First sentence: I learned this great calm-down trick recently. It was the end-of-the-year seventh-grade dance, back in Houston, which is where I live during the school year with my mom and stepdad.

Premise/plot: Maudie McGinn looks forward to spending summers with her dad in California, but a wildfire destroys "plan A" and the two quickly come up with a "plan B." Maudie didn't plan on spending her summer learning to surf while her father hunts for a job. But ANYTHING is better than having to spend the summer with her mother and stepfather instead. Will Maudie share her deepest, darkest secret by the time the summer is over?

My thoughts: Maudie has autism but that is not the whole story; that is not what the whole book revolves around. I love seeing Maudie begin to live life more fully and freely. The book does have a happily-ever-after, rosy ending, BUT, only after much worry and angst. Maudie does deserve some happiness after living with her stepfather for several years and enduring much cruelty.

I do think most of the characters fall into two categories--either perfectly perfect saints or dastardly villains. But overall I enjoyed this one very much. ( )

I so enjoyed listening to this novel about autistic Maudie.

Maudie lives in Texas with her mother and new stepfather. In flashbacks, we learn about Maudie's life in Texas. Her mother strives to be well-known on social media, spending time gettings as many followers as she can in order to make a living as an influencer. She fails to understand Maudie's autism. She feels that Maudie should just get over it. Just let the issues go. Maudie doesn't like talking to people on the phone or being in crowds or talking to anyone she doesn't know well. Maudie's new stepfather believes that being harsh and abusive will fix Maudie's problems. Needless to say, Maudie is thrilled to be spending the summer, as she does every summer, with her father. He owns a beautiful cabin in the mountains of California. On the day Maudie arrives, she finds herself homeless. A fire sweeps through the forest, keeping them from returning to the cabin. They lose everything. Her father is a wood worker, actually, an artist with wood. His latest contract was building bar stools for a rich client. Now, they have nothing--no money, clothes, food, or shelter.

Maudie and her father end up returning to the father's hometown on the coast of California. Here Maudie finds a life she never would have imagined she wanted. There's a surf contest coming up and the winner in the beginner's division will win $1000. She must win that for her father. Feeling drawn to the water, Maudie meets a surfer who eventually agrees to help teach her. She meets her father's best friend and his family who become their family. Maudie feels that she's found a loving home where people don't call her bad words.. They love, support, and respect her. She would love to stay with her dad forever.

This novel is sweet. Maudie finds people who help and support her. All kids need adults who protect and love them while letting them explore who they are as people, not chaining them down by their own limited ideas/expectations. It's worth your time. It also helped me understand autism a bit more. ( )