Click Here To Buy

  • American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award
  • Children’s Literature Council of SoCal Juvenile Fiction Award
  • Publishers Weekly Starred Review
  • School Library Journal Starred Review (audio)
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee
  • NY Public Library Best Book
  • Bank Street Best Book (starred for outstanding merit)
  • Cybils Awards Finalist
  • CA-LIBA Golden Poppy Award Finalist
  • Texas Lonestar List, Young Adult
  • Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Finalist
  • Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee
  • Maine Student Book Award Nominee
  • Alabama Yellowhammer Award Honor Book
  • New Hampshire Great Stone Face Book Award Nominee
  • Kansas – William Allen White Children’s Book Award Nominee
  • Winner of the 2024 Dog-Eared Book Award
  • “Reading MG” Top 15 Books of the Year
  • Imagination Soup Best Books of the Year
  • Mr. Colby Sharp’s Best Books of the Year
  • Reading Power Gear Best Books of the Year

“A gorgeous, big-hearted, beautiful book. I loved it.” Elana K. Arnold, Printz Honor and National Book Award Finalist.

“A heartfelt story of courage and hope . . . Readers will cry, cheer, celebrate, and not soon forget Maudie McGinn.” Pam Muñoz Ryan, Newbery Honor-Winning author of Esperanza Rising, Echo, MañanaLand, and many more.

“Holy Smokes . . . Could not put The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn down. Readers are going to love watching Maudie grow. ” Colby Sharp, educator and reading advocate

“I loved this book! A powerful and deeply affecting story that will carry readers along like the perfect wave. Maudie … will take up permanent residence in my heart.” Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Unstuck

“A breathtakingly beautiful ride of a story about an unforgettable neurodivergent heroine.”— Jess Redman, award-winning author the The Miraculous

“Gorgeously written; brims with empathy and understanding.” Emily Barth Isler, author of AfterMath

“Wow! Another absolute winner from Sally J. Pla! A beautiful, moving, fun, masterfully written MG gem.” Dan Gemeinhart, author of Coyote Sunrise, The Midnight Children, Some Kind of Courage, and Scar Island.

“A masterpiece. A gift to all the young people in your life.” Patricia Murphy, educator and reviewer, Washington School, NJ

“A gorgeously lyrical story about navigating the dynamic waves of life beyond our control, and finding strength, resilience, healing and hope.” Chris Baron, author of The Gray, The Magical Imperfect, and All of Me

“I absolutely LOVED The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn! I picked this up over a weekend and devoured it.” Meg Eden Kuyatt, author of GOOD DIFFERENT

“Glorious, heart-wrenching, beautifully written, and filled with heart … a wonderful book that will stay with me forever. Belongs on reading lists everywhere! A must read!” Wendy McKnight, author of The Frame Up

“Absolutely brilliant … Move it to the top of your TBR list! Actually, set aside whatever you’re currently reading and start this book.” Sara Threlkeld (@kidlit_lover), educator and reviewer

“One of my all-time faves is The Someday Birds, and then, here comes Maudie. Oh, my heart!” Martha Vandivier, educator

“I would kill for Maudie.” — Nicole Melleby, acclaimed author of Hurricane Season and How to Become a Planet

“Anyone who’s different in a place where being different is feared and under attack will identify with Maudie’s struggles … Maudie’s journey from blaming herself for her neurodivergence to standing up for herself and what she needs brings joy and hope to this autistic reader.” Lyn Miller-Lachmann, co-author of Moonwalking and author of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning Torch.

But wait! There’s more . . .