Maddie, a 12 year old in sixth grade, is struggling to figure out the social structures of her pre-teen years. She has a distinct sense of humor and love for all things mustaches, because what isn't funnier when you slap on a mustache? Maddie seems to be navigating the waters of 6th grade well, despite a small physical abnormality, when she learns she has a brain tumor. Some of her classmates rally around her; some others turn against her. I would recommend this book to a) anyone wanting to read an endearing, funny, uplifting story and b) parents who will read it with their late elementary school aged children. This novel is Wonder meets TFIOS and could be a talking point about bullying in the school system as well as forgiveness and caring. It is endearing, funny, and oh-so-believable (it is based on a real story after all). Although the "mean girls" characters as well as Maddie's other classmates are fictional, they are well and truly depicted. I could visualize the scenes developing as they were so real world. Maddie's real life parents wrote this novel based on their real life experience of their daughter going through similar experiences.
- Dawn Dickerson, RRHS Faculty