Common Sense Media Review
Deaf heroine's problematic Paris trip ends smart trilogy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Returning to the unique, historic community in Martha's Vineyard, SAIL ME AWAY HOME continues the adventures of Mary Lambert, a young, eager teacher whose ideals become outsized for her small island community. When a group of missionaries invite her to travel with them overseas, she is conflicted about their motives but can't resist a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the famed Paris school for the deaf, where their methods are not only changing educational opportunities for children but changing the way people around the world think about deafness. Along the way, Mary encounters social and religious bias, finds herself nearly kidnapped (again), and forges her own path to becoming a Deaf teacher.
Is It Any Good?
This expansive story completes an unforgettable trilogy, which deepens our own understanding of each other, how our histories overlap, and the scope of our understanding of Deaf experiences. Mary is a character to love and admire; her perspective and spirit in Sail Me Away Home provide a renewed lens on the past, beckoning us to reconsider how things could have been. Ann Clare LeZotte is a meticulous researcher who brings to life a history most readers have no idea exists. Readers drawn to early 1800s history, travel, languages, and a spunky heroine will find lots to enjoy and discuss.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mary's hand sign on the book cover of Sail Me Away Home. In the book, Mary and students in Paris share their nicknames in hand sign. Do you have a nickname? Using American Sign Language, how would you make a hand sign for your own?
Can you find Martha's Vineyard, London, and Paris on a map? Tracing from one place to the next, how long did it take Mary to travel to each place by boat and carriage? How long would it take you to travel to these places now?
In the book, Mary learns how American Sign Language, other sign languages, and hearing-speaking languages are similar but different. Did you learn anything new or surprising about your own language of communication?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , History
- Character Strengths : Communication
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic Press
- Publication date : November 7, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : April 19, 2026
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