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Set Me Free (Gold) (Show Me a Sign, Book 2)

by Ann Clare LeZotte

Book 2 in Show Me a Sign

Subject
Social Themes - Prejudice & Racism
Age
6-8 years
Format
Trade Paperback
Pages
304
Publisher
Scholastic, Incorporated
Size
13.7 cm × 19.6 cm
ISBN
9781339023823
A riveting standalone companion to the Schneider Family Book Award winner, Show Me a Sign by Deaf author and librarian, Ann Clare LeZotte -- joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content!

"Instantly captivating...will keep readers hooked until the very end...A simultaneously touching and gripping adventure." — Kirkus Reviews

"Full of adventure and twists...a gripping tale of historical fiction." — Booklist

"Mary seems set to become a true hero-adventurer, an almost larger-than-life sleuth, teacher, and woman of action; and while the story's subject matter is serious in its engagement with history's ills, LeZotte conveys a sense of real enjoyment in having Mary disrupt...the prejudices and expectations of the status quo." — The Horn Book

Three years after being kidnapped as a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment to determine the cause of her deafness, Mary Lambert has grown weary of domestic life on Martha's Vineyard, and even of her once beloved writing.

So when an old acquaintance summons her to an isolated manor house outside Boston to teach a young deaf girl to communicate, Mary agrees. But can a child of eight with no prior language be taught? And is Mary up to the task? With newfound purpose, Mary arrives only to discover that there is much more to the girl's story--and the circumstances of her confinement--than she ever could have imagined. Suddenly, teaching her and freeing her from the prison of her isolation, takes on much greater meaning, and peril.

Riveting and complex, delicately nuanced and fervently feminist, Set Me Free is a masterful stand-alone companion to Show Me a Sign, and a searing exposé of ableism, racism, and colonialism that will challenge you to think differently about the dignity and capacity within every human being.

About the author

Ann Clare LeZotteAuthor

Ann Clare LeZotte is a completely deaf and bilingual-bicultural (ASL/English) member of the Deaf community, and an essential voice for Deaf / HOH, disabled, and marginalized youth. She is the author of the Schneider Family Book Award-winning novel Show Me a Sign, which was named a best book of the year by NPR, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, and American Indians in Children's Literature, as well as its stand-alone companions Set Me Free and Sail Me Away Home. Her middle-grade verse novel, Deer Run Home, received three starred reviews and won the Judy Lopez Memorial Award. Ann also works as a youth librarian. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

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What reviewers said

"Exciting and heartfelt throughout. Mary and her world are instantly captivating, and her daring rescue mission will keep readers hooked until the very end. In addition to the central themes of ableism and language deprivation, LeZotte naturally weaves in social issues of the time that still resonate today, including racism, colorism, feminism, and colonialism. Readers who enjoyed the previous title will be particularly delighted to read about Mary's further adventures. A simultaneously touching and gripping adventure."
Kirkus Reviews
"Full of adventure and twists, and LeZotte never shies away from addressing racism, ableism, or sexism...the book's themes resonate today, as Mary fights for the rights of all people and offers hope to readers facing challenges. A gripping tale of historical fiction."
Booklist
"Throughout, as in the previous novel, LeZotte sensitively interweaves and illuminates historical, white attitudes toward deaf people, the Wampanoag people, and the Black population, all the while championing Mary's forthright insistence that all be treated with respect. Mary seems set to become a true hero-adventurer, an almost larger-than-life sleuth, teacher, and woman of action; and while the story's subject matter is serious in its engagement with history's ills, LeZotte conveys a sense of real enjoyment in having Mary disrupt...the prejudices and expectations of the status quo."
The Horn Book
"A riveting story of courage and compassion. I could not put this book down! By bringing the cruelties of our past out of the shadows, Ann Clare LeZotte shines a light for our way forward."
Christina Soontornvat, author of the Newbery Honor book A Wish in the Dark
"Set Me Free kept me turning pages until the very end. Ann Clare LeZotte challenges us to examine our own often-skewed perspectives and reminds us that human dignity is innate and that kindness is a universal language." -- Ann E. Burg, author of the Claudia Lewis Award winner Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown
"Ann Clare LeZotte has given readers a beautiful gift. Set Me Free is a riveting story about a girl's struggle for deaf dignity and the hope for understanding." -- Aida Salazar, author of the Jane Adams Peace Award Honor book The Land of the Cranes
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.