The Gift of the Girl Who Couldn't Hear

"The frenzied anticipation and anxiety of a junior high audition for Annie provide the background for this lively and intelligent story. Eliza, a talented singer, is terrified to sign up for auditions although she has dreamed about starring in the musical since the third grade. But she's been friends with Lucy--who has been deaf since birth--even longer, and is amazed when her friend decides to try out. Eliza swallows her fear, however, and promises to attend the audition....The girls' characters are skillfully contrasted, and their tale is chronicled with a fresh, exuberant and up-beat style that moves the book along to its gratifying conclusion."--Publishers Weekly. "A rare book."--Booklist.