Aniana del Mar Jumps In

by Jasminne Mendez

A novel-in-verse by about a 12-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis.

Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Ani's stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming along with medication will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be.

Genres: Middle Grade, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Novel In Verse, Disability, Sports, Audiobook

383 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

JASMINNE MÉNDEZ is a Macondo and Canto Mundo Fellow, as well as a Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) alumna. She is the author of a multi-genre memoir, Island of Dreams (2013), winner of an International Latino Book Award. She lives and works in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful story! Definitely something I wish had been around when I was first getting diagnosed with chronic illness. Ani’s character was extremely relatable and it was clear the author had firsthand knowledge of the struggles of dealing with CI.
I am rating 4 stars because the ending wrapped up a little too nicely for me (for example, her parent’s relationship was a large factor in this story and I found the forgiveness part a little unbelievable as well as how quickly the family dynamic changed towards the end), but that is minor compared to the overall enjoyment of the story.

Compelling and realistic, I had to stop several times and set this book aside because it hit a little too close to home with its raw honesty. Ani was such a great character to root for as she finds her voice and learns to stand up for herself. I loved the relationship she had with her brother Matti and her father, regardless of how much he could have stepped up to be a better parent. I liked how Ani’s mother was portrayed- flawed and hurtful without necessarily intention, but also someone who can grow and change. I appreciate her “illness is caused by sin” thought process was corrected by the end.
My favorite takeaway from this story is what Madrina tells Ani: stop wishing for the “old” you back. You are enough as you are.

I can’t wait to see what is next for this author (also, I wouldn’t be opposed to a potential sequel in the future….) ??? 🙂

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and heartfelt middle grade novel in verse about a young Dominican American girl who loves to swim, her struggle with chronic pain and a new juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnosis and her complicated relationship with her immigrant mother.

Great on audio read by the author herself who has her own experience with autoimmune diseases and chronic pain. Highly recommended especially for fans of books like Starfish by Lisa Fipps or Breathe and count back from ten by Natalia Sylvester.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a tender, moving middle grade verse novel about disability, sports, family trauma, and standing up for your dreams. This verse novel is excellently written and painfully honest about the challenges of bridging the culture and communication gap when a parent has unresolved emotional trauma. Ani does a fantastic job of standing up for her goals, and the ending is very satisfying.

Full review: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/aniana...

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in verse, Aniana's life with her family is portrayed as she struggles to balance her love of swimming with her worsening physical condition in Galveston, Texas. Her Dominican mother was traumatized by losing her twin brother to drowning in a storm, and as a result is uncomfortable with Aniana's love of swimming. Her father has been helping her sneak off to swimming and hide the signs of this from her mother, but sometimes too much swimming causes her joints to swell, and she often walks in the morning like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Eventually, she can no longer hide this, and her parents take her to the doctor. There are inconclusive tests, referrals to specialists, and finally, a diagnosis: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. From there, steroids, pills for pain and inflammation, and physical therapy take over her life. She still hopes to try out for a swim camp, and while her father is amenable, her mother still is completely fearful any time Aniana is near the water. Even after the swim coach tells her mother that swimming could help the arthritis, she is unswerving. Will Aniana be able to convince her mother that she is more than her disease, and that she should be given the chance to live her own life, even with her limitations?
Strengths: I can't think of any other middle grade novels that deal with JIA, and few that deal with autoimmune disorders that drastically impair a child's activities. It's important to show diversity in physical conditions along with cultural connections, and there are relatively few novels with Dominican American characters other than Hilda Eunice Burgos' books as well. Aniana's insistence of continuing to swim despite the objections of her mother, and her practice of sneaking around in order to continue, seems absolutely true to life. There are lots of good details about swimming as well as dealing with her disease.
Weaknesses: I'm always super picky about novels in verse. This one at least mentions haiku and tankas, but relies heavily on shape poems, which never seem particularly poetic and are harder to read. This did have a more poetic feel than some other novels in verse.
What I really think: This strikes me as one that fans of Fipp's Starfish might like, but which is not my personal favorite. While it's interesting to see Aniana's struggles with JIA, her mother's emotional reactions took much of the focus off Aniana's problems. I wake up every morning figuring that by the end of the day, everyone I love might be dead, so have trouble with books portraying people struggling with grief. This is actually a helpful life philosophy, and allowed me to not miss any work when my father died because I wasn't at all surprised. Farid's Wave or Guidroz's Samira Surfs are also trauma informed novels in verse that might pair well with this book.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What happens to a dream deferred?” -Langston Hughes
🏊🏾‍♀️
Aniana loves swimming, but she and her father have to keep it a secret from her mother. Mami doesn’t want her children swimming after losing her brother in a hurricane, so when she finds out Aniana has been keeping this a secret, she’s more angry than they could have predicted. Ani has been feeling bad in the mornings after her swims and the truth comes out when they visit the doctor. After a million tests it turns out Ani has Juvenile Arthritis, which makes moving around extremely difficult. Her doctor suggest swimming to help, along with medicine, but Mami is adamantly against it. What happens when the dream you had is no longer an option?
🏊🏾‍♀️
I had the privilege of hearing Mendez speak on a panel at NTTBF and immediately added her MG novel in verse to my TBR because of how passionately she talked about her own experiences with invisible illnesses such as lupus and scleroderma. I loved the Dominican history Mendez shares in her story and how Ani is such a brave and inspirational character for our kids to look up to. I learned a lot about JIA and Mendez does an amazing job with the audiobook. This title is out today!

CW: physical violence, chronic physical pain, death of a sibling (recounted), drowning, hurricane

[Becky Ginther · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were a lot of feels involved in this book for me. Aniana loves swimming - it's what makes her feel alive and seems to be her true passion. Her first problem is that her mother doesn't approve of swimming because her brother drowned when they were kids. Aniana sneaks off to take swim lessons anyway, and she's really good... until one day she starts feeling all sorts of unexplained aches and pains.

Sometimes a certain book hits you right at time in your life when you need it or can relate to it the most. On a personal note, I've been a runner for years and the past year or so I have been having a lot of unexplained medical issues, and running is much more difficult than it was. As Aniana tries to come to terms with what's going on with her body, and the endless doctors appointments and unanswered questions, I could relate very strongly to so much of it.

This is a novel in verse, and it's beautifully written. Some of the "poems" just really reached me. It's an important theme for everyone, even if you're not struggling with a chronic illness. We all change over time, or things happen. Accepting yourself the way you are and learning to cope with these changes is important.

The one thing that was a bit difficult to read about in this book is her relationship with her mother - how much her mother is against her swimming and how the entire family is affected by it. Her mother is also extremely religious in a way that borders on toxic - for example, she believes that Ani's health condition must be a punishment from God. The one thing I would have liked to have seen in this book is more of an emphasis on rebuilding this relationship in a healthy way (it's kind of addressed at the end, but it feels a little too "neat"... I think the amount of damage here is undersold and that's potentially problematic.)

Even over a month later I'm still thinking about this book, so that says a lot.

"I don’t know the words
for this frustration
with my own body
And what I want it to do
but can’t.

I don’t know if there is
a word for the fear
that I have of never being
myself again."
(p. 126)

[Jenny Poitras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ if not for my visceral dislike for Mami. Even understanding her past trauma did not make me empathetic. Her behavior toward Ani was just plain frustrating.

[Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Representation: Biracial (half Black and half Latino/a,) Latino/a and Black characters
Trigger warnings: Implied PTSD, death of a child and brother in a hurricane in the past, grief and loss depiction, bullying, child abuse, physical assault and injury, chronic and physical illness, near-death experience
Score: Eight out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

This one wasn't perfect. But it was close. The library only had Aniana del Mar Jumps In in eBook form so it was more difficult to get but I got it anyway. The blurb seemed intriguing, so I headed in hoping for an enjoyable read, but when I closed the final page, I found it a lot heavier than expected.

It starts with a flashback involving Aniana 'Ani' del Mar experiencing swimming for the first time when she was six (better late than never) before cutting to part one of the central storyline (there are six parts) with her now being a competitive swimmer, at least for her age (12.) Everything looks ordinary in the opening pages until she says something's wrong with her body, as she feels pain in her joints, but she doesn't know what it is yet.

There's a subplot that soon turns out to be a critical part of the narrative, where Aniana's mother remembers a traumatic event where she lost her brother, Mateo, in a hurricane and she never completely moved on ever since. I get that losing someone is difficult, but the way Aniana's mother tries to cope makes her look like a helicopter parent. Let me get this straight: the protagonist's family is dysfunctional, as her father is barely there and her mother doesn't want her to swim, fearing she may lose Aniana too. Aniana's father takes her away to swim in secret, but that didn't last forever as her mother found out, and now banned swimming. Is it me or does it feel like an antithesis to another novel I've read before? Aniana's mother forced her out of swimming instead of in.

I liked Aniana as a character the most, but her parents aren't role models, and the side characters like Maria Tere and Delilah only appear for a few pages, but I would've liked to see more. The pacing is slow, with the book lasting 400 pages, but I didn't mind, since it was enough to keep the creation going. The writing style is unique and Jasminne Mendez executed it well. Finally! Actual poetry! It took me long enough to find one after reading spaced out prose for a while.

Did I mention Aniana's family is Christian? The middle four parts feature Aniana trying to cope with the swimming ban, and when a doctor diagnosed her with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA,) all Aniana's mother can do is to pray it away, but advice from a therapist to do physical therapy also helped. The therapist says swimming can reduce the effects of JIA, but Aniana's mother is steadfast, even when she tries out for an elite swim camp, her mother caught her again since the ban still applies (she resorted to physical measures once.) However. The conclusion, part six, felt like an afterthought. It took Aniana's mother to almost lose her son, Matti (to the sea,) for her to change her mind? Really? At least the prohibition is gone now and the finish is heartwarming.

Addendum: Matti started swimming at age four (which isn't too late.) There's no exploration of intersectionality (since Aniana is a young biracial Dominican American girl with a chronic illness.) Why is this?

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a leisurely-paced, character-centered, novel in verse about Aniana's relationship with her family and with herself, and how those relationships were impacted by her development of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

I do not have personal experience with JIA, but from what I can tell, it seems to be well-described. I think this was the first novel I have read that tackles the onset and diagnosis of juvenile chronic illnesses and I appreciated that the author tackled the frustration and pain Aniana feels going from doctor to doctor and doing all sorts of tests before anyone can tell her what is going on inside her body.

I also appreciated the strong relationship between Ani's mother and her best friend, who had very different religious and spiritual beliefs but seemed to respect each other's faiths. The one negative thing about this novel that sticks with me is that at several points, Ani's mother states that the diagnosis of JIA is a punishment from God for Ani's sins. Though there is one line at the end where Ani's mother admits being wrong about that, I don't feel like that was enough resolution to a traumatic message that is far too pervasive in some religious circles.

I mostly enjoyed the audiobook and felt like the reader did well with the poetry, but I found the short periods of humming unnecessary and sometimes irrelevant.

Publisher recommended for ages 8-12.

[Andrea Beatriz Arango]

Ending #MiddleGradeMarch with ANIANA DEL MAR JUMPS IN 🌊

I felt so connected to Aniana and her journey to find a new version of herself, especially as I near the six month mark of unexplained knee pain and stiffness. The way she navigates her chronic pain, diagnosis, religion, and mental health is sure to be relatable to students all over.

More than anything, though, I truly felt Aniana's need to be in the water. There's a point in the book when she is reflecting on the different ways her parents (but especially her mom) view God, and she says:

"I wish that Mami
could understand that water
is my church and when
I swim it is like having
a conversation with God."

One of the things I most miss about living in Puerto Rico is scuba diving. Even though I didn't get into it until my mid-twenties, it is the closest I can ever say I've had to a true religious experience. Nothing I have ever done in life compares to being a hundred feet underwater, surrounded by thousands of swimming fish, a tiny breathing speck among majestic beauty.

I'm so happy ANIANA is out in the world, joining the small circle of us writing Latinx middle grade in verse. This is one I will champion often.

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a range of experiences told through short but beautiful, impactful verses that blend to create a magical story that readers with invisible illnesses and without can see themselves within. The diversity of the characters and the seamless mixing of English and Spanish within some verses of the story bring depth and life to the story. This story brings to light the relatable mom-daughter conflicts one has with parents as they grow into their own self-worth. Aniana's mother is a very strict Christian, and the struggle for her to come to terms with her daughter’s illness is done in a very realistic manner. The story dives into many deep topics, including physical violence, chronic physical pain, the death of a sibling, drowning, and a hurricane. Not many books can convey these essential topics in the way that Mendez does so that readers can feel and understand these topics from a new point of view. Aniana is a brave and inspirational main character that kids can look up to as she discovers herself and the world around her that is ever-changing as her dreams become out of reach.

[Brandi Rae Fong]

Lots to like here in this solid read.

Aniana loves to swim, and is really good at it; however her overly religious mother, due to past trauma, does not love to water and does not want either of her children in the water. Ani's father though understands her love and together the two of them keep the swim team and meets and medals secret from Ani's mother...until she can't ignore the pain in her joints anymore and the secret is spilled.

The mother was an infuriating character, telling Ani that maybe God made her joints hurt because she lied about swimming and not listening to her daughter at all. But Ani, learning for find her voice and advocate for herself and her health was so good.

It almost was a tad too long, and it bordered a bit on almost too religion-centric for me, but that's just me. It made sense for the story and I think while kids in religious families will relate, it also won't be a turn off kids in families where religion is not as focal. I could readers who liked Starfish or Frizzy (due to the mother-daughter relationship) possibly liking this one.

[Deborah Zeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful novel in verse about Ani, who just wants to swim. She and her father hide this from her mother, due to her mother’s fear of water and losing those she loves. Ani wins medal after medal. However, life gets in the way and she is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis and her mother discovers that she has been swimming behind her back and forbids her from ever swimming again. Ani then begins a journey back to the water and into a new way of life, living with JA and trying to find her voice, make herself heard. I absolutely loved this book, even more so after hearing the author speak at the North Texas Teen book festival about her experience living with a chronic illness, Scleroderma and how she, like Ani, had to forge a new path. The author uses shape poems throughout the novel to express different themes, such as fear and frustration. This is one book that will stay with me for a long time.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has friends with physical struggles like juvenile arthritis, fibromyalgia and lupus, this book was SO GOOD. Oh my word, Ani's struggles and voice are ones that my friends have shared with me. Novel in verse, complete with all forms of poetry including image poetry, were the perfect medium for this book. I am SO SO SO GLAD to see this book written.

There is also a beautiful homage throughout of Ani's Hispanic heritage. The Spanish phrases and words are easily understood because they are then written in English. (So individuals like me find that appreciative). Ah, this book is just beautiful. And of course, it doesn't have a happy ending necessarily. Because for some people, medical diagnoses don't just go away; one must live with the physical limitations. How Ani does that is truly inspiring.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one better be a Schneider Family Book Award winner or honoree. If not I may riot. It's probably my overall favorite book of the year thus far.

This is a fatnastic book about a young girl, Ani, who loves swimming and is diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. It's also very much about her relationship with her mom, and how her mom's trauma plays into what Ani wants. It's also about religion and I thought this was extremely well handled. I don't want to get into it more at risk of being spoilery.

The character growth here is amazing and the plot and just ahhhhh. I was in tears by the end.

I love audiobooks but recommend reading this one as a print book. The way Mendez uses the space on the pages is gorgeous and will be a big hit with middle grade readers.

Go pick this one up.

[vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet and moving, this novel in verse is great on audiobook, read by the author. I loved Aniana as a main character; especially her passion and motivation to swim and be active. I felt I really understood (through the author's writing) how Aniana's symptoms materialize, as well as how she felt during her diagnosis and therapy. While at times I felt Aniana's mother's reaction too stark and strong, I also get a lot of mothers are like this. The ending came a bit too quick, but overall I learned a lot and found the poetry striking and beautiful.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a middle grade story. A Pura Belpre award winner, it tells the story of Ariana Del Mar who is torn between a mother who is afraid of the water, and a father who loves the water. All is put into motion when she suddenly becomes very ill. How she fights to remaining control of her life makes this a very compelling read. The author also uses poetry as a means to communicate how Arianna is feeling. Loved it!

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ani is one amazing girl who fights for what she wants despite obstacles she faces. A beautifully written novel in verse. I loved how the story was separated into the hurricane categories to match the storyline. This story was inspiring & I’m so glad I have a copy of it in the library! The author’s note at the end was 🙌🏻 & I’m one of those people who typically skip right over them… glad I listened to this one.

[grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel in verse made me want to write novels in verse. Inspiring! I appreciated the many layers and the complexities of the feelings, fears, trauma, bravery, and relationships to faith. I loved the poems that rhymed or made shapes. The author’s creativity really shines through these and makes the book more memorable.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely middle grade novel in verse about a young swimmer who is eventually diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. The audiobook was great.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great middle-grade book! I don’t typically read poetry, but this book was beautifully written and did a wonderful job of telling this story! Aniana is a strong character that many people will find very relatable as she struggles with Juvenile Arthritis and learns to deal with her daily pains. As someone who has dealt with chronic pain, I think this book did a great job of describing and explaining what it can feel like, especially the struggles of waiting for diagnosis and trying to get people to understand what you are feeling. Overall this was an excellent, emotional read that I think people of all ages would enjoy reading 😊

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this because I thought it would be like so many books I've read lately that seem actively anti-Christian. I'm not looking for "Christian books"; I admit that the Christian church has been guilty of many actions that don't fit with Jesus and the good news of God's kingdom. But I do want to find books where all faiths are treated with respect. Because her mom's beliefs and her involvement in a very conservative church lead her to not always understand Ariana, I wasn't sure this book would be one I'd recommend, but by the end, I felt like the presentation of Christianity was more nuanced. I may not agree with all of the theology presented, but I like that belief in God and attending church as a family was part of Aniana's growth in dealing with her arthritis. Mendez is a good writer; I did enjoy reading her. Not a book for every library but one that will be good for certain readers.

[Christine Barth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually go for novels in verse, but I was on the swim team and I have a chronic illness so I could relate to that part.
I liked the shape poems but there were some types of poetry that I found harder to follow.
I also thought the mom's Christian faith was viewed as a crutch by the characters and author and she was only seen as sympathetic after she let go of that a little.
Although her church certainly had erroneous and harmful theology that illness is a result of sin.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this accessible novel-in-verse, Aniana’s mother has a deathly fear of water, stemming from the childhood drowning of her own brother in a storm, which has already led her to forbid her daughter from swimming in the ocean, swimming pools, or even taking swimming lessons - illogically!

Nevertheless, Aniana’s father has secretly encouraged her to love swimming since she was six years old. He works on the ocean with the Coast Guard - so he’s been out at sea for weeks at a time since she was a baby, and the family lives in Galveston, Texas, an island on the Gulf of Mexico. Mami is perpetually nervous about the water, and Papi decides that he and Aniana should keep their swimming trips to the beach and pool secret from her.

Now that she is 12 years old, Aniana and her father share their dream of her swimming in the Olympics - and Papi says they'll reveal their secret to Mami when they get there - which would end up being over ten years of sneaking around, lying, and hiding daily swim practice from her mother.

Meanwhile, Aniana’s parents were both born and raised as Catholics in the Dominican Republic, and her mother has veered away from Catholicism to join an evangelical Christian church - despite its higher expectations of religious participation, belief, and behavior. Aniana’s madrina (godmother) believes in the healing powers of stones and herbs. These belief systems each result in them having different ways of understanding Aniana’s physical illness, which turns out to be a chronic, debilitating condition; Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, or JIA.

When her secret swimming is inevitably discovered, Papi starts by blaming Aniana, who herself believes her mother’s suggestion that she has made herself sick by her betrayal of the family’s values.

There is a superficial apology from both parents when they finally get a medical diagnosis, but the turnaround feels pro forma, hinging on apologies and promises, while nobody makes amends or demonstrates a lasting change.

The intriguing title and cover illustration will appeal to middle-school readers: Aniana has a placid look on her face, looking confident about thriving in the idyllic world of orange trees, dolphins, and flowers in her hair. Ample blank space on the pages may help relieve the heaviness of the story which devolves from surreptitious swimming to outright lying to increasing pain to chronic diagnosis to despair and discord and then to the family finally coming together to support Aniana’s healing.

Another recent children’s book about a Dominican American family coincidentally also depicts a middle-school girl lying to her mother, who is also a rigid conservative figure, also constrained by her own illogical fears; Doodles from the Boogie Down. And another recent book by a Latina author also depicts a child trying to go along with an adult’s irrational avoidance of water; Los Monstruos: Felice and the Wailing Woman.

Although the story lacks clarity about how young readers might navigate a similar situation in their own lives - the tide turns only because her illness is unbearable, and then turns again only because her improvement hinges on her getting exercise and the doctor encourages swimming - I believe the intended audience of 10- to 13-year-old readers will not find that jarring.

[Rebecca Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Aniana Del Mar Jumps In" by Jasminne Mendez is a heartfelt and beautifully crafted novel-in-verse that immediately captured my attention and kept me engaged with its rhythmic pacing and evocative storytelling. Mendez's poetic prowess shines through in this touching narrative about Aniana del Mar, a 12-year-old Dominican American swimmer navigating the turbulent waters of juvenile arthritis, family secrets, and personal growth.

From the very beginning, I was drawn into Ani's world, her passion for swimming, and the complex dynamics of her family life. Mendez masterfully balances the story's pace, blending Ani's struggles and triumphs in a way that felt both urgent and intimate. Although the resolution with Ani's mother felt a bit rushed, it underscored the story's themes of forgiveness, understanding, and the bonds that tether us even through our deepest fears.

The characters, particularly Ani and her family and friends, are the heart of this novel. Their development is both believable and profoundly moving, illustrating the capacity for change and the power of acceptance. The portrayal of a Dominican American family, along with the inclusion of a protagonist dealing with a disability, adds rich layers of diversity and representation that are both necessary and welcome in middle-grade literature.

What sets this book apart is not just its originality in using verse to tell its story, but also its fearless exploration of sensitive topics such as disability, bullying, and the impact of religious extremism on family dynamics. Mendez navigates these issues with grace and sensitivity, making "Aniana Del Mar Jumps In" an educational and thought-provoking read. The addition of notes at the end on writing in verse and information about autoimmune disorders like juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) further enriches the narrative, providing valuable insights into both the creative process and the realities of living with a chronic condition.

While the book's use of language is generally age-appropriate, the repeated use of the word "badass" and the portrayal of Christianity might raise eyebrows among some readers. However, these elements contribute to the story's authenticity and encourage important conversations about diversity of belief and the importance of understanding different perspectives.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dominican-American Aniana lives in Galveston, and loves nothing more than swimming. She's on a swim team, and doesn't feel like herself when she's not in the water. Her father takes her to all her swim meets, though, and they have to hide all of her medals as well as her participation because her mother is terrified of water, having tragically lost someone in her youth due to water. But then Ani develops a condition that causes severe aching, pains, stiffness, and even immobility. When one day she can't even get out of bed, their secret is out and her mother is beyond furious. As they visit doctor after doctor after doctor, her mother grows ever more adamant that Ani is not allowed anywhere near water. On top of her painful and confusing condition, Ani feels the loss of swimming as a giant hole ripped in her life. Will she ever get her mother to understand just what swimming means to her? Novel in verse.

This was well-done, and worked as an audiobook as well, once you figured out it was in verse. The plot was easy to follow, and the characters were engaging and layered. The parents were so imperfect and believable; Ani's father is often away for months at a time on Coast Guard trips, so can't be there to support her, but he often gives way to Ani's mother anyway. Ani's mother's terror of the water and determination to prevent Ani getting near it rises to pathological levels, and clearly she needs more help coping with it than her rigid church is giving her. Ani not only has to cope with her mother, but also bullying at school and in church youth group because of her condition, and I hope kids reading this will have a better understanding of what it's like to live with such a condition and not treat those suffering the way kids treat Ani. I love that she has a stalwart bestie, though, who always has her back. One thing I did wonder about was the swim coach at the YMCA not reporting Ani's mother for slapping Ani so hard she fell down. Though that was the only time physical abuse happened, there was lots of emotional abuse that worsened Ani's condition. Hard to read, but, again, believable. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the book.

[AJ Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another novel written in verse where I think the book is hindered by it rather than elevated. There wasn't anything wrong with Mendez's writing, far from it. Her writing was beautiful and perfectly illustrated images in my mind. It was more the style of the verses that threw me off. There were literal moments where the words would be positioned so oddly that I had a hard time knowing where to read next. It was more distracting than anything. The most distracting choice was to capitalize every other letter in words. Here's an example: A sEnTeNcE wOuLd ReAd LiKe ThIs! I just wasn't a fan of that, but I know others won't be as bothered with it as I was.

So what's the story about? Ani del Mar loves to swim. It's her passion, it's her life. But her mother doesn't allow her to swim because when the mother was younger, her brother died in a water-related accident. Because Ani's father knows how much swimming means to her, he takes her swimming on "daddy daughter" dates while lying to the mom about what they do. But Ani starts to have body aches and is soon diagnosed with a chronic disease that is similar to arthritis. With her life now needing to adjust, she needs to figure out a way to make her mother accept that she wants to continue swimming. This is the second book in a row where the main character has a chronic illness, and in both scenarios I found the writing to be educational but still engaging. I sympathized with Ani and found her character to be interesting.

I found the characters to be interesting and since there weren't a lot of them, it was easy to follow along. But here's my second complaint about the book: the mother. I just found her to be grating, unlikeable, and someone I was rooting against. As I mentioned earlier, she treats Aniana in a certain way because of losing a loved one so early in life. As the story progressed, it was hinted that there would be some big revelation, but when it arrived, it felt underwhelming to the point where I thought there would be more, but there wasn't. Because of that, I just couldn't justify the way the mother acted. And just like in the last book I read Will on the Inside, religion played a part in the story. It worked in that book, but I didn't like the way it was portrayed here. Maybe it's because it showed the uglier side of it like the way people use it as an excuse to treat others poorly. Or to be judgemental, or to blame bad things happening to people just because a higher being deemed it so. By the end of the story, it just felt like the mother didn't learn as much as she could.

It sounds like I'm being super harsh on the book, but I still find it to be worthwhile. Ani, her friend, her father and the situation they go through, and the lessons they learn were all interesting. I just wish the mother's story played out a bit differently and I also think the book would have been better if it didn't go so stylized with the verses. Maybe if it was written in a traditional sense, it could have an easier time exploring some of the topics, such as the mother's spirituality and why she was the way she was. But I'm not the author. But since the good outweighed the bad, I'm definitely interested to check out the author's other novels.