THE FIRE, THE WATER, AND MAUDIE MCGINN by Sally J. Pla

 

Maudie is looking forward to spending the summer with her dad, but she is only at his mountain cabin in Molinas, California, for a day when a wildfire forces them to evacuate. Reports of the fire reveal that everything her father has worked so hard for is probably destroyed. This is definitely not the summer Maudie was expecting.

She and her dad head south to the town where he grew up. A friend lets them move into a crappy little trailer at his campground, and Maudie's dad begins to look for work. Maudie spends her days getting to know their fellow campground residents and she wanders the beach watching the surfers. Things are challenging since Maudie is autistic. She isn't comfortable expressing herself or knowing exactly how to behave, but everyone is patient with her, so she begins to open up. 

The surfers fascinate Maudie. She meets a woman named Etta who offers to give her surfing lessons. Now she has a plan to enter a beginner level surfing contest and hopes to win the big prize and surprise her father.

Besides the fire, another cloud hangs over the summer for Maudie. Before she left her Texas home for her summer visit, her mother made her promise not to tell her dad a secret about her step-father. This secret has Maudie wishing she could just stay with her dad permanently. Now that she has fallen in love with surfing and even made a few friends, Maudie is worried about what going back to Texas at the end of the summer will mean.

Author Sally J. Pla takes readers on an adventure that involves danger, diversity, and learning how to speak up. I highly recommend for readers middle grade and up.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME by James Bird

NO PLACE LIKE HOME is a brand-new release by James Bird the author of THE BRAVE. This middle grade novel lets readers travel with Opin and his mother and brother as they look for a place to call home.

Opin is homeless. Living out of a small red, Pinto is not something he wants, but he tries to make the best of it. Sometimes they get to stay in a shelter where there are bunk beds and usually some kind of questionable soup. Unfortunately, those places can be smelly and are often filled with less than desirable characters. 

Making money to keep the car filled with gas so they can continue their journey to LosAngeles means dancing with his mother on the street for handouts, selling his artwork to generous passers-by, or sleeping alone in the car while his mother "works." Opin wishes his older brother would be nicer to him and quit running off and worrying their mother, but he knows that dealing with being homeless and poor brings out the anger in his brother.

Even at Opin's young age he has learned a lot about the world, like "which religious groups are the most accommodating for a family living in a car to spend a night or two in their holy parking lots? Easy peasy. Buddhists are the best. They'll even offer you food sometimes.... The worst would be Christian churches. They call the cops and get your car towed away."

Opin wants nothing more than to find a home and maybe a friend. He doesn't remember much about his father; only that his mother says she left him so Opin and his brother would be safe. She has taught him to read and insists that he learns as much as he can. She also makes sure he understands his Native American ancestry and even some of the language of the Ojibwe.

Author James Bird's life inspired Opin's story. In an author's note at the end of the book, Bird relates the similarities and shares his appreciation for all who helped him on the path to where he is today. 

 

SIMON SORT OF SAYS by Erin Bow

 

Readers get a great sneak peek of the action in this book just by looking at the book cover. If you are looking for a town called Grin and Bear It, a cuddly future guide dog puppy, an angry peacock, a bunch of nervous emus, a funeral home, and a goat farm, this is the book for you. You will find there's even more excitement packed into this must-read middle grade adventure.

Simon and his parents have just moved to a place known as a National Quiet Zone. That means no internet, no TV, no Wi-fi, even no microwaves. The scientists in the area are studying alien communication. Simon and his parents are just looking for a quiet place to escape a tragic event.

Simon's mother is an undertaker and his father works as a deacon for the Catholic church. Simon is just hoping to make some new friends and blend in. Readers will learn soon about the event Simon is hoping to forget, but as with most such events, life doesn't always follow the path we hope for.

Author Erin Bow fills SIMON SORT OF SAYS with one wacky character after another as she takes readers on an adventure they won't soon forget. I highly recommend this one for middle grade and up.

YOUNG ALFRED: PAIN IN THE BUTLER by Michael Northrop

 

YOUNG ALFRED: PAIN IN THE BUTLER is a new graphic novel by Michael Northrop with art by Sam Lotfi. Fans of the DC world of comics will want to get their hands on this one.

All comic fans are familiar with Batman and his butler Alfred. Everyone knows how indispensable Alfred is to the superhero, but Alfred's early life has been a mystery until now. Young Alfred's father had one wish that his son would become a well-trained butler. Heading off to Gotham's Servants School was supposed to be the beginning of a grand new adventure ending with the fulfillment of his father's dream. Young Alfred isn't sure he wants to be a butler, but time will tell.

Of all the students at the school, Alfred seems to be the worst. His biggest talent is collecting demerits. How is he supposed to learn the uses for 35 different forks? How is he supposed to keep his uniform spotless and his shoes unscuffed? 

Author Michael Northrop shines in this creative graphic novel. Filled with great puns and wonderful characters, comic fans will want to grab a copy and share it with friends.

MIXED UP by Gordon Korman

 

Here's another Gordon Korman hit! Over 100 books make him a great go-to when looking for middle grade and YA novels. MIXED UP didn't disappoint.

Reef and Theo live on opposite sides of town and go to different middle schools. They have never met, but when their memories suddenly begin to switch places, discovering what's going on is a must.

Since Reef's mother died of COVID he has been living with his mother's best friend. It's nice that they took him in, but the living arrangement doesn't always make Reef feel welcome. For example, he shares a room with Declan who is a bully who isn't happy about this new member of the household. When Reef begins experiencing strange memories that can't possibly be his, he feels even more left out of this family than before.

Theo lives with his demanding father, busy mother, and sporty sister. His main interest is gardening which doesn't exactly thrill his competitive father. When he starts having flashes of memories that he can't identify, he's sure his family won't understand. 

When Reef sees a middle school that matches the one in one of his new memories, he begins to investigate. His research leads him to the other side of town and eventually to Theo. These two strangers want to find out why their memories are switching places. Reef is especially concerned because when a memory of his dead mother appears in Theo's mind, that means Reef has lost that memory. What if he loses all his memories of his mother?

MIXED UP is one of those books that will make readers wonder how the author came up with such an idea. It won't take long for readers to be hooked by the impossibility as they connect with Reef and Theo and root for them to find some answers.