Aniana loves the water and swimming. That would seem a good thing since she lives on the island of Galveston TX and is surrounded by water. But her Dominican American mother is terrified of the ocean and forbids Aniana from swimming because of the tragic loss of her twin brother during a hurricane. Her father understands Aniana's love of water, and together they arrange for Aniana to join the school swim team without Aniana's mother knowing. Aniana loves it and does very well, but sometimes after a workout her joints swell and get painful. She ignores it at first, but finally she cannot hide it anymore. Of course, her mother discovers what she has been doing. Tension in the family is high as Aniana starts going to doctors and specialists. Her mother feels her illness is a curse from God for her deception about the swimming. Will Aniana ever be able to swim again?
This is a story written in free verse explaining what life with juvenile arthritis and with a traumatized mother can be like. The poetry is sometimes free verse, but occasionally rhymes or has a meter. The story is well written and feels culturally authentic. The book is almost as much about the mother overcoming her grief and guilt about her brother as it is about Aniana. The relationship with the father is also very complex. Descriptions of the effects of the disease are heart-rending and vivid. This is a good choice for those early teens who love complex and emotionally charged realistic fiction. (384 p. 2023)
I didn't realize until I typed this that this is so recent. I am guessing it will show up on potential Newbery lists. It is just the kind of thing a Newbery committee might like.
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