The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

by Sally J. Pla, Gail Shalan (Reader)

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel by the award-winning author of The Someday Birds is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish. Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life--one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she's scared. When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It's another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough? As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends--and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth--and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad--before summer is over?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Abuse, Fiction, Audiobook, Young Adult

1 pages, Audio CD

First published July 11, 2023

About the author

Sally J. Pla is the author of ALA Schneider Award-winning THE FIRE, THE WATER, AND MAUDIE McGINN, the Dolly Gray Award-winning THE SOMEDAY BIRDS, and other acclaimed novels and picture books. Her work has gained many awards and starred reviews, and has been included on many state awards lists and “best book” roundups.

Sally has appeared on television and radio as an author and neurodiversity advocate. She also runs A Novel Mind, an online resource for neurodiversity/mental-health/disability representation in children's lit.

Sally believes in the beauty of different brains. We are all stars shining with different lights.

For more, visit her website at sallyjpla.com .

Reviews

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“…shame words like to stick around and circle my head in a foolish invisible halo. They do it far too often.”
🔥
Maudie is neurodivergent and is excited to spend the summer with her dad: the one person who she feels understands her. But this summer she’s hiding a secret, one about her mom and stepdad that she’s worried to tell her father about. When a wildfire gets out of control, Maudie and her dad must evacuate and stay in a camper. This causes Maudie to see surfers and it draws her interest. As she makes friends and comes out of her shell some, she’s able to come to terms with her autism and her family.
🌊
Oh, my heart. @sallyjpla is an amazing author and if you haven’t read her MG books you’re missing out. From The Someday Birds to Stanley to now Maudie, she’s incredibly gifted at characterization, particularly of kids who might feel “different” “other” or “less than” in some way, but are so very special and important. We need to see all of our kids at school. I see and accept you, Maudie. Thanks Sally for sharing this #novel with the world.

CW: anger issues, wildfire, parental bullying, sensory overload, neglect, physical abuse

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Wendy MacKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book as glorious, heart-wrenching, beautifully written, and filled with heart! Sally j.Pla has written a wonderful book that will stay with me forever. A must-read for anyone who loves heart stories wants to understand what it’s like to not to be typical. Belongs on reading lists everywhere! A must read!

[Nicole Melleby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would kill for Maudie.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn is a vivid, triumphant, and authentic coming-of-age story about discovering one’s inner strength. Maudie shows impressive character growth as she grows from being called “Mouse” and a “weak gazelle” to being her brave self. Despite tackling serious issues like physical abuse and autism acceptance, this story feels infused with the lightness of summer as a girl discovers that she’s braver than she ever thought. Loved this one!

Full review: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/the-fi...

[Spiri Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book overwhelmed me a little because of what I share in common with the main character. It was at once triggering but also healing? I liked the overall ending and the story, but the flashbacks were hard to read through. I loved the friendships she made and learning to surf and the relationship with her dad!!

[Brenda Kahn]

Oh how I loved everything about this lovely book from its cover to its voice. Put it on your radar. I can't wait to put it into the hand of my students. You will fall in love with Maudie McGinn.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to DNF this book half into it because it was quite triggering for me ever since the first chapter. Something about the main character’s description and the way the adults/other side characters were behaving just felt wrong. I know it’s not a bad book but I just couldn’t continue. The parents seem so irresponsible and I know things happen in life. I know we are all struggling. I do feel the representation is done so well. The father is quite kind. However, the mother… seriously is just too much.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book written by a beautiful human 💗 I finished last night and can’t stop thinking about Maudie, her incredible dad, her mentor Etta, and her new friend Paddi. A book about starting over, stepping outside your comfort zone, and opening up to those you love

I highly recommend this book for MG readers and beyond! Definitely preorder immediately ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Shaunna MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad this book is grounded in Maudie’s summer with her dad because my heart needed her joy, happiness, and fatherly understanding to bear her hurt. I loved the relationship between Maudie and her dad and how sometimes the things you need most cannot be bought with money and power ❤️

[Laura Stahly Dronkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book. This book had wonderful characters who encounter real life situations. I was completely drawn into the story and was routing for Maudie the whole time. This shines a light on what it means to be different and how we as society should be inclusive and accepting of others.

[Mrs Heidrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by @sallyjpla has my heart! ❤️ Maudie's story is heartbreaking and inspiring in that she learns to come into her own and that she's worth more than she's been told. Her relationship with her Dad is so touching as well as so many others on the beach! Wonderful representation of neurodiversity. #mglit #5stars

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time putting this book aside. I so needed to have Maudie in a safe place. For a book with abuse it was rich in other characters. While the flashbacks with Maudie’s abusive mother and stepfather were hard to witness, the book had plenty of enjoyable breathing room as she made new acquaintances and spent time with her lovely father. The surfing was excellent.

The emotional abuse her mother heaped on infuriated me almost more than the Neanderthal stepfather. The mother reminded me of all those people on the reality shows my husband watches who love to exploit their autistic children to gain sympathy for themselves.

Popsugar24: #29 - A book with a neurodivergent main character

52 Book Club24: #27 - By a neurodivergent author

[Shella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not too sure about the book a few pages in and then a switch turned on and I was totally invested. The distinguishing aspects of this story are the voice, character development, the climax and resolution. I listened to the audio version and highly recommend that. At first, I thought this was going to be a sexual abuse story, and I’m so glad it did not go there. This is a perfect book to introduce the trama of physical abuse. I never really knew much about that until my first year of teaching. The description from Maudie’s point of view was so well written. The author did not try to be political or over dramatic. Instead, she put you right in the situation without making it too intense for younger readers. I wish more authors for this age group would write like this. I don’t mind serious topics for young readers, but despise when it becomes inauthentic, agenda driven in a bias way, or just written for shock value. I also appreciated how her dad’s culture was woven into the story that unfolded beautifully. If I had to select one part that was the best, it would be the dynamic change in the character’s self talk. I would be shocked if this title did not earn recognition for the 2024 Schneider Family award. I would be thrilled to see it get some 2024 Newbery love.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with an autistic narrator before, and I’m so glad I broke that streak with Maudie! Seeing through her first person point-of-view the way she experiences the world was (to be very on the nose) eye-opening. I was grateful for the cast of adults who modeled appropriate behavior, discouraged secret keeping, and were unique, interesting people who helped show Maudie the wonderful person she is. And I’d be thrilled if her mom and Ron fell off the face of the planet. ✌️

[Jaiden Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that took way longer than expected to get through😅 For anyone wondering it is autism friendly but not dyslexic friendly. What is up with me and picking up books with horrible formatting this year???
The story itself is a solid 4 but the reading experience is a 3 or maybe even 2, it really threw me when it would drop into a poem format when it wasn't actually poetry, poetry formatting is hard enough for me to read without it not rhyming at all and being in the middle of regular formatting. Also, I always hate it when books flip between the past and present, I can’t keep up with what's going on and to make matters worse the past chapters weren't even marked as past or italicized to at least make them look different then the present chapters so I would be halfway through a chapter and realized it was set in the past not present, the whole set up sent me for a loop😅

Anyway besides those setbacks the story was enjoyable enough.

Language: N/A. Just uses of h*ck, d*ng, and g*sh. And a ‘bleeped’ out S word, it was written in the book like this ‘S_ _ _’.
Violence: Mentions of child abuse, nothing described just fade to black and mentions of grabbing a child roughly by the arm/and waist. Some bruises and minor scrapes.
Magic: N/A.

(Other: Mentions of grown-up characters drinking beer and other alcohol but no one ever gets drunk. Maudie mentions she wants ‘boobs’ which doesn't even make sense since she's 13 and would already be a young woman but whatever.)

This book was enjoyable and insightful. Maudie was sweet and fun. Paddi was super fun. Leonard was adorable *gives him pets*. There are other characters, all enjoyable, but honestly Maudie's dad had to be my favorite. He was so kind and such a great dad and guy all together. Really loved his character.
It had a good story, albeit a little tricky to follow sometimes with all the time jumping, but it was really solid and inspiring. Sometimes it felt like there was so much ‘telling’ that I couldn’t really picture the story, because I was just being told events happened that I would have liked to see but that's just me, the themes and core was great regardless.

10+

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book with a couple of things to note for parents. First, definitely a girl book. Second, it does touch on child abuse.

Characters:
Maudie is autistic and just the sweetest! Cutest! She reminds me of my sister's bestie!
Her dad is so nice! He's such a good dad, and I loved how much he loved Maudie!
All the side characters were so much fun! Patty was so sweet! And I loved her!

Themes:
That you shouldn't keep secrets from people who want to help you. If someone is hurting you tell someone. If you did something you feel bad about...tell someone, don't keep it bottled up.

Romance:
mention of girls flirting with someone, and Maudie tries it out when she's alone and decides flirting is so not her.

Language:
N/A

Violence/Gore:
Mentions of bruising, fire, someone grabbing a child hard, hurt ribs, being pushed, shoved, picked up, and a dislocated shoulder.

⚠️Content Warning⚠️
Does deal with child abuse and the fact that someone is covering it up and makes the child promise not to talk about it.
Also, Maudie mentions boobs and wants them... She's 13, so the context is off since she's basically a young woman, but...*shrugs*

Overall:
This is a really good book! Got some great tips for dealing with sensory overload, which I passed to my sister because she gets overwhelmed easily, and I thought some of them might help her. I love the cover! and the story inside is really good!

Recommend for girls ages 11+

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a shout out to brave, resilient kids and good dads.
Maudie is autistic and spends school years with her vapid mom and tempestuous stepfather, and summers with her dad, who sees her more clearly than her mom has ever tried to. The book takes place over the course of a summer, when Maudie and Dad have been forced to evacuate their cabin due to wildfires. They end up in Dad's hometown where Maudie learns to surf and stand up for herself- even when she has to tell Dad about the things Mom says are nobody's business.
Maudie's voice feels authentic and I was immediately rooting for her. The story is concise with enough details to paint an emotional picture without overwhelming sensitive readers. Highly recommend for readers in middle school and up.

[Christine Indorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A found a gem today. The story of Maudie and a secret she keeping from her Dad. She’s visiting her Dad for the summer and after a fire in their community they go to the beach. Maudie wants to learn to surf and surprise her Dad with her new talent. The more she thinks about her secret the more she wants to tell him. When her mother and stepfather comes early to pick her up, she runs away so she can surf for her Dad. This is when the secret she fights to keep comes to light. What will happen when the truth is revealed??
This story is wonderful!! Maudie is autistic and she is so wonderfully represented here. The book is a delight. I recommend it for the young and the young at heart!! A definite 5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!!! Highly recommend!!!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The beginning was a little slow, so make sure that kids know that and are willing to stick with it.

Adult readers will understand what is going on with Maudie and the secret her mom has asked her to keep, but younger readers might not know until she does her reveal later on in the book. While there are some descriptions of abuse, there isn't anything overtly graphic, so no need for warnings on that front.

Strong first purchase where middle grade realistic fiction is popular.

[Chesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a gem. A young, autistic girl leaves her mom and stepdad and their unhappy atmosphere to spend the summer with her dad in California. A difficult story told in beautiful prose and poetry. It’s deeply moving and heartening as young Maudie describes the way she experiences the world, learns to face her fears and secrets, and finds support through varied new friendships. Southern California beach and surfing setting is vibrantly described. 100% recommend for both adults and children 10+.

Content consideration: child abuse

[Joy Kirr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one dragged me in quickly, even though I didn’t know what it would be about. I cared for Maudie from page one, as I know I’ve met a few “Maudie’s” in my life. Her secret is easy to figure out early, and so the reader wants to see her succeed. Maudie’s California dad is one of my favorite characters, and I’m so glad Etta was there to be patient and take her under her surfer’s wing.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award, which honors "an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences".
I love that books like this are out there and much more readily available to young people. To see oneself represented in celebrated stories, when the surrounding world has not made one welcome or understood, is a gift beyond measure.

My quite brilliant and talented Grandnephew - who has some "spectral tendencies" of his own (and we're not talking ghostly manifestations) - loved this novel. I can certainly see why. It has given me further insight into what makes him tick, and how he negotiates The Tween Years.

There are a few things that didn't seem quite correct about matters that are NOT related to the main themes of neurodiversity, domestic violence, environmental catastrophe, etc. I don't believe a child who has just had their shoulder traumatically dislocated would "shrug" in response to a question. And the description of the tides toward the final section seemed unlikely, with a beginner surfing competition occurring as the tide is still going out (7 hours after we're told it's coming in and quite high). So the miserable cynic in me has shaved off some points.

3.5 stars

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this and am becoming a huge Pla fan. I felt it was well written and told a meaningful story.

My only suggestion is that a content warning would be good to include. Many adult books do so over less. I read one comment that noted DNF due to it being triggering for those who have experienced abuse and parental manipulation.

Anywho, I liked this quote from Page 71 of the hardcover.

"The truth is, I never know what to believe, so pretty much give every idea the benefit of the doubt. The world is too confusing not to. Every time I understand how something works, I turn out to be wrong. So, what do I know?

[Erin Schwane · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is on the young end of young adult writing, the issue of verbal and physical abuse is direct and emotional. The author does a good job pacing the story and providing Maudie (and readers) with clear models of healthy relationships and direct advice on how to handle oneself if tangled in unhealthy ones.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You can only worry about one wave at a time."

[lucy grace ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

slay

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty damn close to a perfect book.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

2024 Schneider Family Book Award Middle Grade winner!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this book when I was 13 or 14? This was a story that made me feel so seen, even if it was 30 years too late. Amazing.