Someone's Gonna End Up Crying

by Jo Knowles, Glynnis Fawkes (Illustrator)

Overview

In this authentic and heartfelt middle-grade novel, Maple uses her artwork to help sort through sibling relationships, school drama, and her parents’ increasingly fraught marriage.

Ten-year-old Maple can’t wait for summer: No more math! Adventures with her friends! Best of all, she and Dad are finally going to build a real treehouse. Or are they? Lately Dad has been quick to storm off when he argues with Mom, which happens more and more. Maple seeks refuge in her sketchbook, filling it with comics and other drawings and posing the questions she can’t bring herself to ask anywhere else. She imagines “Dadlandia,” a place that Dad whooshes off to when he’s gone. Maple confides in her favorite tree—her namesake—that she wishes Dad would come home for good. But eventually, Maple will need to step outside her imagination and confront what’s happening for real. For that, she will need support from friends and family—and strength and courage from within. Celebrated author Jo Knowles delivers complex characters and emotions with care, while illustrator Glynnis Fawkes’s powerful illustrations perfectly capture Maple’s creative spirit, her struggles, and her capacity for hope.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536231274
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/27/2025
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.88(w) x 8.63(h) x 0.81(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jo Knowles is the author of young adult and middle-grade novels, including See You at Harry’s, Meant to Be, and Where the Heart Is, about which The Horn Book said, in a starred review, “This is one of those rare novels that feels less like a constructed story and more like a momentary glimpse into a real young life—genuine, stirring, and raw.” Jo Knowles lives in Vermont.

Glynnis Fawkes is the creator of the graphic novel Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre as well as Persephone’s Garden, a collection of her autobiographical comics that appeared in the New Yorker and other places. She is on the faculty of the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont, where she lives.

Editorial Reviews

A portrait of a family unit in flux for patient, thoughtful readers.
—Kirkus Reviews

Knowles has created a delightful story for upper-elementary and middle-grade students, albeit dramatic and emotionally difficult in spots. . . . The ending is happy, though it isn’t tidy, nor should it be. For readers struggling through divorce or having a hard time in school, Maple’s story will resonate.
—Booklist

Knowles (Meant to Be) works Maple’s anxieties and her messy, often conflicting feelings about her parents’ deteriorating relationship into an emotionally complex tale that, through the protagonist’s introspective first-person voice, smartly considers parental and sibling dynamics and art’s restorative nature.Loose-lined b&w spreads from Maple's sketchbook, rendered by Fawkes (Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre), offer moments of levity throughout.
—Publishers Weekly

Another Jo Knowles classic—Someone’s Gonna End Up Crying is a compelling and honest story that will tug at heartstrings and tickle the funny bone. Playful art by Glynnis Fawkes in the form of Maple’s comics further deepens the story as she navigates the emotional roller coaster of friendships and family.
—Debbi Michiko Florence, author of the Jasmine Toguchi series and Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai

A beautiful, honest portrayal of kids trying to find their footing as their parents’ marriage gets rockier and rockier. So many kids will find themselves in these pages and find their own way through as a result. Tender and timeless.
—Ann Braden, author of The Benefits of Being an Octopus and Flight of the Puffin

Jo Knowles has a way of getting right to the heart of things and telling the truth in her stories so that it wraps readers in a hug. Readers will embrace Maple, worry for her family, and cheer for their success at the end.
—Donna Gephart, author of Lily and Dunkin and Abby, Tried and True

A dazzling blend of humor and heart, this novel captures the messy journey of growing up in a complicated family situation. It’s a deeply touching story, the kind that lingers long after its end. I adored Maple and her siblings—no doubt readers will, too.
—Jennifer Richard Jacobson, author of Small as an Elephant

There’s a line in this book—‘It’s a complicated feeling’—and nobody tackles the sad/funny, hard/easy, quietly complex lives of their young characters better than Jo Knowles. Someone’s Gonna End Up Crying is a soft-spoken triumph of a book.
—Chris Tebbetts, coauthor of the #1 New York Times best-selling Middle School series

Not all parents are great parents, but does that mean you love them less? Someone’s Gonna End Up Crying explores this complex question with grace, empathy, and a pitch-perfect middle-grade voice.
—Nora Shalaway Carpenter, award-winning author of The Edge of Anything and Fault Lines

Thoughtful, artistic Maple grabbed my heart from the very beginning. Packed with humor, tenderness, and wonderful, supportive characters who are there for Maple when she needs them most, Someone’s Gonna End Up Crying is a book that kids will treasure. I could not put it down.
—Erin Dionne, author of Secrets of a Fangirl

Heartbreaking and honest. Tender and true. Jo Knowles paints an enduring portrait of the complex nature of family that will stay firmly rooted in your heart.
—Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of the Newbery Honor Book One Big Open Sky

Another beautiful and important middle-grade novel from Jo Knowles. The hearts of young readers are really going to ache for Maple and her siblings as they deal with the fallout from the issues their parents are struggling with. The art of Glynnis Fawkes adds a ton to the book. So good!
—Colby Sharp, educator, blogger, and coauthor of Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids

From the Publisher

2025-03-08
A girl navigates her family’s shifting dynamics through cartooning.

It’s nearly the end of the school year, and 10-year-old Maple has a lot to be anxious about. She’s one of only two fifth graders who has yet to ace the weekly timed math quiz—and her teacher’s promised an ice cream party once everyone’s done so. Maple and her two best friends are making summer plans, and she hopes this will be the summer when her dad fulfills his promise of helping her build a tree fort. But her mercurial dad often forgets his promises and disappears for hours, saying he needs space. Maple finds solace and relief from her parents’ arguments by sitting under her namesake backyard maple tree and drawing in her private sketchbook, where she creates comics that help her process the changes around her. This character-driven narrative is a slow-paced read that idly circles the central narrative conflict. Maple and her older brother and sister robustly demonstrate the complexity of flip-flopping emotions in response to their parents’ marital strife, including a healthy amount of sibling conflict. The supporting characters subtly demonstrate coping methods for difficult emotions. Maple’s peers’ varying maturity levels, combined with a focus on friendship and Maple’s indifference toward potential crushes, make this work well suited for younger middle-grade readers. Fawkes’ winsome illustrations provide humor and add depth; they also cue some racial diversity surrounding the white-presenting lead.

A portrait of a family unit in flux for patient, thoughtful readers.(Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews