August 21, 2017
“Everything is funnier with a mustache” is 12-year-old Maddie’s motto, and she has fake press-on ones for every occasion, including imaginative stories and games she makes up on the spot. Maddie’s offbeat sense of humor is the heart of this story from spouses Morris and Brown, which was inspired by their own daughter. Maddie is trying to make inroads with cool classmate Cassie, who handpicks the girls she hangs out with during recess and tells them which parts to try out for in an upcoming performance of scenes from Shakespeare. Maddie secretly auditions for Juliet (the role Cassie wants) and is overjoyed when she gets it, but her life takes a turn when her family learns that she has a brain tumor. Maddie learns to stand up for herself and face her fears head-on in this moving story of courage and heart. Morris and Brown balance the gravity of Maddie’s illness with her buoyant imagination as she navigates the reality of the surgery she needs and the politics of sixth grade. Ages 8–11.
August 1, 2017
Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Maddie Bridger has a great imagination. She likes to imagine herself heroically fighting monsters, or even speaking out when Cassie, the most popular girl in her class, excludes other people at recess. But then Maddie comes face-to-face with an unexpected foe: a brain tumor that is affecting the right side of her body, and may leave her blind if it isn't removed. While trying to cope with the life-threatening prospect of brain surgery, Maddie also faces challenges at school: Cassie is jealous that Maddie has been cast as Juliet in the upcoming Shakespearean short plays, and starts a rumor that Maddie invented the tumor to get attention. At first Maddie is furious that Cassie could tell such a terrible lie, but she begins to realize that Cassie is facing challenges of her own. Meanwhile, although her first surgery is a success, a cyst on the part of the tumor the surgeon couldn't remove leaves her in renewed danger, and facing an even riskier surgery. Based on the true story of the authors' daughter, this is a moving novel about a truly brave girl. Maddie is a wonderfully thoughtful, creative, and funny protagonist, with whom readers will identify as she grapples with her social and physical challenges . The title comes from her love of fake mustaches, which she carries around to lighten the mood wherever she goes, and which become a viral sensation when she is hospitalized. Although the novel does not reveal the outcome of Maddie's second surgery, an author's note explains that the real Maddie recovered completely, and that thousands of people really did wear fake mustaches to show their support for her. VERDICT This poignant and uplifting novel is a good read-alike for fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder.-Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 15, 2017
A 12-year-old copes with a brain tumor.Maddie likes potatoes and fake mustaches. Kids at school are nice (except one whom readers will see instantly is a bully); soon they'll get to perform Shakespeare scenes in a unit they've all been looking forward to. But recent dysfunctions in Maddie's arm and leg mean, stunningly, that she has a brain tumor. She has two surgeries, the first successful, the second taking place after the book's end, leaving readers hanging. The tumor's not malignant, but it--or the surgeries--could cause sight loss, personality change, or death. The descriptions of surgery aren't for the faint of heart. The authors--parents of a real-life Maddie who really had a brain tumor--imbue fictional Maddie's first-person narration with quirky turns of phrase ("For the love of potatoes!") and whimsy (she imagines her medical battles as epic fantasy fights and pretends MRI stands for Mustard Rat from Indiana or Mustaches Rock Importantly), but they also portray her as a model sick kid. She's frightened but never acts out, snaps, or resists. Her most frequent commentary about the tumor, having her skull opened, and the possibility of death is "Boo" or "Super boo." She even shoulders the bully's redemption. Maddie and most characters are white; one cringe-inducing hallucinatory surgery dream involves "chanting island natives" and a "witch doctor lady." Medically, both squicky and hopeful; emotionally, unbelievably squeaky-clean. (authors' note, discussion questions) (Fiction. 9-11)
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November 1, 2017
Grades 4-6 Twelve-year-old Maddie may or may not be friends with popular Cassie. Maddie may or may not get the coveted role of Juliet in the class play. Maddie's friends may or may not get her sense of humor, creative flights of imagination, or penchant for fake mustaches. Maddie may or may not admit to having something weird going on with her right arm, leg, and now eye. But it is definite when the neurologist says Maddie has a brain tumor and needs surgery, and that the surgery might change her personality, or even end her life. Maddie doesn't want anyone to know, but Mom convinces her to tell. Much to Maddie's surprise, it turns out she has a ton of supporters, who all start wearing mustaches, too. Pictures pop up on the Internet: teachers, friends' parents, Dad's coworkers, people in town, complete strangersmore than 400 mustachioed postings to help Maddie bear her long, tough treatment. Based on the authors' experience, this sweet, hopeful, believable, and unsentimental tale rings true. Being brave, growing up, true friendshipthis has it all.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2018
When Maddie, sixth-grade funny-girl (she's known for sporting fake mustaches), is diagnosed with a brain tumor, undergoing surgery prompts her to reexamine her class's friendship dynamics. She is also inspired by the school Romeo and Juliet production to fight for what matters. Based on the authors' daughter's struggle, the story is both believable and inspiring, particularly as Maddie's true friends gather--in her trademark mustaches--to help her fight her illness.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)