Alternating viewpoints spoken by two special main characters make this a memorable read. The story is best for upper middle grade as Rowan and Gemma are just starting high school, but the family problems and innocent first crush will hit home with many ages 10 and up.
Rowan Monahan lives in the fictional town of Friendship Prairie with his parents. He’s bullied a lot by a cousin and tries to avoid him with not much success. Rowan is considered a slow learner due to his stuttering and slow processing. He is really quite brilliant at knowing how the best humans should act.
Gemma has just moved to the town with her mom and three older triplet brothers. She is autistic and is non-speaking so she uses her tablet with a variety of voices to communicate with others. High school will be a challenge as she is used to being home schooled.
Rowan and Gemma meet on the first day of classes and immediately start connecting with each other. The road ahead is quite upsetting as their mothers hate each other and are running for the same school board seat. Their accusations fly with personal attacks on each other. Rowan and Gemma don’t want this to effect their relationship so they try and keep their friendship a secret amidst this political storm.
The emotions are brought out superbly by these two teens. In many ways they become more mature than the adults they live with every day. ROWAN + GEMMA is a fast read thanks to the engaging back and forth narration. It will remind you of a modern take on Romeo and Juliet and will be well worth your time.
BOOK BIRTHDAY: Oct. 20, 2026. Pages: 288
5 MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: ROWAN + GEMMA by Sally J. Pla
- The ending was a happy one and very unexpected how Rowan and Gemma became the catalyst for change among the adults.
- Learning about Gemma’s challenges in communicating was a highlight of the story.
- The triplet are football players and provide both amusing and supportive relationship scenes with their younger sister. Gemma is lucky to have them and realizes how each is different by the last page.
- One of the high school teachers has an excellent take on media manipulation and AI. We could all learn from his class discussion in the second half of this story.
- A truly appropriate look at a first relationship so no worries for parents if their 10-year-old wants to read this one.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sally J. Pla is an award-winning author renowned for her heartfelt and inclusive books for young readers. Her works often center on neurodivergent characters, reflecting her own experiences as a late-diagnosed autistic individual. Pla’s stories resonate with readers of all ages, offering authentic portrayals of characters who perceive the world differently.
Her books include The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn, honored with the 2024 ALA Schneider Family Book Award for its representation of disability, The Someday Birds, which received the 2018 Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, Benji, The Bad Day, and Me, Ada and Zaz, Invisible Isabel, and Rowan and Gemma (October 2026).
Beyond writing, Pla is a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and autism acceptance. She founded and manages A Novel Mind, a resource dedicated to exploring mental health and neurodiversity in children’s literature. Her advocacy work extends to appearances on television and radio, where she discusses the importance of embracing different ways of thinking.
Pla holds English degrees from Colgate University (with honors) and Penn State University (M.A.). Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a business journalist and in public education. She resides in Southern California with her family, where she continues to write stories that celebrate the beauty of diverse minds and the power of empathy.
Visit her at www.sallyjpla.com. Instagram: @sallyjpla. Facebook: Sally J Pla
October is also AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Awareness Month
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Rowan and Gemma sound like such great characters. And it’s good to see some middle grade books about kids entering high school where they are transitioning up from middle school to high school.