Sally J. Pla Libri

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?

A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2018 * A Kirkus Best Book of 2018 * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2019 This funny and moving second novel from the author of The Someday Birds features comic trivia, a safety superhero, and a super-cool scavenger hunt all over downtown San Diego, as our young hero Stanley Fortinbras grapples with his anxiety—and learns what, exactly, it means to be brave. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 7 to 8, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom. Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia. It’s what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through. Help is what he needs, because Stanley’s entered Trivia Quest—a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt—to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever. What would John Lockdown do? Stanley’s about to find out.

A Charlie le gustan las cosas previsibles y sencillas, como los nuggets de pollo. Y hasta ahora, su vida era previsible: tenía la habitación limpia, sus libros de aves bien ordenados, cada cosa en su sitio Pero desde que a su padre, reportero de guerra, lo hirieron en Afganistán, la vida se ha ido complicando. Papá está en un hospital, en Virginia, y si quiere reunirse con él, toda la familia tendrá que viajar desde California hasta allí y su adorada rutina saltará por los aires con la loca de su hermana Davis, los mellizos, menores que él, y la extraña Ludmila, que tendrá que ponerse al volante. El viaje promete ser de todo menos tranquilo, así que al menos, por el camino, se plantea un objetivo: irá buscando y clasificando todas las aves que su padre y él querían avistar. Así, algún día, podrá mostrarle la lista completa y entonces, tal vez, solo tal vez, las cosas vuelvan a ser como antes.