Waiting for Unicorns

by Beth Hautala

"After her mother dies, twelve-year-old Talia McQuinn goes to the Arctic with her father, a whale researcher. Over the course of one summer, and through several unlikely friendships, Talia learns that stories have the power to connect us, to provide hope, and to pull us out of the darkness"--

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction, Grief, Contemporary, Death

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 22, 2015

About the author

Beth Hautala lives with her family in northern Minnesota, where she strives to write stories that tie heart and imagination together.

Reviews

[Amy-Jo Conant · Rating 5 out of 5]

GRL - W
DRA - 60
LX - 840

I was pleasantly surprised by this book as I had it hanging around for a while before I plunged into reading it. I began taking notes early on in my reading and might just end up sharing my thoughts as I journeyed through the book.

First, this book is not for everyone. You need to be a patient, introspective reader. There is very little action, very little dialogue. This book is about relationships, loss, finding friendship, repairing relationships. Aspiring writers should absolutely read this book. If you want to be an author who writes beautiful novels read this and take notes.

This book has a slow pace (given the little action). However, it's pacing is perfect and I would recommend you read it slow. The language is beautiful, hauntingly so. Most books have special lines sprinkled in here and there that give you pause. This book is filled with line after line that is poetic and meaningful. You could open up to almost any page point to a line and analyze it. There is so much for book groups to discuss.

Some of my favorites:
"The happiest people are the ones who've decided that everything they already have is everything they'll ever want."

"... Dad would have never said the things he did. And maybe- maybe- I needed to hear those things, ... more than I needed unicorns."

"Sometimes I forget almost everything takes practice. Sometimes you have to do them over and over again before you can do them well. "

"We all carry scars, some of them are just a bit more visible than others."

"I could choose to be brave, because that what love does. It puts courage in all your empty places and lets you believe that good things, impossible things, can still happen."

"Being brave takes practice."

So image 240 pages filled with these kinds of ideas coming at you one after the other. The fact is some books throw it at you and cram it down your throat in a preachy way. I didn't feel that way with this book. It came easy and slow and in a way, you could connect with Talia.

You get wrapped up in her grief and sadness and you are thankful for the quiet cast of characters that support her. They support her without interfering and give her the space she needs. There is a beauty to their relationship. It has the sweetness of Winn-Dixie with an edge of maturity. In Winn-Dixie Opal brings hope to her friends. In Unicorns, Talia gains hope from those around her.

Talia is a character to root for. You want good things to happen to her.

The culminating conversation between Talia and her Dad is very real. You see a parent with flaws grasping at how to deal with an immense loss and new responsibilities.

Read... enjoy!

Notes: If you are uncomfortable with the topic of cancer or loss you might want to skip this book. Also, there is a very brief kiss that readers might want to be aware of.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful juvenile read. A delightful story of hope, perspective and narwhals!

[Lonnie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read! A heartfelt story of a young girl coming to terms with loss, forgiveness and new life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down (finished it in one sitting).

The author was adept in painting the landscape and really making you feel like you were there, as well as sitting inside the narrator's head.

Recommend = Yes!

DISCLAIMER: This review is based on a Pre-Release edition of the book which is subject to change.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such real emotion as I read, leapt off the pages and burrowed into my heart, showing themselves again in the corners of my eyes. This is real fiction. The kind that works through the heart, the most real kind there is. Loved the adventure, loved being plunged under despair, loved being lifted in hope.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have tissues handy.

[Sarah]

I loved this book. I loved how visible the author made the character's feelings. The story was so touching and emotional. It was really sad at some points but also very cool.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those middle grade books set up for tears: a 12-year-old main character, Talia McQuinn, whose mom has died and must accompany her dad, a whale researcher, to the freezing Arctic. In the process she must say goodbye to everything she's ever known, as her dad sells the house, all their stuff, their car, etc. so he can do this research trip.

It's quite the shock, on top of the grief, and then to make matters worse, the beluga whales don't show up where her father's expecting them. In fact, they don't show, at all. He can't study something that's not there, although it's unclear how that affects whether he gets paid, which was one of my (practical) concerns as I read.

Talia processes her grief with the Inuit landlord and woman who becomes her caretaker, while her dad's on the ice. And it turns out, this woman knew her mom and dad years before Talia was born. Talia learns about her mom in the process.

The climax comes when her dad doesn't radio in the way he should, and with global warming, and the ice thinning and moving sooner than ever, it's feared he or his research party may have been caught in the crush.

I won't spoil how it ends. Read to enjoy this brief sojourn out of the heat.

Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?

Visit my blog, The Fabric of Words, for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a roller coaster of emotions for Talia as her summer adventures in Churchill unfolded. This book is at a slow pace with little action. It is about love, loss, broken relationships and new found friendships. It is well written and worth the read.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another of those books that I happen to stumble upon by chance. While I do jump into the young adult section more and more recently, it tends to be for very specific genres. But when I read the blurb for this book something about it just grabbed hold of me and I knew I would have to give it a go. The setting is one I have experienced a couple of time and it comes across as a mixture of magical and also a hard place to make a home. Anyway, I brought this home and jumped right in.



To start with this has one of the best first pages I have read in a very long time. There is something so true about its opening and also so very simple. It sets the tone for what is to come and everything our heroine goes on over the summer. This is not a story of big actions and wild rides. It is instead about looking inwards to how we deal with loss and grief. The author takes her time and moves forward calmly allowing the proper time for things. Much like actual grief, nothing happens fast and you have to allow your mind time to deal with what has taken place. Due to its first-person narrative we are taken into Talia's heart and mind, giving us a better insight into her new life. I would also point out that her interactions with her father felt genuine. These are two people that have been torn apart by death but chose to deal with it in different ways. And it is in this honest Talia's father is shown to us with all his faults and problems, as an adult who simply doesn't have all the answers.



The story flows along at a gentle pace as if the ocean coming over the sand. This is a book to look back on and contemplate about. There are a lot of ideas passed across within the pages, but at no point did I feel she was trying to ram it down my throat. Any book that deals with death and loss is going to have a difficult time translate this subject onto the page. The author did this with a great deal of sensitivity when dealing with loneliness and melancholy you want to believe that these characters will finally turn to face to the sun and some good will come to them. With that said she has managed to bring to this tale a sense of realism within its characters actions despite the slightly otherworldly quality to the way in which the book flows. For me, I read this book in one sitting, in part down to the short chapters. The author managed to gently fold me into Talia's world and everything she went through this is a book of reflections and giving us pause to think.



I found my self-struggling to write this review, for me, it is something that is better to experience. Take some time out of your busy lives and get to know Talia and those people who call the Arctic home.

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of the book is about Talia holding onto the memory of her mother, Katherine. She was the kind of person who believed in magic and made life bright and fun. Talia is desperate for stories about her mother, which Sura is happy to provide. This information and a few choice flashbacks sprinkled throughout the narrative make it achingly clear what Talia has lost. But this book is also about forging new relationships. Her father isn’t so much distant as grief-stricken. Talia and her father were never as close as she was with her mother, but they both yearn to connect and when they do it is extremely satisfying for the reader. Sura seems gruff at first but is patient with Talia and wins her over in part with pancakes and some truly delicious-sounding hot chocolate. And then there’s Simon the Guitar Boy, a preternaturally wise and positive influence on Talia. In other words, exactly the kind of friend/crush she needs. In many ways this book is about the power and importance of wishing, a not-so-distant cousin of hope. This keeps the book buoyant, and despite some truly aching moments, the book never becomes unbearably heavy.

There are a lot of lovely details in this book that straddle the line between whimsical and earthy, which is possibly my favourite line in children’s fiction, and one not easy to straddle effectively. A particularly effective visual metaphor in the book is the jar of wishes that Talia keeps under her bed. I also loved the ‘unicorn of the sea’ imagery and the little tidbits of natural history, wildlife, and conservation which pervade the book and give a excellent sense of place. Canadian readers will especially love how Hautala represents one of our more Northern communities. The conservation angle and the setting are part of what sets Waiting for Unicorns apart from the crowd

[Brittany Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I WON THIS BOOK FREE FROM GOODREADS FIRST READS GIVEAWAY!

This book was fabulous. The cover was gorgeous and matches the interior work. It is set in the Artic so I also think this would make an excellent winter read. The main character grows a lot in the book and the character development in this work is very well done. This was not a junk book but a very nice piece and I am so happy to have it on my shelf. It flowed well. I seriously recommend picking it up it has that same sort of spirit as some of Gary Paulson's work and was a book that I really relished. Just a superb read.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talia Lea McQuin has lost everything in her life that meant something special to her. Her mom, her friends, her happiness, and her home have all disappeared. Talia and her father set out on a journey to discover their hearts again. But, Talia begins to loose faith in everything she once had. She decides to hold all her wishes close to her soul, and maybe one day they will come true. However, no matter how hard Talia makes wishes, she can't go back and change the past.
Do you believe in wishes? Or do you believe in hope?

I am going to be completely honest, I really didn't have a connection in this book. I don't know if it's because I had to stop in the middle of it, but I felt like the character's tones were very mono. Even though there were great adventures throughout the book, there was nothing "over the top". And, the title "Waiting for Unicorns", didn't actually match up to anything that connected inside the book, in my opinion. Maybe "Wishing for Unicorns", would have been a little more associating. Since this was Beth Hautala's first novel, I don't think it was her fault. I'm sure her writing has improved over the years, and I will look into reading one of her newer books. : )

Overall, I would not recommend this to friends. It's not a terrible or fantastic book, so it's an okay read. : )

[Antonina Kozłowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trzy gwiazdki nie dlatego, że to jest zła książka (bo absolutnie nie jest) tylko dlatego, że, moim zdaniem, jest przeznaczona zdecydowanie dla młodszych czytelników. Dodałabym jeszcze pół* za miejsce akcji.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read where I personally know the author. It was fascinating to read each page and wonder how she came to write such beautiful things that sank so deeply into my heart. She is a wonderful person and a wonderful writer! Keep on girl!

[Kaitlyn Zambrana]

I absolutely loved this book. I loved how it w as full of magic and love. I definitely recommend reading this book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!! Lots of life lessons. Also tear jerker as it hit so close to my own life experiences.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was such a good novel in teaching the various stages of grief to those who need it most. What a read to end my year on, too.

This is such a sweet book, though the subject matter can be fairly tough at times. It has this angle about it while explaining the stages of grief and loss, that we can also still be ourselves and be like we used to be. Navigating the stages of life after loss too, and such a significant loss at that as a parent, it was very refreshing to read and felt very real.

I also enjoyed the dive into the Canadian Inuit culture. Sura is one of my favorite characters in this book simply because of how she imparts wisdom of her people upon others. How she shows love and affection and gives attention and strength to our main character who is so deeply hurting for many different reasons.

I don't know how to describe this other than a very highly recommended, quick read. Something you can finish in a few days between bigger books and still feel highly satisfied at the end and feel Talia's disappointment towards the end. All the while learning that life flows as it will and believing in things can help us better understand the world around us, the people we choose to find and love in life and help us realize that life moves forward.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Waiting for Unicorns by Beth Hautala gave me what I think was important insight on coping with the loss of a love one, specifically from cancer. It showed me that life needs to go on, other wise you might miss out on good times with the people you have left. The book was published in 2015 and was the authors first book. Beth Hautala's style was definitely more simplistic and geared towards the stereotypical young teenage girl. The book is about a girl and her father who go to Alaska in search of narwhal whales after losing the matriarch of the family to cancer. While there the characters are developed in a way that seems realistic yet positive despite the loss of their close family member. This made them relatable to me because at the time I had never lost a family member and thought I would be able to handle the grief very easily. To make the book better for me, I would have made one of the characters closer to my age. The plot is extremely predictable through out the book. But it didn't matter because I think it was meant to warm a person's heart rather than surprise them. The book compares to no other book I have ever read. I randomly selected the book on a reading monday and read it all the way through. I would warn potential readers that there is a scene that includes a kiss between young teenagers. I would recommend the book to anyone who has experienced the pain cancer can cause on a family. I would not recommend it to any advanced student outside of the previously mentioned criteria because it is an extremely predictable easy read.

[Carol Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grief is the theme of this story. It's also about beluga and narwhal whales, unicorns, wishes, living on Hudson Bay, friendship, birds (ornithology), the Inuit culture, playing the guitar, and navigation.

After Mom dies of cancer, Tal's dad, a whale researcher, moves them for the summer to Hudson Bay, to a small town called Churchill. After installing them in a blue boarding house run by an Inuit native, Sura, Dad hits the sea in search of his missing whales. Tal is nothing but sad and is anxious over her dad's safety on the ice now. She opens herself just a little bit to Sura though, and learns about her mom's time there, her connection to the Inuit, and how Sura shows love through her cooking. She meets Simon, the light-hearted, guitar-playing, song-singing grandson of the Birdman. They are also here for the summer. Simon has to deal with his own tragedy when the local bears like his grandfather a little too much. Tal recognizes what a great friend Simon has been to her all along and learns to be a good friend herself. I would recommend this story to 5th-7th graders, although it is also good for strong readers in 4th, and has plenty to offer older readers. When Tal and Simon visit her dad's office, she gives Simon a detailed lesson in plotting navigation points. I learned something from that!

[AliceAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very well done book. There were no gadgets or gizmos, no chase scenes, or anything blowing up in space, (although I have nothing against those things, in fact I often prefer them); however, this book didn't need any of that. It was simply a well-written book about a young teenage girl, who has to learn to deal with her mother's death, as well as her father's prolonged absences. The characters are all believable, and the Arctic setting felt spot on; almost a little too believable here in the cold, snow-covered Midwest. This is a book about hope, and wishes, and second chances, and it made my heart happy. Highly Recommend.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was just boring. I tried hard to read carefully and get invested in the characters, but I found I just didn't care about them much at all. I think what I didn't like about it was mostly the writing stlye...too many platitudes and boring style. The one bright spot in the book was the mild romance...I wished that this had been the focus of the book instead of just a minor aside.

"She didn't need to know a single thing about me that I wasn't willing to share on my own." page 31

Grant a wish seems like it can mean two things...
-make something the wisher wants come true
-allow someone to make a wish in the first place.

[Nevada Shriver · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But here’s the thing about hope. You’re not guaranteed much. Not ever. That’s what makes it such a beautiful and terrible thing. Despite your determination, or how hard you believe, or the number of wishes in your jar, hope, like a tern, can fly straight into your outstretched hands, or it can fly just out of reach.”

I picked up this book in a local bookstore after seeing the cover. It’s colorful and fun, and I love the detail. It provides maps for the reader, which was nice to refer to throughout the story. I love visuals and knowing where everything takes place…

Full review at https://betweenthepagesreview.com/?ca...

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter and I liked this well enough- it was a sweet story, but incredibly slow paced, even if purposely so (life doesn't move at break-neck speed, I know, especially life in northern climates), which just made for a slow read aloud. It might have been a better read-to-self in that aspect. Still, a good story with some good messages and tough issues tackled all around. We loved the northern setting- that alone made it worth the read, as I love a good book that exposes us to different parts of the world. I'd read the author's next books without hesitation as she does write beautifully.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was rough going. Info dump. Depressing info dump. Yet another info dump. The characters once the story got going are sympathetic and it's a good story about recovering from grief and community. Unfortunately it's the billionth MG like this I've read this year and there was nothing to set it apart from all the others. It's a grief book with whales instead of jellyfish? I got nothing.

NOTE: I would LOVE to hear from someone in the Inuit culture speak on that aspect.

[Sara Easterly · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I couldn’t help but wonder: You can chart distance across a map in minutes and seconds. This I knew. But could you chart the growth of your heart by the things you do and say, by what you think and how you feel?”

As I read this novel, I did feel that I was reading the chart of Talia’s heart’s growth — a very satisfying journey to embark on with Talia.

Complete review at https://bookbonding.wordpress.com/201...

[Lori Kuder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book!

[Mercy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talia travels to the Arctic circle with her researcher father the summer after her mother passes away. Her childhood wish to see unicorns (a connection with her mother) becomes merged with recent local sightings or narwhal whales.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, insightful and philosophical story set in Churchill amid the polar bears and arctic turns. The protagonist, a thirteen year old girl, is trying to come to grips with the death of her mother.

[Yareli Becerril]

100000000% I would recommend it. I really loved this book about friendship and loss. I found it so sad when I found out that Talia's mom had died, and that Talia had decided to cut her own too. I would totally reread this book.

[Anna Holk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waiting For Unicorns was beautifully written and had complex characters. The theme and emotion are really felt throughout the book. However, I didn't like how there was very little plot or events of significance.