Willa and the Whale, by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

     A heartwarming story about many things, but through it all Willa, the story's protagonist (main character) speaks with Meg, a humpback whale. If you can suspend belief and allow this to be part of the overall story, I think you'll really enjoy this book! If that is a little too fantastical for your tastes, you might want to choose something else.

    Willa has recently lost her mother and now finds herself living with her dad, his new wife and all of their young children on an island in Washington state.. This is a big change for Willa, who had been living in Japan with her mom. She is trying to make sense of her loss - mostly of her mother but also the friends she made in Japan - and meanwhile navigate all of the family changes and life's daily challenges, like school, Lizzy, (the girl at school who is always showing Willa how much better and smarter she is than Willa), Marcus (her once-best-friend who has grown distant since Willa had spent a few years with her mother living in Japan), and her new family. Her mom was a famous marine biologist, and Willa knows more than most about sea creatures and ocean life...when she meets Meg on a whale watching tour. Meg becomes a friend and confidant and helps Willa navigate everything she is facing, even the arrival of a beached whale in their small town that Willa feels compelled to help...but how?

    Willa and the Whale is the first book I've read by writers Morris and Brown, although not the first by this couple. And if it doesn't bring tears to your eyes a couple of times, I'd be surprised. The authors insert conversations between Willa and Meg into the story, and if you can let that be part of the beauty of the book then the whole story will work for you. I found that it worked for the most part, although it slipped off the track a time or two and the conversation seemed a little too forced. But if you like oceans, ocean life, or animal tales (not tails, although those are wonderful, too!), and a good, heartwarming realistic fiction story, I think you'll like this. Much like Sharon Creech or Kate DiCamillo, but not quite as polished...yet. 4 paws!