Welcome back to another #FriendlyFriday, where I tell you about my fabulous friends and the brilliant things they are up to!
Today I'm so excited to introduce you to Kerry O’Malley Cerra, award-winning author of middle grade books and fellow Floridian! Her first novel, Just a Drop of Water, landed on five state reading lists, won the Crystal Kite Award, a Florida Book Award, and was named to VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction list for 2014.
But today I'm most excited to introduce you to her second novel, HEAR ME! Kerry was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss at the age of 16, and she put into her own words just how the book came about and her own struggles with hearing loss. Please click here to read it.
Now, on to the novel!
A year after her hearing loss diagnosis, twelve-year-old Rayne’s doing her best to live a “normal” life and act like nothing’s changed. But her hearing keeps failing her. Even with hearing aids, she has trouble following conversations and hanging out with her friends the way she used to. Her grades are slipping, surfing is a bust, and she can’t understand the lyrics to her favorite singer’s new songs. Rayne’s parents are pushing for her to get cochlear implants, which could restore her hearing—though she would hear sounds differently.
Rayne isn’t convinced the surgery for CIs is worth the risk and challenges. In fact, she’s terrified of it. She begs her parents to consider other options, but they’re not budging.
With the surgery looming, Rayne sets off on a search for alternatives. Along the way, she discovers that “normal” can have many meanings—and that even though her ears may be broken, she is not.
This novel NEEDS to be read. It's an important piece on finding your voice when no one will listen. On struggling with things you can't control and still finding a way through them, so I hope you'll pick this one up.
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#FriendlyFriday - Kerry O’Malley Cerra
Share this post
Welcome back to another #FriendlyFriday, where I tell you about my fabulous friends and the brilliant things they are up to!
Today I'm so excited to introduce you to Kerry O’Malley Cerra, award-winning author of middle grade books and fellow Floridian! Her first novel, Just a Drop of Water, landed on five state reading lists, won the Crystal Kite Award, a Florida Book Award, and was named to VOYA’s Top Shelf Fiction list for 2014.
But today I'm most excited to introduce you to her second novel, HEAR ME! Kerry was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss at the age of 16, and she put into her own words just how the book came about and her own struggles with hearing loss. Please click here to read it.
Now, on to the novel!
A year after her hearing loss diagnosis, twelve-year-old Rayne’s doing her best to live a “normal” life and act like nothing’s changed. But her hearing keeps failing her. Even with hearing aids, she has trouble following conversations and hanging out with her friends the way she used to. Her grades are slipping, surfing is a bust, and she can’t understand the lyrics to her favorite singer’s new songs. Rayne’s parents are pushing for her to get cochlear implants, which could restore her hearing—though she would hear sounds differently.
Rayne isn’t convinced the surgery for CIs is worth the risk and challenges. In fact, she’s terrified of it. She begs her parents to consider other options, but they’re not budging.
With the surgery looming, Rayne sets off on a search for alternatives. Along the way, she discovers that “normal” can have many meanings—and that even though her ears may be broken, she is not.
This novel NEEDS to be read. It's an important piece on finding your voice when no one will listen. On struggling with things you can't control and still finding a way through them, so I hope you'll pick this one up.
XOXO,
Princess Alethea