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Sports--Swimming
171 Reviews
(2)
4-6
Julia on the Go! series.
Illustrated by
Julie Kim.
Picking up right where Swimming into Trouble (rev. 3/24) left off, the story finds Julia Nam, having recovered from her ear infection, back in the water, preparing for a regional swim meet. When Coach Marissa takes a leave of absence because of a family health emergency, a new coach steps in. Julia is sure that Coach Nathan "was the angriest, shoutiest swimming coach that the Vancouver Vipers had ever had." His harsh and commanding coaching style, bitter tone of voice, and sour facial expressions cause several swimmers to leave the team, including Julia's best friend. She becomes closer to Olivia, who she previously thought was unfriendly but now realizes is a lot of fun. Julia suspects that she needs to look differently at things she doesn't like and ultimately realizes that she jumped to negative conclusions about Coach Nathan. Black-and-white illustrations help bring the swim team, coach drama, and friend dynamics to life. A lighthearted story that challenges readers to look deeper and see what's beneath the surface.
Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2025
(2)
4-6
Link + Hud series.
The high-spirited brothers are up to more high jinks in this entertaining sequel to Link + Hud: Heroes by a Hair (rev. 5/23). In summer, the community rec center, complete with too many pickleball courts and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, is the place to be. After a sunscreen fight gone wrong results in the outdoor pool's closure, the boys take their copious imaginations inside. They're spotted by a swim coach -- first as human cannonballs, then soaked in their Sunday best (i.e., their version of "wetsuits") -- whose no-nonsense approach seems to be no match for their antics. But after many imaginative and humorous digressions around pirate ships, shark behavior, family pickleball, and more; and with wise words from their "occasional babysitter and former archnemesis" Ms. Joyce ("Lord knows y'all can be a handful, but you good boys. Y'all just gotta show this coach...that y'all can take all that wild energy you got and put it to some good"), the brothers become unlikely joiners. Happily for readers, though, the siblings' stint as team players does not dampen their exuberantly imaginative and individualistic spirits. Dynamic and varied black-and-white illustrations appear throughout, some alongside the lively text, others as cartoon panels, and occasionally overtaking the pages: SPLASHH.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2025
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Joe Cepeda.
Thirteen-year-old Kai is anxious to continue the family legacy on his new elite swim team. Since his superstar older sister, Cali, disappeared while surfing two years before, swimming has felt bittersweet. Authorities have moved on from the search, but Kai receives signs that Cali is still out there: a dolphin with unique markings that the two of them had spotted together visits when he surfs, and Kai even hears Cali call out to him from their backyard beach in the middle of the night. When Kai discovers his sister's favorite book about an ancient, underwater Realm, the mythical sunken Island of California, ruled by Queen Califia (for whom Cali is named), he becomes convinced that's where she has gone. The novel is divided into four sections—Above, Below, Between, Beyond—and excerpts from the mythology book are interspersed, mirroring the plot's blend of fantasy and realism. Kai tries to keep his grief distant, but it permeates his life, both with his newfound obsession with mythology and with more earthly concerns such as awkward interactions with peers addressing his loss and the worrying drop in his swimming performance. Whimsical pencil-style digital drawings bring the elaborate Realm to life in a way that feels cathartic, and for anyone who has experienced the call of the water, this book is a thoughtful exploration of the wonders of the ocean—real, imagined, and unexplained.
(2)
4-6
Julia on the Go! series.
Illustrated by
Julie Kim.
The rec center is nine-year-old Julia Nam's second home: it's where her parents' restaurant, Sushi to Go, is located, as well as the library and the swimming pool where she is the youngest member of the swim team. Fiercely driven, Julia goes hard in warm-ups and doesn't let up until practice is over. She lives for time trials, which her coach calls Personal Best Day, or PBD. When an ear infection forces her to take a ten-day break from swimming, she goes stir-crazy at the thought of missing PBD and the chance to qualify to compete in a regional meet. Her parents advise her that she needs to be patient and "roll with it," punning on the sushi rolls they sell. But she just can't, and readers benefit from the often-humorous trouble she gets into. Kim's black-and-white illustrations bring the rec center environment to life. Ahn subtly fleshes out Julia's world, noting in passing how the young athlete sometimes went to school hungry when her Korean immigrant parents juggled part-time jobs. This spirited first book in a projected series delivers a meaningful message about resilience, the value of patience and flexibility, and the benefits of teamwork and community building.
Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2024
(2)
K-3
A dull day at the seaside yields to heart-pounding action. Danny's mother suggests that her mopey son take the dog for a walk on the beach, encouraging him to: "Keep your eyes open; you never know what you might see." In trademark Browne fashion ([Hide and Seek, rev. 11/18; What If...?, rev. 9/14), stable, symmetrical compositions echo Danny's mood as he and Scruff, a hairy yellow terrier mutt who embodies his name, pass glum beachside cottages to reach a bland, featureless beach beneath lowering gray clouds. Scruff's delight in a game of fetch lifts Danny's spirits, and the boy is further engaged when he spots faces and shapes in the beach rocks, studying them intently. Then he notices people waving at a far-off speck in the water who appears to be waving back. "Fetch!" he tells Scruff, and the dog obliges, swimming "on and on and on" in an edge-of-your-seat three-page sequence. Four half-page panels limit readers to Danny's foreshortened views of Scruff nearing the tiny, floundering figure and then slowly, slowly swimming back; the visual pacing is highly effective. A whale jumps joyfully in the background as Scruff leads the exhausted swimmer -- Danny's older brother! -- out of the surf against a now-bright-blue sky. Both a terribly high-stakes adventure and a celebration of the act of looking closely -- a favored theme of Browne's -- this day at the beach will have young readers riveted.
Reviewer: Vicky Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2024
(2)
4-6
Illustrated by
Veronica Agarwal.
At the start of this graphic novel, swimmer Tyler "Shark Fin" de Lugo has just gotten his cast off after a broken arm. It seems like perfect timing, with sleepaway camp about to begin. But Ty's best friend, swim teammate, and camp bunkmate Max has been acting distant, angry, and strange, and Ty's negative self-talk -- in both the first-person ("I got fat. I'm not good enough anymore. I'm useless as a friend, useless to the team") and dialogue ("Was he making fun of me? I must look like garbage right now." "Of COURSE he was making fun of you...idiot") -- is preventing him from getting back in the water. In fact, when Ty is feeling low, the graphic-panel art often shows him imagining being nearly drowned. Durfey-Lavoie and Agarwal (Just Roll with It, rev. 9/21) present another sympathetic and flawed protagonist whose experiences and interactions are understandable and affecting. A few helpful adults at the camp, including a former high school football star turned chill-dude counselor, give Ty some strategies and messaging for countering his insecurities and moving forward. Easy-to-follow panel art in subdued hues helps set the summer-camp scene, reflecting challenges that are cooperative both physically (e.g., building a boat) and emotionally (opening up to a friend -- and maybe more) along with individual growth and acceptance.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2024
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Matt Hunt.
The story opens with a boat floating in the moat of a castle. In the boat, there is a stoat who "played / in the boat / and rocked / in the boat / and rolled / in the boat." Everything's great until a goat (wearing a bright yellow coat7, naturally) jumps in the boat, also wanting to float. This book has a Seussian level of rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, which builds a boisterous, loopy energy. The illustrations see and raise this spirit in bold colors with few lines and a mixed-media look. The compositions begin with a wide field and then zoom in tight to heighten the tension when the duo starts bickering and tempers escalate. "This is a boat for a stoat / not a goat!" This book is funny, too -- particularly images of the goat with its round, stunned eyes and skinny legs akimbo. Eventually the fighting tips the boat. Once in the water, it becomes clear that the stoat can't swim, and the goat has a choice to make. This book makes for a dynamic read-aloud, but with its predictability, simple language, and repetition, this is also an excellent choice for new readers.
Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2024
(2)
YA
Fourteen-year-old Harriet is convinced she's responsible for her older brother Tunde's tragic death and wishes more than anything that she could take back the cruel words she spoke to him that fateful morning. Others' efforts to surround Harriet with community (her mother transfers her to her cousin Nikka's school) and to look out for her (Tunde's friend Luke promised to) prove less than helpful. Harriet's solace is swimming, but that small joy is shattered when she begins to see her brother's face in the pool and is pulled underwater by an unknown force. New classmate Alisia seems to be an ally, but there's something strange about her. In an attempt to discover the truth, Nikka and Luke join Harriet in an underground journey into a fantasy world. As the line between what's real and what isn't begins to blur in Harriet's mind, she dreams of a new world for herself -- one where she is forgiven. In this moving work, Rhuday-Perkovich has created characters whose internal struggles are palpable and an intriguing narrative with both tension and introspection that delves into themes of guilt, redemption, and the possibility of second chances.
Reviewer: Eboni Njoku
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2024
(1)
4-6
Open-water marathon swimming (any continuous swim over ten kilometers) is not for the faint of heart and is typically done with meticulous planning, careful consideration for the weather and water conditions, and a skilled kayaker and other safety supports in place. But when her mother abruptly leaves and doesn't come back, Tully impulsively decides to swim the 12.1-mile Lake Tahoe Marathon, a.k.a. "the Godfather swim." At twelve, she will be the youngest person to complete the swim, and she is doing so in risky weather conditions, with an inexperienced kayaker, and without her father's knowledge. Tully's mom, an endurance athlete, was her daughter's swim coach whose obsessive exercise kept her depression at bay, and Tully believes that "this swim [is] going to bring my mother back." Written in verse, including occasional concrete poems, the book is organized in chapters by the hours into the swim (Hour One, Hour Two); as Tully gets further along, there is a peeling-of-the-onion effect, where with each passing hour more is revealed about her mother's mental health and the lies Tully told herself to mask more painful truths. This touching and deeply affecting novel takes on difficult topics such as maternal abandonment and codependency and gives readers a peek into the feelings and thoughts that underpin childhood trauma.
Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2024
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Tatiana Gardel.
In this moving picture book, a child and grandfather spend time together near the ocean and through the four seasons. The child listens to stories of life near a different beach, in Havana, Cuba, where Abuelo grew up. Memories are all that Abuelo has from his beloved home country; when the grandchild asks to see swimming medals that he won there, he says, "I left them behind. I do not even have pictures." But the pair still enjoys the temperate beach outside Abuelo's new home, stopping for creamsicles instead of guayaba ice cream and experiencing snow and icy winter storms rather than hurricanes. Warm watercolor-esque digital illustrations guide readers through the oceanside seasons, blending in symbols of tropical island memories: marlins and dolphins in the clouds, palm trees in Abuelo's eyes. The child worries that Abuelo is sad when he thinks about Cuba, and though he is, he assures the child, "But I still have the ocean...Most importantly, I have you." A gentle text that offers a nuanced and relatable perspective on the bittersweetness of remembering a faraway home and that celebrates the relationship between grandparent and grandchild. Appended author and illustrator notes express heartfelt personal connections.
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Kaylani Juanita.
Swimming is an important life skill, yet the legacy of systemic racism and continued inequities in the U.S. result in fewer Black children learning how. That makes this book, featuring a Black family of four, all the more meaningful. Enjoying a day at the pool, Ma teaches her young son how to swim as Dad and older sister (from [cf2Together We Ride, rev. 5/22) encourage and cheer him on. From the tentative "toe dip" to learning to float, kick, and stroke, the boy is supported by his family through his successes and a "small blunder." Eventually, he gets "in the zone" and swims on his own for the first time. Bolling's short rhyming text is accessible to those just dipping their toes into the reading waters. The illustrations in muted tones include lots of details: Dad's tattoo, Ma and Sister's swim caps, textured hair, and varied skin tones--cultural touches that embrace and celebrate diversity. Drawing viewers into the space of the pool, the perspective makes us feel as if we are immersed with the family. The book ends with the joyful exuberance of conquering one's fears and with the calming steadiness of a loving family.
Reviewer: Monique Harris
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2023
(1)
4-6
During their first year attending middle school in New Orleans, Greer, Joya Mia, and Kiki become inseparable friends when they collaborate on a project interviewing neighbors and family members about the impact of Hurricane Katrina. A year later, that friendship appears to fade as Greer withdraws, blaming herself for her sister's disabling accident; the girls "were like a tricycle with one loose wheel." Kiki, ever the one with the big (but often haphazard) ideas, decides that to rebuild the friendship the three should participate in a local relay triathlon, even though they are ill-equipped to compete: Joya Mia, the designated cyclist, rides a rusty old two-wheeler; Kiki, the swimmer, needs to learn how; and Greer, the track star, has given up running. Although the race, and preparations for it, provide the novel's main arc, it is the girls' slowly deepening understanding of themselves that gives this book its heart. Like their rebuilt city, this friendship cannot reconstitute as an exact replica of what they had before. The simple passage of time generates new circumstances; family relationships mature and new friends expand the boundaries of their once-exclusive group, resulting in thoughtful self-examination. Holt takes time developing these characters, allowing readers to see both their individual and collective growth in this appealing and sensitive novel.
Reviewer: Betty Carter
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2023
(2)
4-6
Aniana (Ani) del Mar lives on the Gulf Coast in Galveston, Texas, and the pull of the ocean is in her blood. But she must keep her passion for swimming secret from her devout Dominican mother, who lost a twin brother to a hurricane and deeply fears the water. A loving father, a preschool-age sibling, and a steady best friend help Ani keep her balance--most of the time. But when she begins to suffer pain and swelling and is diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, she questions everything--her gift for swimming, her family relationships, and her own identity. Incorporating some Spanish words and phrases, Mendez weaves together free-verse poetry, concrete poems, haiku, tanka, and even texting and dialogue poems to capture character voice and emotion and propel the story forward. She uses the shape and structure of the poem on the page to add weight to the text, as when "New Ani" offers a list of ways in which the character feels she has changed and has come to accept herself. The story moves quickly as Ani competes in swimming and keeps it secret, then bogs down a bit as she grapples with her illness, but the poetry keeps the plot afloat as we engage with Ani in her struggles.
(2)
4-6
Tween Nat (short for Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago) is all about body positivity and female strength. She feels conflicted, however, when her mother's values around feminism clash with her own love of pretty things--lipstick, fashion magazines, and especially the spangles on the swimsuits of the L.A. Mermaids, a synchronized swimming group Nat is desperate to join. She blackmails her older cousin, Sheila, into covering for her and facilitating her participation on the team, but the secrets Nat and Sheila start to come between them and their families and friends. Nat navigates the rough waters of racial bias, fat-shaming, economic class hierarchies, and her own issues with impulse control and anger management, all while wishing (and doubting) her parents could be proud of her choices. By building community with her artistic swimming team, whose training Rivera describes in detail, Nat learns that she can't win every battle, and she reconfigures her concept of winning. Although the book itself sometimes succumbs to Nat's conviction that sometimes "teachable moments have to be forced," ultimately Nat, her mother, and even ultra-feminine Sheila grow into a new understanding of what it means to be a chingona--a fearless Latina.
(1)
K-3
With poetic text and gorgeous, inclusive illustrations, Wong invites readers to learn how to swim--to conquer fear of the water, and also to reclaim aquatic spaces for Brown, Black, and differently abled bodies. We first meet a young Asian girl suited up in a rainbow-striped one-piece with goggles perched atop her head; a female caregiver tells her of all the wonderful things that can happen "when you can swim." Then the book segues to scenes of such wonderful things: we see varied groups of people of all colors and ages and sizes in ponds, lakes, and oceans, and splashing under waterfalls. The culmination is a four-spread sequence showing a woman and child setting out from shore with bright orange swim buoys, heading to a little island that looks "close enough" but "proves farther at halfway." Yet: "rising, floating, daring, conquering, we'll make it." Pastel and watercolor illustrations play with perspective, showing the world through swimmers' eyes: looking at the trees while floating on their backs, diving into tea-colored waters. The afterword delves into the author's journey to discover and reclaim swimming as a welcoming pastime for all. This isn't just a book about swimming but also "about our ideas of the world"; it's a manifesto that "this belongs to you, too."
Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2023
(2)
4-6
In Christmas's debut graphic novel, Bree and her dad are moving to Florida from Brooklyn for his new job. Bree is excited for the first day of school until she finds out swim class is the only available elective. Bree doesn't know how to swim but is too embarrassed to tell the teacher. When her neighbor, Ms. Etta, finds out Bree's secret, she offers to give her private lessons. The lessons pay off, and Bree joins the swim team to improve her grade. When arguments among team members threaten to break them up, Ms. Etta and her friends step in to help them pull together, and when Bree finds out her dad can't swim, she teaches him. Like Johnson's Twins (rev. 11/20) and Craft's New Kid (rev. 1/19), this enjoyable graphic novel deals with familiar and middle-grade-appropriate themes of friendship, perseverance, and overcoming fears. The accessible illustrations add to the humorous (and sometimes serious) moments within the text. The book also introduces readers to the history of Black people being denied access to public pools, which limited their ability to learn to swim.
Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2022
(2)
YA
In this powerful story set in the fictitious Florida city of Mermaid Cove, Sylvester blends the compelling struggle of a young woman trying to find her voice with the effects of living with a serious medical condition. When Verónica swims in her apartment-complex pool, everything else disappears; the water blurs the pain and the scars of her many hip surgeries and helps her forget that doctors, nurses, and others seemingly have more control of her body than she does herself. The water is as much her home as it is for the mermaid performers she admires in Mermaid Cove's tourist attraction. But her Peruvian immigrant parents are serious only about work, academics, and being model citizens, and they insist that mermaid tales are a childish obsession she needs to forget. When a lucky opportunity presents itself, Verónica will have to decide what--and who--defines her. Peruvian folklore and facts about Florida are seamlessly integrated into the skillful first-person narration, and each chapter begins with a term's dictionary definition followed by Verónica’s definition. An appended author's note tells more about the real town on which Mermaid Cove was based, the condition of hip dysplasia, and the Peruvian legend of Huacachina.
Reviewer: Alicia K. Long
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2022
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Chris Sasaki.
When a science teacher in 1930s Maui, Hawaii, notices the sugar plantation police chasing neighborhood children out of irrigation ditches on hot days, he comes up with a plan--to persuade the sugar company to let the children swim under his guidance. This book provides a brief glimpse into the creativity and perseverance that took these bored kids and a local teacher from an irrigation ditch to Olympic gold. The text is somewhat limited by its form: rhyming couplets split into very short lines. It's a choice that often leaves readers wanting more information--we read "science teacher's / new approach / turns him into / master coach" but don't learn anything about that new approach or why it is so successful (the appended note helps fill in some of the text's blanks). The art is where this story comes to life--Sasaki's (Home Is a Window, rev. 3/19; Paper Son, rev. 11/19) painterly digital illustrations play with perspective and make the water and Hawaiian flora jump off the page. Back matter offers opportunities to learn more about Coach Sakamoto and the swimmers he trained in the Three-Year Swim Club. A brief but compelling introduction to an unlikely sports hero.
Reviewer: Laura Koenig
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2021
(1)
4-6
In the final installment of the trilogy (Finding Langston, rev. 9/18; Leaving Lymon, rev. 3/20), we are (re)introduced to Chicago-born Clemson Thurber Junior. Too young to remember his father, Clem has heard all the stories about him, the brave Navy man and amazing swimmer who, as the book opens, becomes a tragic casualty of the 1944 Port Chicago Disaster. As one of the smallest kids in his fourth-grade class and deathly afraid of water, Clem knows he's not a worthy namesake. Not that there's much opportunity to prove his courage and independence--problems with a bully are solved when Clem finds himself on the good side of Lymon, the toughest kid in school. But when, in seventh grade, new student Langston arrives and is bullied by Lymon for his "country" ways, Clem finally asserts himself, with welcome results. His friendship with Langston leads him to attend a high-school swim meet, providing the opportunity to decide if he can overcome his fears--and just what kind of brave he can be. Cline-Ransome's mastery of first-person narration and her gift for dialogue present a close-up look at Chicago's African American community in the 1940s. An author's note provides additional information about the Port Chicago Disaster, the Chicago Defender newspaper, the Bud Billiken Parade, and the winning DuSable High School swim team. While readers will miss this group of Cline-Ransome's memorable characters, Clem's story is a satisfying end to the series.
Reviewer: Eboni Njoku
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2021
(2)
PS
Illustrated by
Sonia Sánchez.
Davies's playful rhyming text depicts a child's eventful afternoon at a pool brimming with swimmers of all ages, sizes, and skin tones. Readers are quickly immersed in the young swimmer's exploration of the under: "You under-sit. / You under-talk. / You under-smile. / You under-walk." The irregular, blocky text shape-shifts alongside the splashes and somersaults on each page. A sudden afternoon thunderstorm rolls in, "so loud it makes your eardrums ring / so loud it makes the young one cling." Swimmers huddle undercover, wrapped in towels, until the all-clear sounds and they jump back into action. A young child's rubber ducky floats off into the deep end, but a quick rescue leads to celebration and a towel break at pool's edge--that is, until the water beckons to the child once again. Sánchez's (Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, rev. 9/20) textured mixed-media illustrations brilliantly capture the sensations of a pool excursion, from the reflective blues of tiles wavering beneath the water line to the fizzy bubbles from cannonball jumps. Every turquoise-covered page evokes the sound of splashes, excited squeals, and squeaky inflatables familiar to frequent swimmers. An ebullient ode to a simple summertime joy that will surely encourage both novice and adventurous swimmers to make a splash of their own.
Reviewer: Grace McKinney
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2021
171 reviews
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