Willa and the Whale

by Chad Morris, Shelly Brown

Overview

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629738840
Publisher:	Deseret Book Company
Publication date:	02/20/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Chad Morris grew up wanting to become a professional basketball player or a rock star. Neither of those plans quite panned out, so he wrote and performed sketch comedy while going to college. Now he’s a teacher and a writer.
 
Shelly Brown loves to write books for children. In her spare time, she enjoys the theater and traveling. In addition to her five children, she has three chickens and sixty-four Pez dispensers.

Editorial Reviews

"A moving story that presents raw grief and the hope born of healing in a sensitive, realistic manner."

Booklist

"A moving story that presents raw grief and the hope born of healing in a sensitive, realistic manner."

Booklist

2019-11-24
In the wake of her mother's sudden death, Willa navigates a new course with her blended family and friends on an island off Washington state, with the help of a humpback whale.

After her parents divorced three years ago, Willa moved to Japan with her marine biologist mom. Now back on Tupkuk Island, Willa, 12, struggles to adapt to her dad, new stepmom, three younger stepsiblings, and new baby. When she's on a welcome-home, whale-watching cruise with her dad, a humpback breaches close by and speaks to her. Willa, an exceptionally well-informed marine enthusiast, is enchanted. When Willa calls her from the beach, Meg, a mature female who's birthed and nurtured offspring of her own, offers a sympathetic ear and valuable advice on reinstating her friendship with Marc, her former best friend, coping with an overbearing, competitive classmate, and managing the mortification of being among the slowest on the swim team. Most of all, Meg's there when Willa needs to pour out the grief that overwhelms her. Willa's journals and many marine references express her passion for the ocean while introducing fascinating, lesser-known wonders of the deep. Latinx Marc and his family excepted, the likable, rounded human characters are presumed white. Mysterious, amazing, threatened, but enduring, the ocean itself conveys the enormity of grief and possibility of healing; plausible, appealing Meg's especially engaging. As Willa says: "everyone should definitely have their own whale."

Moving and buoyant, an insightful tale of grief, loss, and resilience. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews