Deer Run Home is a middle grade book in verse based on a true court case of a Deaf student who was adopted by her ASL interpreter after experiencing extreme abuse and neglect at home. This was a HEAVY read, and I highly encourage readers, teachers, and parents to check the content warnings on this one and to read with care and open conversation with an adult (for students). It is a powerful story and one that is written with a tremendous amount of sensitivity. Overall though, it felt a little incomplete to me. While I understand what the author was trying to do with the deer symbolism, it seemed a bit forced. I also would have loved to see a bit more development of both the storyline and characters. 

This little novel in verse tells a big story. What a love story to communication, caring adults, friends, nature, and poetry.

LeZotte packs a lot into a small number of pages. Effie's story is based on a real-life case of a young Deaf child legally removed from the custody of their parents and placed in the care of their ASL interpreter. 

In this tale, Effie and her sister have been living with their mom and stepdad until an incident leaves them in the care of their father, who struggles with alcohol abuse and routinely neglects his children. On top of this, nobody in Effie's family has learned any sign language, and have no active way of communicating with her. 

A post-COVID return to school sees Effie repeating 5th grade, but granted the support of Miss Kathy, a Miss Honey-esque interpreter who keeps a close eye on her young charge. 

The neglect and abuse that Effie suffers at the hands of her family

she is sexually abused by her stepfather, and her mother's response is to send her to live with her father

comes to light and Miss Kathy files for emergency custody while they take the issue to the courts. 

A side plot involves Effie's developing friendship with Cait, a wheelchair-using peer with cerebral palsy who immediately starts learning ASL to communicate with her friend, which is a beautifully depicted reprieve from the traumas of Effie's home life. As well, there is Effie's distress at the dwindling deer habitat in her area, and her supportive teacher's encouragement of her writing. This ultimately creates a densely-packed verse novel with a lot to say. 

It's a hard topic, but a beautiful read.