Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (implied physical abuse); Violence: OG (one violent scene - no blood)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ESSENTIAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
13yo Maudie loves her summers with her dad in his mountain cabin. During the school year it used to be her and her mom, but now her mom has married and Maude does not feel comfortable around her mom’s new husband. Plus Mom is always trying to make Maudie “normal”. Not trying to understand Maudie’s autism and how she ticks. But summer becomes a disaster when a forest fire destroys everything except for what they have on their backs. Now she and Dad are headed to Dad’s hometown - a small beach town near the Mexico border. There Maudie sees surfers - a finds a female surfer willing to coach Maudie after an initial misunderstanding. Maudie decides to keep her surf lessons secret from Dad until the day of the big festival and surf contest. And all summer she worries about what will happen when she has to return to live with her mom and stepdad.
I’ve been trying to figure out of Maudie reads as a younger character because her Mom has always kept her close. Watching her struggle to decide keep her secret about her stepfather’s physical abuse or not is painful - the secret also unfolds slowly, hard to read at the beginning. But I was personally enthralled.
Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS
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