Fun Reads for the Whole Family!

Don’t you love seeing people, dogs, giraffes, really anything in a fake mustache?

Maddie sure did. They make her laugh. Hard. And she’s going to need that kind of laughter because she’s about to face a colossal, gargantuan, menacing monster: a brain tumor.

Maddie is like any normal twelve-year-old. She has two annoying brothers, she loves to hang out with her friends, and she’s excited she was cast as Juliet in the Shakespeare scenes at school. But Maddie’s hand and leg are acting strange. Her hand curls up all on its own, her leg is weak, and her vision hasn’t been that great either. When her mom finds out, she makes a doctor appointment right away. Then comes the MRI, which shows a tumor the size of two and a half golf balls, right by her optic nerve. Surgery could harm her brain and/or her sight. This is major. And scary. She heads into surgery, not knowing if she’ll come out okay, or even if she’ll live through it, but she receives great encouragement from her friends and from people all over the country. You’ll have to read the book to see how they encourage her 😊

I loved this story. Based on the two authors’ daughter and her experience with a brain tumor, Maddie has a grand imagination, and she comes up with fun games for everyone to play. She charms everyone (well, almost everyone. There is that one girl…) with her mustaches and humor. This book is also a great example of how to encourage someone who is going through a difficult time. For those not going through surgery or hospital stays, it will give them a glimpse of what it’s like and how to encourage any friends who are. I hope you’ll check out Mustaches for Maddie.

My second recommendation is More Than Grit, by Gretchen Carlson. Set during the end of the Depression, Sissy is a determined twelve-year-old who will do anything to help her family. Kansas farmers don’t earn much money, and now there is the possibility of getting electricity to their homes and farms that could make a whole of difference in how they live. Sissy’s family can’t afford the deposit, so she gets a few secret afterschool jobs to earn the money. But the electricity deposit isn’t the only thing on Sissy’s mind. A bully at school who torments Sissy and her best friend gets Sissy’s stubborn spirit raging, plus her best friend is going through hardships that Sissy desperately wants to help with. Through it all, Sissy is isolates herself and tries to deal with everything on her own, but it will take more than grit to solve these troubles.

I love Gretchen’s writing style and this story is based on the author’s grandmother. Gretchen makes you feel like you’re right there with Sissy, feeling it all as you’re flipping the pages to see what Sissy will do next. Check out this Amazon best selling book today!