Lynne   Kelly

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Lynne Kelly

Goodreads Author


Born
in Galesburg, Illinois, The United States
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March 2009

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Lynne Kelly's career as a sign language interpreter has taken her everywhere from classrooms to hospitals to Alaskan cruises. Today, she lives near Houston, Texas with her adorable dogs, Abigail and Eloise. Her 2019 novel SONG FOR A WHALE, about a deaf girl named Iris who forms an unlikely bond with the “loneliest whale in the world,” has been described as “finely crafted,” “important,” and “uplifting” by reviewers from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. SONG FOR A WHALE received the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award and was named one of the best books of the year by New York Public Library.
Her next novel, THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS, will be released in April 2024.
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Popular Answered Questions

Lynne Kelly Thank you, Pam! No, I do not have hearing loss but my connection with the Deaf community is through my work as a sign language interpreter. Though I'v…moreThank you, Pam! No, I do not have hearing loss but my connection with the Deaf community is through my work as a sign language interpreter. Though I've worked in the field for a long time and have known many Deaf people, I realize that's not the same as life experience, so my publisher hired two Deaf women to read the manuscript to check for cultural accuracy and authenticity. Some of my really late edits were because of their feedback. (less)
Lynne Kelly Thanks for your question, Evan! Here are some favorites: one sign for "empathy" is to sign "understand," but near the heart instead of the head.
A sig…more
Thanks for your question, Evan! Here are some favorites: one sign for "empathy" is to sign "understand," but near the heart instead of the head.
A sign for a bad memory looks like you're etching a scar on your forehead.
And of course, whale! As Iris shows her dad in Song For a Whale, we hold the hand in a letter "Y" shape, which looks like a whale's tail, and move it up and down like a swimming whale. Animal signs are some of the most fun, since they often look like a characteristic of the animal. The sign for "turtle" is adorable! Savvy ASL does some great "Marine Monday" videos-- here's one where she shows the signs for many ocean animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmj6s...(less)
Average rating: 4.22 · 16,647 ratings · 2,618 reviews · 4 distinct worksSimilar authors
Song for a Whale

4.23 avg rating — 14,211 ratings — published 2019 — 19 editions
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Chained

4.20 avg rating — 1,205 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions
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The Secret Language of Birds

4.14 avg rating — 1,046 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions
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Three Blue Hearts

4.36 avg rating — 185 ratings — published 2025 — 7 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

A Whale Of An Announcement!

Hi everyone!

I'm more active lately on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram than I am here, but wanted to stop by to announce my new book news! Here's the announcement from Publishers Weekly:


The writing of this book was quicker for me than most; I just got the idea for it last year when I saw this image fly by on Twitter:


Thankfully I was online at the right moment, and that I scrolle Read more of this blog post »
2 likes ·   •  1 comment  •  flag
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Published on December 08, 2016 05:00

Lynne’s Recent Updates

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Three Blue Hearts by Lynne   Kelly
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Quotes by Lynne Kelly  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“Some people have the kind of confidence that lets them get away with being clueless.”
Lynne Kelly, Song for a Whale

“A sound can move anything if it's strong enough.”
Lynne Kelly, Song for a Whale

“Blue 55 didn’t have a pod of friends or a family who spoke his language. But he still sang. He was calling and calling, and no one heard him.”
Lynne Kelly, Song for a Whale

Polls

This poll is for our 12- yo September BOTM Group Read. Please vote for one book, however, you can also vote for one book on the 13+ yo poll. Please see comments for additional notes as needed.

 
  6 votes 31.6%

 
  5 votes 26.3%

 
  3 votes 15.8%

 
  3 votes 15.8%

 
  2 votes 10.5%

19 total votes
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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Bookworm Bitches : Lori G.'s (In Southern CA) Challenge Link 17 156 Mar 26, 2019 05:23PM  
Ultimate Popsugar...: Woman's History Month 19 119 Apr 02, 2019 07:35PM  
Mock Newbery 2026: June Read - Song for a Whale 18 182 Jun 29, 2019 07:50AM  
Mock Newbery 2026: This topic has been closed to new comments. Contenders for the 2020 Mock Newbery Award 59 260 Jan 07, 2020 07:19PM  
Mock Newbery 2026: Round 1 - 2020 Mock Newbery Award 65 241 Jan 21, 2020 06:32AM  
“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.”
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale

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Comments (showing 1-4)    post a comment »
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message 4: by Tom

Tom Blubaugh Hi Lynne,

Thank you for joining my circle of friends.

Blessings,

Tom


Sandra Thanks so much for friending me! :)


message 2: by Lynne

Lynne Kelly Romy wrote: "Hey Lynne, thanks for the friend request! I just read your blog post on Snooki's book I could not stop laughing, I have to get my hands on a copy with all those literary gems just waiting for me to..."

Yes, I saw the Snooki karaoke-- brilliant! True, there are so many literary gems in that one. It was difficult to choose my favorites.
Thank you too, and glad you enjoyed the post!


message 1: by Romy (last edited Feb 08, 2011 10:51PM)

Romy Hey Lynne, thanks for the friend request! I just read your blog post on Snooki's book I could not stop laughing, I have to get my hands on a copy with all those literary gems just waiting for me to read. Jimmy Fallon did this Snooki karaoke on his show which was hilarious, he got the contestants to sing quotes from the book, priceless, I highly recommend watching it.

Romy :)


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