"I think about that movie about Helen Keller I saw years ago. It all seemed so inspiring then. When I wasn't her." Stella is stunned and distraught at the sudden silence of her world. About to debut as lead in the school musical, she suffers a serious head injury that leaves her unable to hear. Restored hearing is a possibility, but what about now, and what if the restoration doesn't work? Enter Hayden, the shy boy with a crush on Stella from afar; Hayden who helped save her life and now wants to show her all that she can still do. Handsome, sweet, and humble, Hayden hides his inner pain and family secrets, hoping his stutter won't matter when Stella can't hear. As he gently introduces Stella to a world of activities that don't depend on hearing, both of them blossom in new ways. Lytton's tender tale will tug at the heartstrings. And romance fans will hang on the teens' poetry, tears, texts, and overly precocious insights about life.

Gr 7 Up-Sophomore Stella, to everyone's disbelief, earns the coveted lead in the school musical. She comes alive on stageknowing with her entire being this is what she was meant to do. But then, Stella's ability to hear is taken away in a freak accident one night at a party. Along with her hearing, she loses her identity as a singer. Hayden has his own scarsphysical and emotional. A stutterer, he does not have any friends and yet, he feels strongly connected to Stella from the time he first sees her in the hallway at school. After her accident, Hayden is the only one of her peers who can understand and relate to what she is experiencing. The teen lives in a world of complete silence, having to learn how to cope in a hearing world. Hayden helps her to embrace the new Stella and see that life can go on, despite her disability. When she has the chance to gain her hearing back, will Stella forget about Hayden? This bilsdungroman covers a relatively short time period, during which the protagonist reconciles the possibility of never making it to Broadway and eventually comes to realize that there is more to her than just her voice. Hayden is an enigma to readers and isn't as fully developed as Stella. A light romance develops between the two. VERDICT Recommended for libraries in need of romances for younger teens.— Stephanie Charlefour, Wixom Public Library, MI