Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
Graphic Novel
I started this one without reading anything about it.
Bree and her father have just moved to Florida. She is excited to join a math club but finds out that the class is full, and she has to take Swim 101 instead. Bree can’t swim. Lucky for her, she finds that her neighbor, Etta, used to be the swim team captain. Etta agrees to teach Bree to swim.
Pretty soon, Bree is on the swim team! They aren’t the best team, but they work hard. Well, they work hard when they aren’t fighting with each other. Their biggest competition is the private school Holyoke. Bree just wishes her dad didn’t have to work so much, and he could come to one of her meets. Then she finds out that her best friend might leave for Holyoke! I mean, it’s a great school that will help her future, but all Bree can think about is losing her friend. She has gone through a lot, so I understand why she would react so badly about another change.
There was a little mystery with Etta that I didn’t really catch how that fit in at first, but it was a sweet side story. I had to go back and reread a little to see where Etta mentioned some things. There was also a good bit of history that Etta teaches Bree about segregated pools. I like it when there is a little history thrown in for readers to discuss and research more on their own.
Bree dealt with a lot of change in this book, and I think she handled it well!
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 