About the book-
Maddie is a normal twelve-year-old girl. Well, except for the fake mustaches she carries in her pocket. She likes to make people laugh and slapping on a mustache, especially a fuzzy pink or neon green one, always gets a smile. Maddie hopes that the class queen, Cassie, will find her mustaches as funny as she does and want to play with her at recess. She's been self-conscious lately because her right arm only feels normal when it's curled against her chest and she's constantly tripping over her feet. But that's probably just part of growing up and not something weird, right?
When Maddie's arm continues to bother her, her parents take her to a doctor who gives them a shocking diagnosis: the cause of the abnormal behavior of her limbs is a brain tumor and she must have surgery to remove it. She's understandably afraid as he describes the procedure, but knows she must find a way to be brave and must face her fears--all of them--at the hospital, at home and at school.
She will need all of her courage not only to face her illness, but also to face Cassie at school. Both Cassie and Maddie are auditioning for the same role in the school play, but when Cassie accuses Maddie of lying about her tumor in order to get attention, Cassie's bossiness turns into bullying.
And as Maddie's surgery approaches, she begins to worry more and more about the outcome. What if something goes wrong? What if the doctors don't get all the tumor out of her brain? What will happen to her family? What will happen to her?
It will take all of Maddie's vibrant imagination, a lot of kindness-both given and received-and of course, the perfect mustache to overcome the tough stuff ahead of her.
My thoughts-
When I first started reading Mustaches for Maddie I was not sure I would finish. The beginning part was so slow for me, but I am glad I stuck through that very short lived slowness because I really ended up liking this book. It was full of humor, drama, and life lessons. This is the exact kind of book I hope my daughter will gravitate towards now that they are older. I think the fact that the book was based on an actual kid's experience will make it resonate more with it's audience. I enjoyed the quirkiness, but also that a serious issue like dealing with a brain tumor is seen from a child's point of view, which may help kids deal better with an issue they may be going through. I also liked that empathy for others became a central theme in Mustaches for Maddie.
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