Someone's Gonna End Up Crying

by Jo Knowles, Glynnis Fawkes (Illustrator)

In this authentic and heartfelt middle-grade novel, Maple uses her artwork to help sort through sibling relationships, school drama, and her parents’ increasingly fraught marriage.

Ten-year-old Maple can’t wait for summer: No more math! Adventures with her friends! Best of all, she and Dad are finally going to build a real treehouse. Or are they? Lately Dad has been quick to storm off when he argues with Mom, which happens more and more. Maple seeks refuge in her sketchbook, filling it with comics and other drawings and posing the questions she can’t bring herself to ask anywhere else. She imagines “Dadlandia,” a place that Dad whooshes off to when he’s gone. Maple confides in her favorite tree—her namesake—that she wishes Dad would come home for good. But eventually, Maple will need to step outside her imagination and confront what’s happening for real. For that, she will need support from friends and family—and strength and courage from within. Celebrated author Jo Knowles delivers complex characters and emotions with care, while illustrator Glynnis Fawkes’s powerful illustrations perfectly capture Maple’s creative spirit, her struggles, and her capacity for hope.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 27, 2025

About the author

Hi! I'm the author of several books for kids and teens. including Ear Worm!,Meant To Be, and See You at Harry's. I'm available for school, library and book club visits either in person or via Zoom. For more info, please visit www.joknowles.com Thanks! :-)

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I've really enjoyed from the two books by Jo Knowles that I've read is that they show how complicated families can be, and how the people around us are imperfect but trying, and how families make hard choices when you don't fully understand what the consequences will be, and all of this while the people in the families can be mad at each other and still love and care for each other.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maple is the youngest of 3 children that often play adventurously and rambunctiously, leading to their mother's warning, "someone's gonna end up crying." Maple is stressed about her parents fighting, her dad's frequent disappearances, and passing the timed 5th grade division quiz. Maple copes with her stress by drawing comics - fabulously illustrated by Glynnis Fawkes.

This was a thoughtful, enjoyable read. As an adult I wanted some explanations for her dad's erratic behavior, but I think the author made the right choice by centering Maple's experience of having no control or explanations for behavior of a dad who clearly loves his children but is struggling to cope with the demands of parenting and marriage.

I really liked seeing Maple move past her fixed judgments of some of her classmates and realizing they have matured and grown up from who they were in younger grades. This book captures this age well - maturing and grown up one moment, rambunctious and playful the next.

Something I did with my children to build their reading stamina was occasionally offer books with post-it notes at spots in the book they could redeem for a prize or experience when they got to that point in the book. This would be an excellent book for reading stamina prizes. I've pondered how to do a library version with small prizes - but can't quite wrap my head around the time, budget, logistics. The Provo City Library recently started doing something similar: https://everyday-reading.com/book-boxes/

Prizes could be scaled up or down - given all at once or have the child come talk to you to get each one when they get to that point. Would make a fun gift or just because.

List of Prize Suggestions to go with this Book
After finishing Chapter 3 (pg 22), a bag of salt and vinegar chips. Maple's sister made her own salt and vinegar chips by adding a lot of salt and vinegar to a regular bag of chips. Would be interesting to discuss different character reactions to them and see what your child thinks if they haven't tried them before.

After finishing Chapter 6 (pg 48), a box of cereal. This could be a mini, one-serving box of cereal or a full-size box. You could also set up a cereal smorgasbord like they do in book where they put out all cereal plus mixing like dried fruit (coconut, raisins, etc ) and nuts and build their own cereal bowl.

After finishing Chapter 8 (pg 64) a ballpoint pen like the one Maple gives Oliver for his birthday. Not a gel pen but an "officey looking" ballpoint pen. I imagine a retractable/clickable one.

After finishing Chapter 13, a donut, coupon for a donut, or donut eraser/sticker/etc... Maple's dad brings home a box of donuts and Maple picks one with pink frosting. You could discuss Maple's sibling's frustrations that she ate a donut before they got a chance to pick and that her sister Rory touches all the donuts deciding which one she wants.

After reading Chapter 18 (pg 158), a copy of The Princess Bride DVD and/or a coupon to watch the movie together. This would be a good time to check in about your child's thoughts on the dad's behavior. He goes to get ice cream and while they are waiting, they play a game. Then they start The Princess Bride. Mom & kids are worried dad is taking so long and when he does come back he doesn't have any ice cream.

After reading Chapter 27 (pg 237), tissue paper and a pipe cleaner to make a flower. Ask your child if they were surprised about what Oliver's business was and ask them to tell you about it.

After reading Chapter 30, a new sketch book - this could be anything, any size, even a simple one made of paper. I really like *these mini ones from Amazon that work out to $3 a piece. She uses Sharpies to draw in her sketch book and gets a 45 pack of colored sharpies for her birthday if you wanted to make this an even nicer present.
Maple gets a sketch book for her bday at the very beginning of Chapter 31 with a note from her mom that says, "A little present to start your new year with. I hope eleven is your best one yet." She's been drawing in her sketch book the whole year so the present will make sense - but then right away they see the connection, especially if you included a similar note.

*https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-D...

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

Maple is in fifth grade, and has a very close family relationship with her older sister, Rory, older brother, Gabe, and her parents. There are family movie nights, meals together, and outings. Lately, though, her parents have been bickering a lot, and her father often leaves to go out, claiming he needs "space". This starts to happen so often that Maple, who loves to draw, envisions her father going through "portal potties" into "Dadlandia", where he can be alone and do activities that he enjoys. We see her cartoon style panels depicting his adventures. Maple's father has promised to help her built a tree fort, but once school is out, he never seems to have time. Her friends Katy and Astrid are supportive, and she has other friends at school, like budding Entrepreneur Oliver. After a family dinner of chili that involves a hot sauce challenge, the father says he is going out to get ice cream, but doesn't come back for hours. Maple hears her parents arguing, and overhears her father saying that he's not cut out for holding a job and being a parent. He goes to live in a cabin owned by a family friend for a while. Maple's mom, who is very busy working, steps up to help build the tree fort, and tries to maintain the close family ties and activities. When Maple has a birthday, her father does show up, but there still aren't a lot of answers about how he is dealing with life, and when he will return.
Strengths: Young readers will love Maple's renderings of her dad's supposed wanderings in the comic strip style panels scattered throughout this story. It seems like a lot of marriages hit a rocky spot when children enter late elementary school, and Maple's parents struggles are explained just enough that we can see their effect on Maple and her siblings. Growing up in the 1970s, I was always afraid that my parents would get divorced, even though they never fought; I can't imagine the tension that Maple and others like her feel when parents are actually fighting, and a parent is moving out. There isn't as much of this family tension depicted in middle grade novels, and it's always valuable to see different variations of this experience. There's an inkling that the father might also be having some mental health struggles. I loved the depiction of every day family life, with special meals, local trips, and traditions. Best of all was the family catch phrase, "someone's gonna end up crying", an admonition that is closely related to my own mother's "don't expect me to pay your doctor's bills"!
Weaknesses: This is an excellent choice for elementary age readers, but my students might find Maple to be a bit young. I would almost like to see this same story told from Rory's point of view. The difference between fifth grade and seventh grade is huge. The book is great, but I'm not sure it is the best fit for my collection.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who find difficult family dynamics interesting to read about and found Knisley's Stepping Stones, Vitalis' Unsinkable Cayenne, or Toalsen's The First Magnificent Summer intriguing.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

School is winding down and Maple is looking forward to summer vacation, her 11th birthday, and spending time with her father building a fort in the branches of the tree that gave her her name.  But the family dynamic is on shaky ground due to frequent arguments between her parents, which usually result in her dad angrily leaving home for hours at a time.  Maple and her two older siblings have strong, loving relationships with both parents and are all feeling quite shaken up by these fights.  Things don’t really improve when Dad decides to move out for a while.  While rallying around their mother, each of the kids responds in their own way: 15-year-old Gabe is sullen and angry, and 13-year-old Rory tries to act like nothing is wrong.  Maple, meanwhile, hides the truth from her best friends Katy and Astrid, confides in her tree, and draws comics in her sketchbook, creating a fantasy world called Dadlandia.  She does not want to accept the ‘new normal’ of her home life, but when Mom, Gabe, and Rory band together to build the treehouse, and her newly-expanded friend group all come to help too, she knows she has the support group she will need, no matter what the future holds. 

While the family drama is the main story in this highly relatable novel, there are several secondary plotlines revolving around Maple’s school and her social circle. She is struggling to pass a weekly math test, she is confused about the attention of a quirky classmate named Oliver, and she, Katy, and Astrid are also surprisingly making friends with their former nemeses, a set of triplets they call the ABCs. Each of these is well-integrated and interconnected with the family story, thanks in large part to Maple’s heartfelt first-person narrative.  It is easy to empathize with her mixed emotions about her parents and how she struggles with loving her father even while she is mad at him for leaving.  Readers will be especially drawn to the sibling relationships; the older ones bicker with each other and relentlessly tease their little sister, but the three have a very tight bond, which includes lots of inside jokes and made-up games, that only strengthens as they navigate their new circumstances.  Many chapters end with black and white excerpts from Maple’s sketchbook, which give the reader even more insight into her frame of mind.  Maple and her family cue as white but the illustrations show some diversity in her community. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Maple lives with her older sister and brother. The title of the book comes from their mother’s saying, “Someone’s gonna end up cry-ing” when the siblings, especially 8th grader Rory, make up games for them to play and dares for them to take. But lately their mother and father constantly fight with each other, dad leaving for a short after. And that leads to some crying also especially when he moves out for an indeterminate amount of time.

“I want to ask [mom] what’s going on with her and my dad. Why is he always so mad at her? Do they still love each other? Are they going to get a divorce, like Katy’s parents did? But part of me isn’t sure I want to know the answer. Or maybe part of me already does know the answer and just doesn’t want to hear it out loud. So I stay quiet, and my mom does, too.” (100)

Luckily Maple has her siblings and two loyal best friends and is becoming better friends with the ABC triplet brothers who live next door and are suddenly nicer as well as fifth-grade rising entrepreneur Oliver and his business “partners.” And she always has her sketchbook [drawings included within the text for readers]. From her friends Maple learns to “let it all out” and to ask for help. Together, they all build a treehouse fort which was something her father always promised to do with her. In the summer before 6th grade, Maple learns that life is full of changes.

This is a story that will let some readers feel seen and give them coping strategies for life’s challenges as well as showing others how to be a good friend and provide support to their peers who may be undergoing life-changing events.

[Sally Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maple is getting ready for what she hopes will be a great summer. She hopes her dad will follow through on his promise to build her a treehouse in the big maple tree she was named after. He promised last summer, but then he ended up being too busy.

It seems like Maple's parents are always fighting. When the arguing starts, everyone knows that Dad will eventually take off for parts unknown and return at some point no one can guess. Maple's siblings Rory and Gabe never seem too worried. This last time though, their dad said he was going to get ice cream and now it's been long enough that Maple fears he might never be coming back.

Maple uses her sketchbook to express her frustrations. She also has a couple of great friends, but it's difficult to open up and reveal what's happening in her family when she isn't even sure herself.

SOMEONE'S GONNA END UP CRYING by Jo Knowles explores family dynamics, promises broken, and uncertainty. Illustrator Glynnis Fawkes provides pictures that represent Maple's sketchbook feelings. Knowles has created a novel perfect for middle grade readers who need help understanding the complexities of family and emotional ups and downs.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone's Gonna End Up Crying by @JoKnowlesAuthor & @GlynnisFawkes is the story of a young girl who is struglling with anger and depression after her father moves out. She has two older siblings, and their family of five were always close, sharing family movie nights, inside jokes, and lovely traditions. But her parents begin arguing often and her dad often leaves the family without explaining his destination or how long he will be gone. He promised Maple that he would help her build a tree fort, but her mom and siblings have to help instead. There were some hints that he may be struggling with depression, but it is never stated clearly. I would have liked that to be a bigger part of the storyline as I think it could really help the reader to have some compassion for Maple's dad.

I loved the illustrations in the book, showing Maple's drawings as she imagines what her dad is doing.

I think this book would resonate with children going through divorce with their families. I would recommend it to kids in 3rd through 5th grade, as I don't think older children would find Maple mature enough for their liking.

Thank you @candlewickpress for the #gifted book!

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ten-year-old Maple anticipates a wonderful summer with her dad helping her build her tree fort that he didn't have time to build the summer before despite his promise. Her life comes crashing down, however, when her parents' constant bickering culminates in her father leaving for an indefinite time. He thinks Maple's mother talks too much about his flaws and he is unhappy in his job, so he takes off for longer and longer periods of time. Maple's mother just wishes her husband would talk about what bothers him. Maple's summer becomes instead, a summer of finding unexpected friendships who help her in coming to terms with her parents' separation. This book contains almost constant tension and bickering between a married couple along with stomach-churning descriptions of Maple's feelings, descriptions of her older brother's anger, her older sister's attempt at indifference and the use of the title phrase for almost every family situation in the story. Anyone who has been raised in such a tense atmosphere may want to approach this book with caution.

[Melissa Killian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly the kind of book I would have gravitated towards as a kid. A quiet, contemporary story about friends and family and school and all of the drama that comes with each of those things. I found the story to be extremely relatable, especially the anxiety of having to take timed math tests! Yuck! I liked that Maple's siblings, who were in seventh and ninth grade while she was in fifth, felt like real kids of those ages rather than unrealistically mature young teens. They still played imaginary games with Maple after school and didn't spend all of their time glued to their phones, though they did have them. Her parents were also realistic and on the page just enough to not take over the whole story. The fact that Maple's bedroom is actually a converted linen closet that she is quickly growing too big for is also relatable for a family struggling with finances. I just really appreciate this story for keeping it real!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Maple has been looking forward to summer vacation, but there’s a lot of tension at home with arguing parents and one finally leaves hime. This will resonate with a lot of readers, and in this case, Maple’s drawings and stories bring comfort when talking it out is hard.

[Holly Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maple and her siblings are navigating family arguments. Dad and Mom are fighting and Dad’s response is to take off and not communicate. Together with her siblings and her friends, Maple learns to cope.

[Emily Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for late elementary/middle grade readers. I thought it was very well done and the storyline will be relatable for many kids. Jo Knowles explores complicated family dynamics, uncertainty and anxiety, and the pains of growing up in a very relatable and cool way

[Emily Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone’s Gonna End Up Crying is a semi-depressing true to life book about being in fifth grade while your parents decide if they’re getting a divorce. The dad sucks so bad, and it’s a nice coming of age that acknowledges that feelings and families are complicated

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid middle grade fiction from an author I love. I appreciated the ending feels real- no pretty bows tying things up.

[Jen Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with my 10 year old daughter and we both found it very anticlimactic, unfortunately. It had great promise!!

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Maple is about to turn 11 but her world turns upside down when her father leaves to get "some space" and the family tries to make sense of this change.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see where this book would be helpful for a child whose parents are splitting up. I do think for a student whose parents fight a lot it might give them more to worry about!

[Carrie Kruck]

Laugh-out-loud funny and full of heart! Ten-year-old Maple’s parents are fighting more and more, and when her dad leaves the family, Maple uses her comics sketch book to try to make sense of things. This story offers no easy answers about the failings and complications of grownups, but kids experiencing family discord will feel seen, respected, and loved by this book. I especially loved the relationship between 10-year-old Maple and her older siblings (and the hilarious games her spitfire of a sister Rory invents!)