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  • Winner of the 2018 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award
  • L.A. Public Library Best Children’s Book of the Year
  • N.Y. Public Library Best Children’s Book of the Year
  • Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year
  • Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
  • Publishers Weekly Starred Review
  • Shelf Awareness Starred Review
  • Common Sense Media Five-Star Review
  • Nerdies Award Winner
  • Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Nominee
  • Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee
  • Wisconsin Library Association Children’s Book Award Finalist
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
  • Maine “Cream of the Crop” book

“Offering a mixture of suspense, mystery, tragedy and humor, Pla’s story captures both the literal and figurative meanings of journey.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Pla gives us a memorable hero in this lyrical and funny book.” (Shelf Awareness, starred review)

“A colorful story with plot twists that are incredible, yet believable. What surprises the most is that at its heart, The Someday Birds is very much about the effects of war . . . Survival is a theme here, and beyond that thriving as a unique member of a group provides a thrumming message of hope. Like a harbinger of spring flitting through a gray sky, The Someday Birds is a welcome arrival.” (CommonSense Media, starred review)

“A triumphant debut with the resonance and depth of an instant classic.” (Nerdy Book Club review)

“Readers will genuinely be captivated and touched by Charlie’s soft and sensitive demeanor and amused by his ponderous exploits across the country. A strong addition to most middle grade collections.” (School Library Journal review)

“Hopeful, authentic, and oddly endearing.” (Kirkus)

“My heart was pounding with joy with every word.” (a California-based middle-schooler)

“A truly wonderful, unique story. This celebration of family, individuality, and nature will remind you to always be on the lookout for wonder.” (Wendy Mass, New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers)

“Sally J. Pla does a wonderful job of weaving humor and humanity into this tale of one boy’s triumph.” (Cammie McGovern, author of Just My Luck and Say What You Will)

“This heartwarming debut novel zings with humor, spot-on characters, and a poignant exploration of the effects of war.” (Edith Hope Fine, author of Under the Lemon Moon)


Charlie is a bird-obsessed autistic boy who loves his orderly home-life. But his war-injured dad now lies in a hospital room across the country, and Charlie’s compelled by his siblings to find a way to get to him. Their journey connects them with a mysterious young woman whose tragic past is somehow linked to their dad’s.

Along the way, Charlie decides to try and spot all the birds that he and his dad had hoped to see together someday — their “someday” birding list. He thinks if he can spot them all, he can prove something important to Dad. It will be like a gift he can give him.

Charlie’s siblings think his bird-quest is bonkers. As for what the mysterious young woman driving them thinks, they don’t yet know. Their journey takes many unexpected twists, as Charlie discovers that “sometimes the birds you look for… are not the birds you find.”


Reading Guides

Free, common-core-aligned reading guide: https://sallyjpla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Someday-Birds-Guide-FINAL.pdf

Reading guide in Spanish: https://librosdeseda.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Algun-dia-volaremos-uwynwi.pdf

Discussion Questions from “Two Bookworms” Blog: https://twobookwormsblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/discussion-questions-the-someday-birds/

Buy the Book in Spanish: https://www.bookdepository.com/Algun-dia-volaremos–The-Someday-Birds-Sally-J-Pla/9788416550821

Family-friendly activities guide from #mgatheart: Fun Activities for The Someday Birds

Map Charlie’s route with this Road Trip Wizard: https://www.roadtripamerica.com/maps/mapwizard.php

Some Reader Response Questions:

  1. Describe Charlie. What do you like about him? Dislike about him?
  2. How is Charlie treated by Davis, the twins, and Gram?
  3. Charlie doesn’t want to go on the cross-country trip. What finally convinces him?
  4. How would this story sound different if Davis were narrating it? Or the twins? Write a few lines describing some part of the trip from a different character’s point of view.
  5. Charlie is right in the middle of the family birth order. What about you? Are you oldest, middle, youngest, or only? What do you like — and dislike — about your place in the family?
  6. Of all the locations across the country that Charlie visits in the story, which one would you want to visit the most? Why?
  7. What bird did you like the best? Why? Have you ever gone birding, walked in the woods, or visited a nature center? Describe that experience for us.
  8. In The Someday Birds, each chapter starts with a quote from Dr. Tiberius Shaw, PhD, bird guru. How do the bird-behavior quotes relate to the people-behavior of what’s happening in the chapter?
  9. How does Charlie feel about Ludmila at first? How does he feel about her at the end of the story?
  10. Ludmila comes from Sarajevo, a city in eastern Europe. If you look up the history of Sarajevo, what do you find out?
  11. Charlie’s quest is to find the mysterious bird guru, Dr. Tiberius Shaw, PhD, in the sanctuary marsh. Why does Charlie want to meet Dr. Shaw so much? What does he want to ask? What does he think Tiberius Shaw can help him with?
  12. The story mentions genomic research, and how some scientists are discussing the revival of extinct species of birds and mammals. This is a real thing! It is a scientific issue you can investigate and learn about! Check out this link: https://reviverestore.org/about-the-passenger-pigeon/ Do you think reviving extinct species is a good idea? Do you think it actually happened, in the story? Or was it all in Charlie’s head?
  13. Both Tiberius Shaw, PhD., and Charlie keep bird journals. As a project, keep a bird journal of your own for a week. Go outside, try to sketch a bird you see. Write anything you wish.
  14. At the end of the book, Charlie says he is going to take a bite of the ‘mystery snack’ on the airplane. Would Charlie have done that at the beginning of the book? How has Charlie changed? How has he stayed the same?
  15. What birds would be on your “Someday” list? What about making a “Someday” list of things to do or see together with a special friend or loved one? What would be on that list?