“Maudie McGinn has a secret. It’s a big, scary one. And right before Maudie, who’s autistic, travels to spend the summer with her dad, her mom makes her promise not to reveal it. As Mom puts it: “A promise is a promise, and must be kept.” When a wildfire forces Maudie and her dad to flee to the small beach town where her dad grew up, Maudie’s summer is turned upside down. Yet she becomes captivated by the surfers she sees each morning. And as Maudie starts to navigate these new waters, she finds herself making friends and feeling accepted like never before. Still, a clock is ticking: soon she will have to go back to face the fire of her always angry stepfather. Can she find some way to stay with her dad? Should she break her promise to Mom, and reveal the truth about life back home, before the summer is over?” — Jacket flap. Commercial audiobook. For grades 4-7. 2024.