A review by emilyusuallyreading
The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

3.0

What I Liked

At first I greatly enjoyed the premise. I've been on a "feral children" novel kick, so I was searching for more books like it.

While I wasn't a great fan of the unrealistic idea of a child actually living long-term in the ocean, Hesse made it work, and I can certainly understand how this book has been the fantasy of so many children.

I also enjoyed the format. The book begins in giant words, short sentences - at first I thought I'd been conned into reading a book for small children. But as Mila learns language, the font size grows smaller and the depth of reading level increases.

Seeing Shay through Mila's eyes was also very interesting - and I thought a brilliant addition to this story. The harsh reality of a neglected, "feral" child, that they've been shut away past their time of connecting to people, to language.

What I Didn't Like

THE END.

Spoiler

As bizarre and unrealistic as it sounds for there to be an oceanic feral child, it's MORE unrealistic - straight up impossible - for her psychiatrist and caseworker to think, "Well, it's a shame she's extremely depressed and not adjusting well to the human world. I suppose we'll throw this 13-year-old child back into the ocean and leave. I'm sure we'll have few repercussions." It's not humane, it's not realistic, it's not healthy... it's only this romantic notion that Mila would have been better off in the ocean.

Spoiler

Also, the grandfather situation put me off a little too.