”I’m always trying to figure out what’s really going on. Always having to fill in the gaps, but never getting all the details. It’s like trying to do a jigsaw when I don’t even know what the picture is, and I’m missing one of the vital middle pieces.”

On my morning commute to work, the first thing I usually do is put my earphones in. I choose to block out the tram rumble and the overly loud mobile phone conversations and the high school gossip with music. I don’t think I fully realised until re More...

FIRST IMPRESSION:
A deaf girl? To be honest, I was reluctant. I've read my share of people with something out of the ordinary happening to them (like The Body Finder) and I completely hated that one. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up. I didn't really think much of the cover. But the pitch at the back drew me in, even if I was thinking, "Meh. How over-exaggerated. You don't have to be deaf to have a hard life."

WRITING STYLE:
Amazing. The sentences are short, but not choppy. None More...

“It doesn't matter if she's deaf," he says. "My aunty Demi can listen with her eyes, and whisper with her hands.”

Damn Australian writers and their heart-wrenching contemporary fiction. It never fails. It's an automatic instant love syndrome but in this case, I'm the one falling in love and not the characters in the book. Not that I'm complaining, it's just...I have a difficult time reviewing them because I sound like a broken record with each review (see AUSSOME shelf on Goodreads). And this bo More...

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

When I first picked up Whisper, I expected a book that would be an enjoyable, interesting read, but I didn't expect to be moved as much as I was.

Demi's story is such a sad one. Of course, it's awful for anyone to be deaf, but if a child is born deaf, they don't know any different. But to reach the age of 14 being able to hear perfectly, and to then have the world put on mute after suffering with meningitis, it's just so hard to deal with. But Demi is try More...

This review may have mild spoilers. I really don't know.

This book is about a girl who was pronounced profoundly deaf following a case of meningitis. The story opens about one and a half years after she went deaf.

I bought it because the summary at the back of the book was interesting and the cover was nice (yeah I judged a book by its cover, get over it). Anyway, when I first started reading, I didn’t like it much because I didn’t particularly like the author’s style. I didn’t like the fact that More...

This book really had an impact on me, and made me think about how much I take for granted. Before I read this, I didn't really think about what being deaf must be like, and if I did, there were so many things that I didn't consider. Stuff like using the phone if there was an emergency, or how scary it would be to be home alone.
My mum is fluent in sign language (she isn't deaf, though) and after reading this I've asked her to teach me!

Throughout most of the book, Demi is confused, angry and lost. More...

Demi loses her hearing as a result of meningitus when she was 14. The story starts 2 years later whan Demi and her family have been through a full cycle of emotions, from optimism that her hearing will return, to realisation that it isn't going to, determination to stay on in her mainstream school and the final resignation that going to a school for the deaf would be better. Demi has made this final decision although her mother remains convinced that she shouldn't distance herself from her heari More...

I saw a trailer on youtube for this book and I was immediately intrigued, it was one of the best trailers I had ever seen! Don't ask me why, it just rang out to me. So I had to order a copy at the library. I also told my book group about it and they seemed excited too, so I'll have to pass it on.

This story follows Demi, she got ill with Meningitis and ended up deaf, she has now been deaf for 18 months and is learning to live differently. She moves to a special school for deaf people and learns t More...

This is a great example of an AWESOME YA (young adult) book. This is the type of story I love reading.

The focus of this book is about how deafness affects teenagers. The main character Demi is extremely likeable and is a 'real teen'. After a terrible illness leaves her deaf two year prior to the beginning of the novel she and her family make the decision to uproot her from high school and move her to a ‘special school’ for the deaf. This widens the barrier between her old friends and ideas of li More...

Bought this really for the book cover collection at work, but wanted to read it as I know nothing about being deaf and very little about living with or interacting with people who cannot hear. On the surface it is a typical YA book, although well-written, with none of the lazy characterisation or vocabulary that sometimes plagues writing for this audience. As far as I could tell it would engage such an audience in terms of its concerns, context and language. The main character's deafness (the re More...

UK Blog Tour author Post and UK Giveaway: http://totallybookalicious.blogspot.c...

Full Review Post: http://totallybookalicious.blogspot.c...

Review Sampler: I started reading this late Thursday night ( I know leaving it until the last minute lol) I was worried incase I couldn't have the review up in time for the blog tour. However, upon reading this I knew within the first few pages that there was something special about this book. Something that would make it a really quick read. And I was righ More...

Demi got meningitis at 14 and was left profoundly deaf. WHISPER begins when she's sixteen and has finally decided (against her mother's horrified opposition) to stop trying to manage in her old school and instead transfer to a school for the deaf. She's dealing with massive shock, humiliation, terror, and self-loathing. Over the course of the book, she discovers friends, romance, and most of all, self-belief and empowerment.

I read WHISPER with a shock of recognition. Obviously, ME/CFS (the chron More...

"Whisper" is a book that would probably be best for middle schoolers to read, to enjoy this well written book, due to its word choice in some situations. But, I would still recommend this book because of its word choice. The author, Chrissie Keighery, puts lots of emotion into each word of this book, which make the book very intriguing. Another reason I would recommend it is because, many readers can probably also relate to this book because the main character, Demi, has had a very severe case o More...

get to feel and see what she does, but also afirsthand look at how it affects her day to day activities. Her emotions are right in front of us and as Demi learns to live and accept her new life, we get to experience it first hand with her. Hernervousness, happiness, lack of confidence, sadness and worries are all conveyed clearly and it made it very easy to sympathise with Demi.

I really enjoyed seeing the new friendships formed and being able to follow them as they become strong bonds, but most More...

Whisper was very focused on Demi’s personal journey which was really touching and moving, making me empathise with her new situation in life. She struggled to cope with losing her hearing, trying to stay in touch with her old friends, and deal with the insecurities of being deaf. Demi felt pulled in two different directions: trying to maintain a normal life with hearing friends and family, and trying to connect with her new deaf friends who can completely understand her. Being written in first p More...

5 stars.
Silence.

One of most annoying and upsetting things I've noticed about being a teenager is being misunderstood. No matter how many times you explain it, no matter how many ways you phrase it, people, especially adults, just don't know what it's like to be in your shoes. To be weighed down by expectations, doubts, and your very own feelings. They pretend they do, say they were teenagers once too, but each person is unique, with their own individual problems and worries. That was part of the More...

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Tour : http://www.booksforcompany.com/2012/0...
In Short
- Whisper is a special book which makes you see the world from a different point of view.
- I liked that there was only one main character.
- Throughout the book there is little magical and such meaningful sentences.
- This book is such an eye opener.

In Long
Whisper is one of those special books, a book which takes the real world and makes you see it from a different point of view. I love paranormal books, don’t get me w More...

I started this today for work, book awards for children. I wasn't sure I would get into it to be honest, it's a long time since i've read a book aimed at teenagers/kids etc but well here i am and i've finished it.

What a brilliant book!

This is bizarre, I always thought I'd rather be deaf than blind, but being deaf must be just as hard, not been able to hear anyone, always wondering if people are saying stuff, not been able to listen to music, not been able to tell a tone of voice, through voice a More...

Whisper is one of those gems that come your way when you least expect it! The author captures the reader's attention from the opening chapter - the complication comes as quite a shock, as the main character, Demi, is suddenly facing her future in a silent world. The reader is immediately drawn into the daily struggles that Demi faces so courageously - the cruelty of ignorant people, the changing relationship with her former friends, huge decisions to make about her learning, and dealing with fam More...

I don't think that I have ever read anything about a deaf main character, and it definitely opened my eyes to people with disabilities. Demi's struggles are so raw and emotional and Chrissie handles them and the issues brought up in this book so well.
Demi starts going to a school for the deaf, and she meets other students, and we get a glimpse into their struggles. There are some who sign and speak, some who can read lips, some who can't, some who are non-verbal. As Demi got to know them bett More...

outstanding! a great read for anyone from a mature reader at 12/13 right up to 18 (or 35 in my case!) and great for those just a little to young for Melina Marchetta.

15 year old Demi contracted meningitis and has lost her hearing. After trying to cope at her old school she has decided to go to the Collage for the Deaf. Demi is now trying to reconcile her hearing and non-hearing worlds - a mother who thinks it's her best interests to stay main stream, missing her core group of (hearing) friends, More...

3.5 stars

I really liked Whisper, it’s a story full of personal growth and Demi is a good narrator, she’s easy to sympathise with. I wasn’t as emotionally involved as I thought I would be given the blurb.

The story starts with Demi’s first day at her new school a college for the deaf. Unlike her classmates Demi has only been deaf for two years and is still struggling with how to deal with other people’s and her own prejudices.

I really liked how Chrissie Keighery made sign language part of Demi’s n More...

I starting reading this book without any expectations but i must say, i was hooked right from the start. It tells the story of Demi, who loses her hearing after contracting meningitis and her struggle to put the pieces of her life back together. Wonderfully written, I found myself relating to all the emotions felt by the main character and drawn into her journey of acceptance and self discovery. It really is a book which focuses on the power of the human spirit to overcome whatever life may thro More...

An interesting book about Demi, a teenage girl who has gone deaf after suffering from meningitis. After struggling to keep up at the school she has grown up at, she chooses to move to a school for the deaf. She now has to negotiate her way through the normal stresses of teenage life, and two groups of friends, hearing and deaf, and all of the schism and lack of understanding from both sides.

As Demi begins to adjust to her new like, she inadvertently brings the two worlds together without even re More...

This book was really good, very different perspective-wise, it was also a nice change in scenario/setting/style POV. My first fiction 'deaf scenario' novel, I really enjoyed reading it. It's so touching. It never does occur to people (anyone), that insecurities like this occur on all types of levels, and people deal with it in their own way.

Demi's deaf name is very good, 'My aunty Demi can listen with her eyes, and whisper with her hands', very touching that part.
The characters were very relatab More...

Demi was just a regular 14 year old until she got meningitis, leaving her profoundly deaf. This means a totally new life to come to terms with, a new school and friends to adjust to, and working out where she fits in with her old friends and her family, all of whom remain firmly in the ‘hearing’ world.

This is a beautiful snapshot of a story, one which highlights particular moments in a life, while showing you glimpses of what’s happened before and hints at what might happen into the future. Demi More...

4.5 Stars

I had a feeling I would enjoy reading this story, but it was also a complete eye-opener for me. It really made me think about how much I take for granted.

The story follows Demi and her life after starting a new school. It looks at her friendships - both new and old - and has a really sweet romantic aspect to it too (I really liked Ethan). I also really enjoyed the focus on her home life - how her parents have reacted to her being deaf, as well as the storyline involving Demi's sister. A More...

I adored Whisper. That's pretty much all there is to it.

But I can't help but elaborate: I first picked up Chrissie Keighery's novel a few months ago at my local Dymocks, and the blurb intrigued me. I mean, really, how many people have written YA novels with a deaf protagonist? Certainly none that I've read (or heard of). Except for Keighery (who also writes under the surname Perry). I finally bought Whisper a couple of weeks before Christmas 2011, and I didn't get a chance to sit down and read i More...

Review posted at Amaterasu Reads

Demi's world was full of sounds, until one day it just stopped. Now deaf, she's struggling to make sense of her new world, a world filled with words, but not hearing. Learning sign was a given, but can someone who use to hear get used to being deaf? Demi's also a wreck emotionally, falling for her sign language instructor and trying to reach out to her friends who hears and speaks when she can't do that anymore. On top of it, her mother wants her to go back to th More...

I love this book and have read it twice now (good thing it's short). It's a touching look at how your life can be turned upside down unexpectedly and a good reminder that change doesn't mean saying goodbye to your dreams, you may just have to achieve them a little differently. It's a good introduction to deaf culture for those who know nothing about it and it makes you realise what we take for granted in our lives, but i don't just mean our health.