Sally J. Pla

Choices, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Starred Review, Shelf AwarenessSammy is having the absolute rottenest, worst day ever. His little brother, Benji, knows exactly what that's like.Nothing seems to be going right for Sammy today. At school, he got in trouble for kicking a fence, then the cafeteria ran out of pizza for lunch. After he walks home in the pouring rain, he finds his autistic little brother Benji is having a bad day too. On days like this, Benji has a special play-box where he goes to feel cozy and safe. Sammy doesn't have a special place, and he's convinced no one cares how he feels or even notices him. But somebody is noticing, and may just have an idea on how to help Sammy feel better. In this tender story about siblings, author Sally J. Pla shares her experience of raising sons with different personality traits and needs. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces the philosophy that we are all part of a wide spectrum of neurodiversity. And on those really bad, rotten days, you can always count on family to be there for you.

Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? This contemporary novel is a must-read for fans of Leslie Connor and Ali Standish. A Schneider Family Book Award winner!Maudie always looks forward to the summers she spends in California with her dad. But this year, she must keep a troubling secret about her home life—one that her mom warned her never to tell. Maudie wants to confide in her dad about her stepdad's anger, but she’s scared.When a wildfire strikes, Maudie and her dad are forced to evacuate to the beach town where he grew up. It’s another turbulent wave of change. But now, every morning, from their camper, Maudie can see surfers bobbing in the water. She desperately wants to learn, but could she ever be brave enough?As Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters, she makes friends—and her autism no longer feels like the big deal her mom makes it out to be. But her secret is still threatening to sink her. Will Maudie find the strength to reveal the awful truth—and maybe even find some way to stay with Dad—before summer is over?

El d a de Samy es absolutamente un desastre, el peor d a de su vida. Su hermano peque o, Benyi, sabe exactamente c mo se siente eso. Sammy is having the absolute rottenest, worst day ever. His little brother, Benji, knows exactly what that's like.Esta histora llena de ternura capta los retos y las alegr as de tener un hermano, y les ofrece a los lectores una forma de manejar sus propios momentos de ira, todo envuelto en una gran manta azul. Benyi, un mal d a y yo abre una ventana a la neurodiversidad y nos recuerda que en los d as realmente malos, siempre podemos contar con el apoyo de nuestra familia. This tender story captures the challenges and joys of being a sibling and offers readers a way to manage their own bad moods--all wrapped up in a big blue blanket. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces neurodiversity and reminds us that on those really bad days, you can always count on family to be there for you.

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available. When Ada Higgins learns that a new boy is moving in across the hall, she pre-decides that he will become her new best friend, and plans a loud festive welcome. But Zaz Jones hates 'loud' and does not do well with 'festive'. He is worried about the change. This bumpy beginning resolves after Zaz's pet parrot escapes in the building, and it's Ada and her dog Marvel to the rescue in an unexpected way. Sapphire/Band 16 books offer longer reads to develop children's sustained engagement with texts and are more complex syntactically. Pages 54 and 55 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

This funny and moving second novel from the Schneider Award-winning author of The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn features comic trivia, a safety superhero, and a super-cool scavenger hunt all over downtown San Diego as our young hero, Stanley Fortinbras, grapples with his anxiety--and learns what, exactly, it means to be brave.Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia.It's what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through.Help is what he needs, because Stanley's entered Trivia Quest--a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt--to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever.What would John Lockdown do?Stanley's about to find out.A New York Public Library Best Kids Book * A Kirkus Best Book * A Bank Street Best Children's Book

Sammy is having the absolute rottenest, worst day ever. His little brother, Benji, knows exactly what that's like.Nothing seems to be going right for Sammy today. At school, he got in trouble for kicking a fence, then the cafeteria ran out of pizza for lunch. After he walks home in the pouring rain, he finds his autistic little brother Benji is having a bad day too. On days like this, Benji has a special play-box where he goes to feel cozy and safe. Sammy doesn't have a special place, and he's convinced no one cares how he feels or even notices him. But somebody is noticing, and may just have an idea on how to help Sammy feel better. In this tender story about siblings, author Sally J. Pla shares her experience of raising sons with different personality traits and needs. Benji, the Bad Day, and Me embraces the philosophy that we are all part of a wide spectrum of neurodiversity. And on those really bad, rotten days, you can always count on family to be there for you.

A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2018 * A Kirkus Best Book of 2018 * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2019This funny and moving second novel from the author of The Someday Birds features comic trivia, a safety superhero, and a super-cool scavenger hunt all over downtown San Diego, as our young hero Stanley Fortinbras grapples with his anxiety--and learns what, exactly, it means to be brave.Nobody knows comics trivia like Stanley knows comics trivia.It's what he takes comfort in when the world around him gets to be too much. And after he faints during a safety assembly, Stanley takes his love of comics up a level by inventing his own imaginary superhero, named John Lockdown, to help him through. Help is what he needs, because Stanley's entered Trivia Quest--a giant comics-trivia treasure hunt--to prove he can tackle his worries, score VIP passes to Comic Fest, and win back his ex-best friend. Partnered with his fearless new neighbor Liberty, Stanley faces his most epic, overwhelming, challenging day ever. What would John Lockdown do?Stanley's about to find out.

Winner of the 2018 Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award * Two starred reviews * A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of 2017 * A Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2017 * Wisconsin Library Association CBA Outstanding Books of the Year selection * 2018-19 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award list selection * 2018-19 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award nominee * Young Hoosier Book Award nominee *The Someday Birds is the debut middle grade novel by Schneider Award-winning author Sally J. Pla, perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and Fish in a Tree, filled with humor, heart, and chicken nuggets.Charlie's perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan.When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. He decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father were hoping to see someday along the way, then everything might just turn out okay.Debut author Sally J. Pla has written a tale that is equal parts madcap road trip, coming-of-age story for an autistic boy who feels he doesn't understand the world, and an uplifting portrait of a family overcoming a crisis."Offering a mixture of suspense, mystery, tragedy, and humor, Pla's story captures both the literal and figurative meanings of journey." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Pla gives us a memorable hero in this lyrical and funny book." --Shelf Awareness (starred review)