dolphins
Review: In the poignant story The Music of Dolphins a young girl named Mila survives a plane crash and lives with dolphins for about nine years. Then the coast guard finds her and takes her to a facility for study. Although she enjoys experiencing life as a human, she cannot deny her longing to return to the sea and her dolphin family. Eventually, she must return.

In this book, Hesse uses the first person point of view as a tool to show Mila's degree of human socialization. At the beginning of the book, the sentences and chapters are short; there are no paragraphs. These characteristics illustrate Mila's limited ability to vocalize because she has not acquired the language skills necessary to organize her dolphin-like thoughts. As she learns English, Mila uses elementary, disjointed speech. In addition to using simplistic words to convey this message, Hesse uses font size to further illustrate her point. The large font size in the first part of the book symbolizes Mila's degree of socialization. Also in the first few chapters, Mila uses observations with few expressions of feelings. For example, she says, "I like good" (8); "I like Sandy happy" (9); "I like to see the picture of dolphin" (11). These examples also illustrate her rudimentary language skills.

As the book continues, the sentences get longer, and paragraphs begin to form. By Chapter 23, Mila speaks in paragraphs. This shows how much Mila has learned. Also it denotes that she has reached a level that is more socially acceptable. Hesse now decreases the font size to what one would consider average. She also employs more complex expressions of feelings and ideas to indicate Mila's increased knowledge and language. For example, she says, "I love to use my hands. To play games, to make music . . . I like every little thing I am learning with my fingers and my toes" (83).

The turning point of the story is Chapter 29. Until this point, Mila has been content to live in a house with Doctor Beck and the others and learn human things like, playing games, sleeping in a bed, and wearing clothes. In this chapter, Mila decides she no longer wants to be human. She would rather return to the sea and the dolphins. At first, she just tries to be good and follow the rules, hoping that one day they'll let her leave. In Chapter 36, Mila has a talk with Justin in which he tells her that no matter how good she is Dr. Beck will not release her. She realizes then that she doesn't have to let Dr. Beck control her and that she can stand up for herself. After this point, Mila begins her journey back to her former life. Hesse reverses the changes made in font size, sentence length, paragraph length, and word complexity. This reversal symbolizes Mila's reversal to dolphin life.

Hesse uses font size and other structural methods effectively. She has transformed these overlooked aspects of writing into tools that convey her intended message with clarity and skill. I have never read a book with this type of strategy, and I found it to be quite rewarding. It speaks in a way that plain words cannot.

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Summary: A great insightful read
Review: Not only did I love the name Mila, but I loved the girl, sometimes dolphin, Mila.You will slip into her life after she is rescued by the human race, so to speak. I will agree with some that the concept is a bit 'out there' but because of the excelent writing style, which changes as the character grows more inteligent, the plot works. Don't pick this book if you are looking for a sugar coated happy ending, because it isn't here (while the ending may be argued again and again as to it's happiness) But you will see deep and sometimes hurting observations on human lifestyle and feel the loneliness that we all feel sometimes. Parents buy this book for your young adults but READ IT first. You will not be let down, and oppurtunities for many discussions will follow. Also keep in mind a rich knowledge of dolphins and their lifestyle is very interestingly woven into this incredible story. Once again, Karen Hesse does not disappoint.

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Summary: Ocean Girl
Review: This was one of the most unusual books I've ever read. Imagine being raised by dolphins. This is what happened to Mila,until she was forced from her home to an institution for wild children. There she befriends the doctors, a doctor's son, and a feral child named Shay. Mila becomes more and more human, while Shay regresses. The story reminded me a little bit of "Flowers for Algernon", although it's not nearly as sad. The ending was kind of weird. Why did she give up all her blessings? But I liked how the font shrunk as Mila's knowledge grew, then got big again when she began longing for the sea. She "spoke" poetically of the ocean and her dolphin family. Overall, this was a quick, entertaining read. Of course I reccomend it. What I need now is a sequel. What about Mila's human father?

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Summary: Unforgettable
Review: You always read books about dolphins. Books that have no effect on you. Books you think back on and say, "Oh yeah, that was an okay story." Lots of authors will spin a simple tale around the subject of dolphins because it's a popular topic that many people like. When I bought The Music of Dolphins at a book fair, I thought I was getting just that: a simple story about a girl raised by dolphins. Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing captivating. Boy was I ever wrong.

The Music of Dolphins features a teenage girl found off Cuba, in the midst of her only real family, a group of dolphins. Mila, as she is dubbed, speaks no language but the clicks and cries of her cousins, as she calls the animals. This incredible story follows her growth as a human, in her own simple writing, as she learns what she truly is, and what she truly wants to be. As she progresses she discovers more and more about what this life she's been forced into means, and the pain and sadness that come with it. You will truly feel Mila's emotions, and will cry when you realize the decision she makes at the end. Maybe it's the right one, and maybe it's not, but this profound story will make you think about who you are, through the eyes of a girl who is different in ways you can only imagine.