Middle Grade Monday: The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla.  336 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publisher, July 11, 2023. 9780063268814. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It's the penultimate Monday of the school year for me and I am ready for the break. Middle Grade Monday features The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGuin by Sally J. Pla. Thirteen-year-old Maudie always looks forward to summers because she spends them with her dad in his cabin in California. She's autistic and he accepts her the way she is and doesn't belittle her the way her mom and now, her new step-father do. Almost immediately, her dad senses something is not right and asks Maudie if she's okay. Maudie is not okay, but has been sworn to secrecy by her mother. Then comes the wildfire. Maudie and her dad have to evacuate the cabin. They head down the coast to her dad's hometown. Her dad's best friend runs a trailer park and puts them up in a trailer while her dad tries to find work. Maudie spends her days at the beach getting up the courage to ask local surf legend, Etta for lessons. She wants to win the beginners surf contest at the end-of-summer bash. There's prize money and it might be enough to help her dad and maybe stay with him instead of returning to Texas.

This first-person novel unfolds quietly as Maudie copes with her traumas. Short chapters with poems interspersed throughout reflect Maudie's thoughtful insights. They also ratchet up tension as she gradually reveals the secret she carries. Readers will root for Maudie as she gains confidence, learns to surf and makes friends. Other characters are equally endearing and wonderfully supportive of Maudie. 

The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn releases on July 11. I adored this book. Put it on your radar. It would be a great SEL title and perfect for any school, classroom or public library.