Jessaloup's Song

A sixty-ton humpback whale lies stranded, gasping for breath, on the sands of Cape Cod… and there's just one girl in the world who knows who he is. When Jessaloup is transformed into a boy, Isabel (now fourteen) has to teach him to walk, talk, and act human, so that together they can raise the alarm about a terrible natural disaster that's threatening the East Coast. With the calamity's deadline drawing near, the two teens must overcome skepticism, jealousies, misunderstandings, and even bad music, if they are to Save the Humans.Besides providing a glimpse into the lives and habits of whales, this long-awaited follow-up to ISABEL OF THE WHALES clears up the mystery of Isabel's origins, while exploring teenage love and celebrating the family ties that bind all species. Hester Velmans is the author of the historical novel SLIPPER and a translator specializing in modern fiction. Her translation of Renate Dorrestein's A HEART OF STONE won the Vondel Prize for Translation and was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Her translation of Lulu Wang's THE LILY THEATER was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. She is also an NEA Translation Fellow.Her children's book ISABEL OF THE WHALES was a national bestseller, and there is now a second book in the Whales Series, JESSALOUP'S SONG (age 10 and up).