by Sally J Pla
First sentence: “I learned this great calm-down trick recently.”
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Content: There is on-page physical abuse by a stepparent as well as neglect and shaming by a parent. It’s in the YA section (grades 6-8) of the bookstore, but I’d give it to some 4th and 5th graders. I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

For Maudie’s whole life, she has spent summers with her Dad in his cabin in California and the rest of the year with her mom in Texas. But her mom recently go remarried, and her stepdad, Ron, has an explosive temper. So much so that he hurts Maudie, whom he doesn’t seem to want around. And her mother isn’t doing much to help. Especialy since Maudie has autism and needs more time and allowances to get things done. But her mother told her not to tell her dad, so she’s keeping the secret.

This summer, though, there’s a wildfire in the mountains around her dad’s cabin, and they have to flee. They’re left with nothing, so they head south to the beach to stay with one of her dad’s high school friends. There, Maudie discovers surfing, makes friends, and gains confidence. Will she have enough to tell her dad the secret and to tell him what she really wants: not to go back to Texas at all?

I really liked the autism representation in this. I liked the way Pla described what Maudie was feeling, and the sensations that made her anxious and unsettled. She had panic attacks and meltdowns, and the author described them just as if they were parts of life, which they are. I liked that her dad was also neurodivergent. And I liked that Maudie found something she could focus on in the surfing, and that the community was so welcoming.

Things were unsettling though. I disliked Maudie’s mom, who didn’t care about what Maudie needed to thrive, but more on what she (the mom) wanted. I think one could blame it on Maudie’s mom being a teenager when she had Maudie, but maybe not. She was horrible, her new husband was horrible, and Pla leaned into that. I also wondered about the representation. I liked that the town was populated with all sorts of people, but some of it felt stereotypical. Maudie’s dad is half Venezuelan, and his mom died soon after Maudie was born, so he doesn’t really have a connection to that. His friend is Latine, and they meet an Indian/Pakistani (assuming from the name, there’s nothing that gives it context) woman who runs an alternative school for neurodivergent kid. And Maudie’s surving mentor is Etta Kahuna, who is Black? Polynesian? Her only defining feature is her gray “dreadlocks” which is a big red flag.

That said, I did like how the overall message was trusting yourself and believing in (some of) the adults around you. And I did like watching Maudie learn to surf. I’m just not sure it’s that great with representation.