Die 10-jährige Maddie hat einen besonderen Humor und liebt es, die Kinder in ihrer Klasse mit bunten Aufklebe-Schnurrbärten zum Lachen zu bringen. Es wäre alles so schön, wenn da nicht diese tonangebende Mitschülerin wäre, welche die vierte Klasse regiert und sich tagtäglich je nach Laune mit einem anderen Hofstaat umgibt, und deren Freundin Maddie so gern wäre … Doch dann bekommt Maddies Leben mit einem Mal eine völlig andere Wendung, als sich herausstellt, dass sie einen Gehirntumor hat. Dank ihrer positiven Einstellung gelingt es Maddie aber, alle Herausforderungen, die ihre Krankheit mit sich bringt, zu meistern und zu einer Inspiration für ihre Freunde und ihre Familie zu werden.
Einfühlsam bringt Julia Nachtmann den Mut und die Hoffnung dieser Geschichte zum Ausdruck.
Die Geschichte 'Bunte Schnurrbart-Tage' basiert auf wahren Begebenheiten: Bei Maddie, der Tochter des Autor*innenduos Chad Morris und Shelly Brown, wurde ein Gehirntumor festgestellt, als sie neun Jahre alt war. Dank ihres einzigartigen Humors und ihrer großen Zuversicht überstand Maddie die schwierige Zeit. Sie sammelte während ihrer Krankheit bunte Schnurrbärte und löste damit eine ganze Schnurrbart-Bewegung aus. Heute ist Maddie wieder ganz gesund, aber an Schnurrbärten findet sie noch immer großen Gefallen.
'My name is Flint, but everyone in middle school calls me Squint because I'm losing my vision. I used to play football, but not anymore. I haven't had a friend in a long time. Thankfully, real friends can see the real you, even when you can't clearly see.'
Flint loves to draw. In fact, he's furiously trying to finish his comic book so he can be the youngest winner of the 'Find a Comic Star' contest. He's also rushing to finish because he has keratoconus-an eye disease that could eventually make him blind.
McKell is the new girl at school and immediately hangs with the popular kids. Except McKell's not a fan of the way her friends treat this boy named Squint. He seems nice and really talented. He draws awesome pictures of superheroes. McKell wants to get to know him, but is it worth the risk? What if her friends catch her hanging with the kid who squints all the time?
McKell has a hidden talent of her own but doesn't share it for fear of being judged. Her terminally ill brother, Danny, challenges McKell to share her love of poetry and songwriting. Flint seems like someone she could trust. Someone who would never laugh at her. Someone who is as good and brave as the superhero in Flint's comic book named Squint.
Squint is the inspiring story of two new friends dealing with their own challenges, who learn to trust each other, believe in themselves, and begin to truly see what matters most.
When her mother dies, twelve-year-old Willa feels lost and alone—until she meets and befriends a humpback whale named Meg
While on a whale-watching excursion with her dad, Willa is alone on one side of the boat when she sees a humpback whale. Her awe and wonderment about this massive and beautiful creature turns to shock when the whale communicates with her, introducing herself as Meg.
As their friendship develops, Willa comes to view Meg as a trusted confidant—who offers her advice about difficult issues in Willa’s life.
When a blue whale washes up on shore and dies, the townspeople jump into action with opinions about what to do with it. Willa enlists her friends, family, and the City Council to rescue the body of the whale and donate it to the local university where her mom taught for further study and to display the bones.
Feeling good about getting her community to band together in service of science and conservation, Willa returns to the shore to tell Meg about her amazing experience. But Meg tells Willa that it is time for her pod to migrate, and Willa learns that it’s okay to say goodbye.
Willa and the Whale is a poignant story about caring, loss, and the deep connections that make us human.
