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Making Plans for Nigel Binty
  • Published: 17 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9798217409129
  • Imprint: RH US Audio Childrens
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $23.00

Making Plans for Nigel Binty

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A heartwarming middle grade novel about figuring out who you are when it seems like everyone else has already decided for you, for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Gary D. Schmidt.

Nigel Binty has spent sixth grade trying to stick to a plan. His problem is the plan keeps changing in unexpected ways. His only friend has dropped him. His dad moved out two months ago. His anxiety isn’t getting any better. None of that is part of the plan.  

When Glory Bea Medford (yes, that’s her real name) turns up at school in March, she plans to keep the reason for her mid-year transfer a secret. Glory Bea prizes being truthful but having everyone find out her father embezzled money from his church was bad enough the first time around. She doesn’t plan to go through that again.

Told in two perspectives, with Glory Bea’s chapters presented as unmailed letters to her incarcerated father, Shawn K. Stout uses warmth and humor to explore what happens when two sixth graders overwhelmed by major life changes cross paths.
  • Published: 17 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9798217409129
  • Imprint: RH US Audio Childrens
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $23.00

About the author

Shawn K. Stout

Shawn K. Stout (www.shawnkstout.com) grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland, the same town where A Tiny Piece of Sky takes place, but she did her growing up more than forty years after the events in this story occur. She is the author of the Not-So-Ordinary Girl series and the Penelope Crumb series and has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Shawn K. Stout lives with her family in Maryland. You can follow her on Twitter at @shawnkstout.
portrait photo of Shawn K. Stout

Also by Shawn K. Stout

Anatomy of Lost Things
The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle
A Tiny Piece of Sky
See all

Praise for Making Plans for Nigel Binty

Praise for Anatomy of Lost Things:
* "Sad, funny, and thematically rich; loaded with feels and appeals."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"An enjoyable read with a pleasing construction. Perfect for readers looking for someone who mirrors their challenges."—Booklist

"Well-developed throughout, the characters, even supporting ones, are complex and interesting. This intricate web of objects and people skillfully knits together into a touching, thought-provoking, and ultimately comforting story."—The Horn Book

"Stout treats the kids’ fears with tenderness and brings nuance to the ways all three kids miss the adults in their lives. . . For a book dealing with such weighty topics, though, it sure is fun, combining mystery and the imagined history of objects, with just a touch of communing with the dead."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books