Editorial Content for Waiting for Unicorns
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Reviewer (text)
Twelve-year-old Talia Lea McQuinn’s father goes to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada every year to track beluga whales, who flock to the area each spring. This year, Talia has no choice but to go with him --- her mother recently died from cancer. In Churchill, Talia misses her mom, her home and her friends, when her father temporarily leaves her with his friend Sura, she misses him, too.
Hautala seamlessly weaves the narrative together in a way that makes for an easy-to-read yet heartfelt story.
Talia’s mother used to tell her a story about a unicorn that grants a wish, and even though Talia knows they don’t really exist, she’s sure that if she finds a unicorn, her own wish --- that she could have the chance to say goodbye to her mother --- will come true, too. So when Sura tells her about narwhals --- whales with a single horn on their head that are referred to as “unicorn whales” --- she knows she had to find one.
The title makes the story sound like a fantasy, which it isn’t, but there is a touch of magic in the telling of the tale. I had never read any books written by Beth Hautala, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this one. Hautala seamlessly weaves the narrative together in a way that makes for an easy-to-read yet heartfelt story. I hope you enjoy this touching story as much as I did.
Teaser
When 12-year-old Talia --- still reeling from the recent death of her mother --- is forced to travel with her whale-researcher father to the Arctic, she begins to wonder if the broken pieces inside of her will ever begin to heal. Everything about life in Churchill feels foreign, including Sura, the traditional Inuit woman whom Talia must live with. But when Sura exposes her to the tradition of storytelling, she unlocks something within Talia that has long since been buried: her ability to hope, to believe again in making wishes come true.
Promo
When 12-year-old Talia --- still reeling from the recent death of her mother --- is forced to travel with her whale-researcher father to the Arctic, she begins to wonder if the broken pieces inside of her will ever begin to heal. Everything about life in Churchill feels foreign, including Sura, the traditional Inuit woman whom Talia must live with. But when Sura exposes her to the tradition of storytelling, she unlocks something within Talia that has long since been buried: her ability to hope, to believe again in making wishes come true.
About the Book
A novel about one girl’s journey to the arctic, where she discovers the power of letting go of pain and opening up to second chances
When 12-year-old Talia --- still reeling from the recent death of her mother --- is forced to travel with her emotionally and physically distant whale-researcher father to the Arctic for the summer, she begins to wonder if the broken pieces inside of her will ever begin to heal. Like her jar of wishes, Talia feels bottled up and torn. Everything about life in Churchill feels foreign, including Sura, the traditional Inuit woman whom Talia must live with. But when Sura exposes her to the tradition of storytelling, she unlocks something within Talia that has long since been buried: her ability to hope, to believe again in making wishes come true.
A rich and poignant story about opening up --- to new people, to second chances, to moving forward with life.
