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)

Charlie has a plan to fix it all. One car, three thousand miles, and a list of birds that just might save his dad.

An Unforgettable Road Trip Adventure: Join Charlie on a wild, chaotic, and sometimes hilarious journey from California to Virginia with his siblings and a mysterious chaperone with pink hair.
Autism and Neurodiversity: Told from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who uses his love of birds and rules to navigate a world that doesn’t always make sense.
Finding Hope in a Crisis: Charlie is determined to find every bird on his and his dad’s special list, believing that if he can, his father, a war journalist with a brain injury, might just be okay.
Complex Sibling Story: Navigating life with a boy-crazy older sister and two unruly younger brothers makes this cross-country trip a true test of family bonds.