Compelling Realistic Fiction with a Magical Twist!
Willa and the Whale
by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown
Publication Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Length: 256pp
ISBN-13: 978-1629727318
Book Design: © Shadow Mountain
Cover Illustration: © Iconic
Art Direction: Richard Erickson
Design: Emily Remington
Praise
“Moving and buoyant, an insightful tale of grief, loss, and resilience.” — Kirkus
“A moving story that presents raw grief and the hope born of healing in a sensitive, realistic manner.” — Booklist
About the Authors
SHELLY 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.
Publisher Synopsis
Can a whale talk to a human? Willa thinks so . . .
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!
My Review
When Willa really needs someone to talk to, she finds an unexpected friend, a humpback whale named Meg! Willa was with her dad on a whale watching outing — something she used to do with her marine biologist mom. Not only is Willa grieving her mother, she recently moved back to Washington state from Japan, and her Dad’s new family is big and loud. Plus, she’s not sure where she stands with her old friend Marc.
Willa and the Whale is terrific middle grade realistic fiction, but with a bit of magical realism thrown in (talking whale and all). Using a combination of traditional narrative paired with journal entries from Willa (and later from Willa’s mother), readers get to know and care about Willa. Since Willa is an enthusiast, the journal entries are brimming with personality and filled with facts about ocean life. Kids will learn a lot about whales and other forms of aquatic life while watching Willa’s larger story unfold.
Willa’s story presents many serious life issues in a relatable, sensitive way. Willa navigates a lot of hard stuff: Among other challenges, she’s dealing with death and grief, she’s rekindling a friendship and learning how to be a good friend to someone who is going through his own challenges, she’s got a complicated dynamic with a classmate, and she’s adjusting to life with her Dad and their newly blended family. Listed all together, that sounds like a whole lot of heavy. But authors Chad Morris and Shelly Brown manage to give everything a realistic yet gentle and positive treatment. The result is as comfortable and reassuring as Willa’s burgeoning relationship with Meg the whale.
The cast of characters is engaging and well-drawn, pacing is even, and the plot is fairly uncomplicated but in a good way. In addition to finding Willa’s whale friend compelling, readers will become immersed in the every day details of Willa’s life. As they learn about Willa and watch her wade through a lot of life, they’ll gain empathy and important insight into themselves, too. Some readers might even be inspired to start their own journals.
— Dawn Teresa
Verdict
4 of 5 Hearts. Compelling realistic fiction with a magical twist!
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I would like to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an Advance Reader’s Edition of Willa and the Whale. I was not required to post a review. This is my honest opinion.
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