Lynne Kelly

Twelve-year-old Iris and her grandmother, both deaf, fly from Texas to California and then take a cruise ship to Alaska-- armed with Iris's plan to help Blue-55, a whale unable to communicate with other whales.

"Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out, both at school and in her large family. But while trying to fit in at summer camp, she discovers something even more peculiar: two majestic birds have built a nest in the marsh behind an abandoned infirmary. They appear to be whooping cranes, but that's impossible--Nina is an amateur bird-watcher, and all her resources tell her that those rare birds haven't nested in Texas for over a hundred years. When...