Mustaches For Maddie

Hello, all! I hope you've had a wonderful week and have been able to squeeze in some reading! Here's the latest book review!

Title: Mustaches for Maddie

Rating: 4/5

Author: Chad Morris and Shelly Brown

Pages: 256

Genre: Children’s

Synopsis:

Maddie loves making people laugh, and she doesn’t know of any better way than to stick a fake mustache on her face. Mustaches make everything funnier! She hopes it will be enough to impress Cassie, the queen of the class, so she can hang out with her. Things seem to be working out. She gets to hang out in the cool group, and she’s going to get to play a part in the school play. The only thing not so great is that her arm and leg seem to be acting weird for no reason. That must just be a part of growing up, right?

When her arm and leg start to get worse, her mom insists on taking her to the doctor. It’s only then that Maddie realizes she has a much bigger thing to worry about than cool kids and school plays—Maddie has a brain tumor.

Based on a true story of one little girl given the strength to overcome the scariest moment of her life while at the same time learning the importance of compassion and it's all thanks to a ton of mustaches.

My Reaction:

My first thought when completing this book was, “Books like this need to exist.” The fact of the matter is that Maddie isn’t the only young girl who’s had to face a tumor, whether benign or cancerous. I appreciate that her parents wrote this book based on their experience because I know that there are others who can take strength from it.

The reason why I picked up the book in the first place is because in the past few years I’ve known quite a few people who have had to battle cancer. Three of those people were members of my own family. My brother had a brain tumor—that honestly, right there, is the reason why I wanted to read Maddie’s experience. It’s probably also the reason that I was very invested and on the edge of my seat the whole time. Spoiler: I knew Maddie was going to survive the ordeal. That still didn’t make it any less of a tear jerker when it came to the doctor visits and surgery prep. I may not be 12 years old like she is in the story (she was 9 in real life), but doctors and medical things freak me out. I’m extremely terrified of needles. So her whole experience with having to face some medical procedures on her own and being afraid was very relatable to me.

The other great thing about this book is that it’s not just about dealing with hard, scary things. It’s about compassion and recognizing that everyone has their own hard, scary things to deal with at some point or another. It also deals with bullying, something that, unfortunately, many children have to deal with.

I also enjoyed Maddie herself and getting a chance to remember what it was like to be that age. I kind of laughed to myself a few times as I thought, “Yep, that’s how it was. I totally walked around the track at recess and just talked.”

Reader’s Guidance:

Nothing of concern.

Similar Books:

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan -- This book almost immediately came to mind. Instead of a young girl being sick, it's her mother who becomes sick. Ida B has a very hard time dealing with the situation and the sacrifices her family must make. The reaction to the situation is different, but there's still something important to be gained here as we watch Ida B slowly come to terms with the situation. Like Maddie, Ida B's story deserves to be read.

Next Book:

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. That's right. I discovered another one of her books I haven't read at the library. As she is still one of my all time favorites, I must read it!!!!