JUBILEE

"My name is Judith. Gideon, the ferry captain, calls me Red. Five-year-old Travis calls me No-Talk Girl. Aunt Cora calls me Jubilee, because to her, I'm a celebration."

Judith lives with her beloved aunt Cora and her faithful Dog on a beautiful island. Years ago, when her mother left the island, Judith stopped talking. She speaks only when she's alone, or to Dog. She communicates with everyone else in gestures and taps, and by drawing cartoons. This year, fifth grade, is one of the big changes - she's leaving her small, special class for a regular one. There, she finds a maybe-friend, a boy who doesn't mind that she doesn't talk.

But Judith longs to speak. And to see her mother again. Maybe this year, when so much is changing, Judith will find her mother, and her voice.

Judith's cartoons add fun and humor to this tender story by Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff.