A review by kailey_luminouslibro
The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Mila is a wild girl, growing up on a deserted island with a family of dolphins. When she is rescued, she is placed with a doctor who studies the way that humans learn language. The doctor hopes to learn the girl's dolphin language, and uses music to capture the sounds dolphins make. Mila begins to connect with her caregivers and their families; even the janitor cannot help connecting with this unique girl. At first, Mila is interested to learn English and learn how humans interact and live. But soon, she begins to miss her dolphin family and the simplicity of her life on the island. Her spirit starts to despair and turn inward, searching for the music she used to know.

This was definitely an interesting book with a unique voice. Mila's narration starts out very simple and grows more complex as she learns to communicate as a human. The very simplicity of her words brings forward a stark honesty in the story. Nothing is hidden behind fancy words. Everything is sincere and true for Mila, and those around her are forced to face the truth as well. The writing is genius is its extreme simplicity.

I like that Mila's situation brings up a lot of philosophical questions about how human societies live and what we value and how we treat each other. It was interesting to see how the other humans try to explain these things to Mila, but they end up looking foolish when she cuts right to the truth with her clear logic.