The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

By Sally J. Pla

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Sally J. Pla’s website

https://sallyjpla.com/

Understanding Autism | Author Visit with Sally J. Pla (1:57)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xf2B5k0GlFY

Activities & Resources:

Discussion guide from the author’s website

https://sallyjpla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Maudie-McGinn-Discussion-Guide.pdf

Neurodivergence:

What is neurodiversity? videos for children

https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/what-is-neurodiversity-videos-for-children/

Kids’ Quest ADHD

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/adhd.html#:~:text=People%20with%20ADHD%20have%20trouble,some%20cases%2C%20are%20overly%20active.

California Wildfires:

California Fires

https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/california-fires-4/?rl=en-880

Fighting Wildfires | National Geographic (2:38)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKseEdjwh6Y

Track California Wildfires

https://calmatters.org/california-wildfire-map-tracker/

Mindfulness Activities:

10 Grounding Exercises for Kids to Manage Anxiety and Worries

https://mentalhealthcenterkids.com/blogs/articles/grounding-exercises-for-kids

The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: A Grounding Exercise to Manage Anxiety (4:28)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VMIEmA114

Surfing

HUGE SURF AIRS by 10 Year Old Sky Brown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Z2TY609ac

Surfing Walk of Fame

https://surfingwalkoffame.com/

MakerSpace Activities:

Calm breathing heart craft

https://calmahoykids.co.uk/2022/02/09/calm-heart-craft/

DIY Calming Stones

https://calmahoykids.co.uk/2021/05/17/diy-calming-tool-for-kids-calm-stones/

Making Mini Surfboards (0:59)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up68VqogPkg

Ocean Waves in a Bottle

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/ocean-waves/

Printable pdf to design your own surfboard

https://patternuniverse.com/files/downloads/surfboard-pattern.pdf

Discussion Questions:

The cover of this book shows a fiery sky and a giant ocean wave with a young girl standing at the bottom. Just based on this cover, what do you think the story will be about?

The book begins with Maudie using a calm down trick whenever she goes into sensory overload. What is your favorite way to calm down when things seem overwhelming?

When Maudie is in the shelter, she says it’s not cold inside but her body is shivering anyway. What do you think is causing her body to react this way?

What are some reasons Maudie says her dad’s cabin is warmer and simpler?

Maudie is determined to stay with her dad even though they have nowhere to go now. Make a prediction about why you think she doesn’t want to go back to Texas. 

Maudie’s dad tells her they’re going to drive to southern California to stay in a campsite in a small RV. How would you feel if you had to leave the only home you ever knew because it burned down in a fire?

When Grace talks about Maudie’s autism on her YouTube channel, Maudie feels embarrassed. What were some of the things Grace said that made Maudie feel this way?

When Maudie talks about the first time she was alone with her new step-father, Ron, she talks about him pushing her down in the seat and laughing about her. How does his behavior make him seem to you?

On page 51, Maudie says “the moment is wrecked” when she doesn’t get on the board. Why does she think this was her only chance?

How is the term “kooks” used in the book?

What made Maudie not like M&Ms anymore? 

Why do you think Maudie always feels like she’s doing something wrong?

Why does Maudie think winning the surf competition would be the answer to a lot of their problems?

What is Etta’s nickname for Maudie and why did she pick it?

How does Maudie feel when Etta tells her she’ll teach her how to surf?

On page 129, Maudie becomes so stressed worrying that she might have caused the fire. What does her dad do to help her calm down?

On page 145, it’s two a.m. and Maudie cannot sleep because she’s worried about her life in Texas but her mother made her promise not to tell? Who do you think the secret is about and should Maudie tell her dad?

When Maudie finally gets her surfboard in the water, she falls off the board so many times. If it were you, would you keep going or would you want to quit? What are some encouraging words you’d give to someone to get them to keep trying?

What does Paddi’s friendship mean to Maude? Do you think she’s had many friends before?

Maudie’s secret protected her mother but ended up keeping Maudie in danger. Who are the safe adults in Maudie’s life who could help her next time she’s in danger?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGin by Sally J. Pla.

Watch the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Kapit, Sarah. Get a grip, Vivy Cohen!. In this perfectly pitched novel-in-letters, autistic eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen won't let anything stop her from playing baseball--not when she has a major-league star as her pen pal. (NoveList Plus)

Panteleakos, Nicole. Planet earth is blue. Autistic and nearly nonverbal, twelve-year-old Nova is happy in her new foster home and school, but eagerly anticipates the 1986 Challenger launch, for which her sister, Bridget, promised to return. (NoveList Plus)

Scott, Libby. Can you see me? Eleven-year-old Tally is starting sixth grade at Kingswood Academy and she really wants to fit in, which means somehow hiding her autism, hypersensitivity to touch, and true self, and trying to act "normal" like her former best friend, Layla, who is distancing herself from Tally and her fourteen-year-old sister, Nell, who is always angry with Tally for being different; but as she records her thoughts and anxieties in her coping diary, Tally begins to wonder--what is "normal" anyway? (NoveList Plus)

Terry, Ellie. Forget me not. When her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend, Calliope meets Jinsong at her latest middle school, who becomes her friend despite her Tourette Syndrome and the embarrassment it can cause. (NoveList Plus)

Weetman, Nova. It all begins with jelly beans. When Meg, who has issues at home, and Riley, who has type 1 diabetes, meet in the school nurse's office, they form an unlikely friendship that helps them find the courage to be who they really want to be. (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Booklist (July 2023 (Vol. 119, No. 21))

Grades 6-8. Summers in California with her dad are the highlight of 13-year-old Maudie's year. When a wildfire forces Maudie and her dad onto the road, Maudie's mom insists that because Maudie is autistic, she won't be able to handle the disruption of routine and the sensory issues. But Maudie is determined not to go home, so she and her dad spend the summer in an old camper by the beach in the town where Maudie's dad grew up. There she meets the locals, including Etta, a famous surfer who gives Maudie surfing lessons in preparation for a competition where Maudie hopes to win money to replace some of what was lost. Maudie feels more at home and accepted than she does with her mom and stepdad. But she's also hiding a dark secret, and as the summer draws to a close, she has to find a way to tell the truth. Any reader who has ever felt different will be able to relate to Maudie's journey to finding her home and her people.

School Library Journal starred (October 1, 2023)

Gr 4-7-The fire keeps 13-and-a-half-year-old Maudie and her dad from spending the summer in his self-built California mountain cabin. The water is where they go, back to Dad's beach hometown. Despite Mom's insistence that Maudie won't be able to handle such sudden changes-Maudie is autistic-she's determined to stay out of Houston, away from critical Mom and angry stepdad Ron. Maudie blossoms, finding amazing new friends, including a local legend who teaches her to surf. Narrator Shalan marvelously, effortlessly personifies neurodivergent author Pla's characters, her talent immediately evident as she opens with an older-voiced poetic epitaph, then instantly transforms into youthful, anxious Maudie. Shalan's chimerical virtuosity captures warmly protective Dad, crisply masked Mom, simmering Ron, wisely encouraging Etta, and excited friend Paddi. Suffocating under secrets, Maudie realizes, "I have to be the one to speak up." VERDICT Skillful Shalan deftly elevates Pla's latest novel from good to great. © Copyright 2023. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.