Freak City (2014) by Kathrin Schrocke

I came across this book this morning and my first thought was how in the world am I going to contact and interview this author considering that it's translated from German.  Fortunately, I have a colleague/ good friend fluent in German who just may be willing to help out.

The Kirkus Review describes it as "Hormones, hearing and “Deafness 101” collide to form Schrocke’s offbeat novel." The review doesn't seem very positive noting, "numerous clichés and awkward slang, perhaps a result of translation from German, frequently distract from the narrative" but the Amazon reader review was strong calling it a "must read". 

Freak City (2014) by Kathrin Schrocke; translated from German by Tammi Reichel

Hardcover: 224 pages

Publisher: Scarlet Voyage (January 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1623240050

ISBN-13: 978-1623240059

Book description:

Mika's heart is broken, until he sees Leah. A smart, beautiful, and brave girl, Leah has been deaf since birth. When Mika meets her for the first time, he feels something electric. They cannot communicate much, so Mika decides to take a sign language course. His family and friends are skeptical, and Mika soon grows weary, too. The world of deaf people is so much different than his own. Can their two worlds intersect? There is also Sandra, Mika’s ex-girlfriend, who he cannot seem to get over. But Mika cannot shake that Leah has captured his heart. . . . Author Kathrin Schrocke tells the story of two teens and their tender, quirky, and extraordinary love.

About the author:

Kathrin Schrocke was born in 1975 in Augsburg, Germany. She studied German and psychology in Bamberg. Schrocke has received numerous prizes and nominations for her work, including the Nettetaler Youth Book Prize (2010), and the nomination for the German Youth Literature Prize (2011) and the Hansjörg-Martin Prize for the best German Youth Thriller (2010). She lives in Berlin and is the author of numerous stories and plays, as well as novels for children and young adults.