MIDDLE GRADE MAGICAL REALISM: Willa and the Whale by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown
ABOUT THE BOOK
After losing her mom, Willa is grieving and having a hard time living with her dad and his new family on an island off the coast of Washington State. Her dad tries to cheer her up by taking her whale watching, something Willa's mom used to do.
While all the passengers are on one side of the boat, Willa encounters a humpback whale on the opposite side. Willa feels so lonely that she starts to talk to the whale—and the whale talks back!
The whale, named Meg, quickly becomes a trusted friend and confidante Willa can speak to whenever she's by the ocean.
Meg offers sound advice Willa needs about dealing with a nemesis at school and trying to figure out why her friend Marc is keeping secrets about his family life.
Before the story ends, it will take all of Willa's courage and connections to tackle a problem that's as big as a blue whale!
ABOUT THE AUTHORSSHELLY BROWN was born in the Northwest and grew up near the ocean. It’s a part of her. She can surf and point out all sorts of sea creatures and plants (though not necessarily at the same time.) Now that she lives in the mountains, she has saved money, planned, and taken Chad and their five kids to both coasts to swim, surf, search tide pools, snorkel, and watch sea lions, seals, turtles, whales, and more. Her soul speaks ocean.
Growing up, CHAD MORRIS was fascinated by blue whales. He read books about the world’s largest creature and did grade school reports on them. He drew pictures of them and taped them to his wall (the pictures, not whales—that would be impossible). He would love to see a blue whale in real life, but he’d rather not meet a Bobbitt or zombie worm. Seriously, he’d prefer his bones not become jelly.
REVIEW
Willa's only a month out from her mother's death. Now living with her father, stepmother, and step siblings, Willa struggles to deal with her grief. Willa's deep love of the ocean and the creatures that live in it came from her mother, a marine biologist. On a whale watching tour with her father, Willa meets Meg, a female humpback whale who speaks with her. Willa returns to the beach over and over to talk to Meg as she wrestles with her new circumstances. She misses her mother, her friendship with Marc doesn't seem to be going well, her nemesis, Lizzy seems to be beating her at everything, and her new step family makes her uncomfortable. But with Meg's help and her own and her mother's journals, Willa slowly comes to terms with her new life. But when a blue whale washes up on the beach, and things turn sideways with Marc, Willia wonders if things will ever improve.
I found this to be a tender story of grief and trying to put your life back together after things take a horrible turn. Except for the talking to the whale, Willa's reactions come across as believable and authentic. The relationship with the whale took a little getting used to but once I accepted it, it worked as a way for Willa's love of the ocean and her struggle with grief to work itself out. I empathized with the struggles Willa has trying to rebuild her friendship with Marc while adjusting to her new step family. Both Willa and her stepmother and step siblings come off as sympathetic characters. I especially enjoyed the realistic aspects of this story, including all the details about the ocean and its creatures. The talking whale I could have done without, but many young readers will actually love the idea of being able to communicate with an animal. A sweet story about dealing with life's challenges with the help of those around you.
PURCHASE LINKS
Comments
Post a Comment