Deer Run Home

Effie is Deaf, and no one in her family speaks sign language, her language. This moving story of survival and found family, inspired by a true court case, is perfect for fans of Wonder and Out of My Mind.

* ＂Quietly extraordinary.＂ --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* ＂Elegantly weaves a heartbreaking story with hope.＂ --School Library Journal, starred review

Effie and her older sister, Deja, have recently moved into their father’s trailer after an incident at their mom’s house. Daddy communicates with Effie by pointing, stomping on the floor, and making thoughtless jokes. Even if they did understand each other, could she tell the terrible secret she carries when telling feels impossible--and dangerous?

But what if telling is the only way to be seen?

This tender, spare, emotionally charged story about the impact of abuse and the power of love explores what it feels like to be an outsider in your own family and to awaken--through friendship, writing, and kinship with the natural world--to a new understanding and appreciation of yourself.

Ann Clare LeZotte is a completely deaf and bilingual-bicultural (ASL/English) member of the Deaf community, and an essential voice for Deaf / HOH, disabled, and marginalized youth. She is the author of the Schneider Family Book Award-winning novel Show Me a Sign, which was named a best book of the year by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, and American Indians in Children’s Literature, as well as its stand-alone companions Set Me Free and Sail Me Away Home. Ann worked for many years as a youth librarian before becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.