Based on a true story. Twelve-year-old Maddie has a quirky sense of humor and loves making her classmates laugh by slapping on fake mustaches every chance she gets. Being funny gets her noticed by class queen Cassie, and things are looking up when Maddie is cast as Juliet in the school play. Maybe Juliet could wear a mustache? When Maddie starts tripping when she walks and her hand starts … when she walks and her hand starts curling up at her side, her mom takes her to the doctor, who confirms Maddie has a brain tumor. In an instant, her world is turned upside down.
Maddie doesn’t want anyone else to know. Especially Cassie, whose jealousy has turned to bullying. What about Maddie’s chance to play Juliet opposite the cutest boy in the sixth grade? What if the doctors can’t get the ugly tumor monster out of her brain?
As Maddie’s surgery approaches, she wonders if her illness is giving her super powers because her imagination is bigger than ever, her courage is stronger than ever, and her compassion is about to be felt by more people than she ever imagined.
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Chad and Shelly have written a compelling story accented with humor, delight, and heart-wrenching experiences. I especially felt the emotion in this story because it’s based on a true story and I clearly remember when Maddie was in the hospital and it was too scary to want to think about, yet alone try to explain. That’s why I love this book–Chad and Shelly have created a priceless masterpiece from their own experiences with their daughter, Maddie.
I laughed out loud several times, smiled plenty, and yes, even had to wipe some tears in a few places. I think this book is perfect for young readers because the pacing of the story is exactly in sync with how their wild imaginations and attention spans work. There is definitely a grounding truth in this story about how to deal with the desire to be “popular” and do what everyone else is doing and how to be who you are.
Kudos to Chad Morris and Shelly Brown for writing a book that entertains and inspires. If you have kids, grandkids, or friends, share this book with them today…and definitely a mustache!
This book is a funny novel based off of a real event that happened in my home state a few years ago. The plot is cute,silly,and absolutely ridiculous
This book, oh, this book! If you liked Ramona in the Beverly Clearly books, you’ll love Maddie’s imagination. If you liked “Losers Club” you’ll like this book too, because wow, the kids in this book are so amazing, so kindhearted (well, there’s always one that’s not, right, but hopefully characters progress just like we hope people in real life do). This book was recommended to us by a lovely librarian we had an opportunity to meet, and my daughter started reading it, and I wanted to read it too, so we shared back and forth for a bit and then I took off and read the whole rest of it and handed it back to her ready for her to experience the entire story as well. It’s sad, it’s hard, it’s amazing, they’re so wonderful, and wow, based on a true story, so you got me there too. It also includes a letter in the back you’ll want to read from Maddie. Oh, and what a great sense of humor! She’s so very brave!
I loved this book so much and I can’t believe that the true story that it is based off of takes place in my home town
Maddie is a twelve-year-old girl with a great imagination, a crazy sense of humor, and a heart of gold. She loves to make her classmates laugh by wearing mustaches and strives to bring them together with the games she invents. Not everyone appreciates her efforts – especially not Cassie, the queen of the class, who sees her as a rival for popularity as well as for the lead in the class play. When Maddie is diagnosed with a brain tumor she finds the courage to stand up to Cassie and effect changes through acts of compassion and kindness. This book carries a powerful message about how even one person can make a huge difference through small acts of kindness. This book should be included on every school’s must-read list. Maddie is insightful and young readers will have a good role model for learning empathy. I read this book with my seven-year-old daughter and she loved it. Morris and Brown strike a beautiful balance between having a great middle-grade voice and vocabulary and tackling serious real-life conflicts in an inspiring, uplifting, and humorous way.
AUDIO: Shelly Brown, the coauthor of Mustaches for Maddie gives listeners a spot-on impersonation of her daughter. Her intonation and exuberance give Maddie a delightful bubbly personality. Even when scenes are intense and slightly technical -such as having an MRI- Brown delivers such a nuanced performance that listeners are captivated and take the journey with young Maddie. My seven-year-old has listened to this audiobook/read along with it multiple times, so much so, that she now has some of Maddie’s colloquial phrases delivered much as Brown performed them. “Cheese Tots!” This is a great book for a family road trip as there is something for every age group and can lead to discussions on how to put compassion in action.
First of all, thanks to Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for this ARC!
4.5 stars.
I’ve read a variety of books about kid struggling with illness, but I have to admit this one hit me with the most genuine mixture of joy-pain. Maybe just because I’m a sap who’s in the middle of another diagnosis journey, 10 years from my first symptom. But there was something uniquely charming and touching in this book.
Maddie’s kindness, honesty, and imagination throughout this story helped give a fresh voice to a story that’s not always easy to read. I also liked that Maddie’s adventures in school held equal importance next to her struggle with the brain tumor. The balance of these two threads of story was great, and helped ground her health struggles in a world any kid can recognize.
As someone who’s 10 years into Ye Olde Health Crisis, I also have to say I deeply deeply appreciated how the book ended. Conclusions are hard in stories like this–stories that, in real life, sometimes don’t come with conclusions–and I felt Mustaches for Maddie hit the note perfectly.
Thank you Chad Morris and Shelly Brown for sharing this story!