Swimming with Dolphins

by Jessie Paddock

When 12-year-old KT Wynn learns that she has to move from Iowa City to Florida, she's distraught. Not only does she have to leave behind her best friends and the only home she's ever known, she also has to deal with being the new kid in school. And she's especially worried about how her wheelchair, Sprinkles, will affect things.

On the bright side, she'll still have her big sister, Lucy, with her, and she'll even get to see a dolphin-her favorite animal!-for the very first time. In fact, KT has always dreamed of swimming with a dolphin, and with the help of her sister, she's determined to make it happen.

But when she meets Cola for the first time, he's not what she expected. KT is suddenly afraid, and she's unsure if she can swim with Cola given her disability. Will KT be able to overcome hear fear and gain the confidence to take the plunge?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade

208 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2020

Reviews

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swimming with Dolphins is a middle grade book documenting one girl's life after she moves from Iowa to Florida just before her 13th birthday leaving everyday behind.

KT isn't happy about the move and doesn't think she could adjust to the new environment. The only respite is the dolphins at the local sanctuary, Dolphina Cove. As she bonds with the latest dolphin addition Cola, she realises moving to a new place isn't just about adjusting and forgetting about the past but rather remembering and honoring it in her own way.

This was a fun little book, KT was your average teenager to be and I actually enjoyed the middle school drama she and her friends kept talking about. There was nothing extraordinary about it, it was sweet and simple. However, I did get tired of reading hashtag before KT's every sentence and think author could have done better without it.

3 stars.

[Keira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like swimming with dolphins! It is so realistic and I recommend reading it if you are moving. It explains it is okay to be scared of things you love. I think rveryone should read this book. It is soooooooo good!

[Myrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quick read. Super lighthearted and it never really went into detail. Predictable too but the most annoying part about is that it says "chill" and "hashtag" every page.

[Brooklyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED it!! It reminded me of my best friends who live in Florida.

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story story about adjusting to changes and facing fears.
The acknowledgments are thoughtful and include some valuable resources.
Includes “A Day in the Life of a Dolphin Trainer” article by the main character at the end of the book.

[biba ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a loooooong time ago when I got it from a scholastic fair. It was okay, based on what I remember. I recently found this on my shelves and was like 😬 oops. One thing I DO remember is that it was very annoying because the word hashtag and the word chill were used a lot.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my comfort books, I've read it so many times :) This was the first book I ever bought for myself, and I've never regretted it.
The characters are super relatable, and the way they talk and interact is true-to-life, even though I don't personally talk like that.
I love a good finding-your-place story (couldn't think of a better way to put that haha), and even though I've never done anything so big change state or school, everyone can relate to being the 'new kid'.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring story about a girl who is paralyzed and then when she I'd 12 moved to Florida from Iowa just month or so before her birthday. This is about how she can cope with her life problems.

[Aubree Hoguet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I liked how it explained how the characters felt and how it showed how they felt too. This book was an absolute page turner it was also a book that if you started reading it you wouldn't want to put it down. I liked how the characters expressed how they felt.

[Erica Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story about embracing change, conquering fears and being yourself. The only reason I didn’t give it 4 stars was because the teen speak was so hokey it was nearly painful.

[Lacy Compton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8-year-old really enjoyed it, but the writing/storyline was a bit meh to me.

[Lulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book to read, especially if you love dolphin 🐬 like me!

[Keita · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was great because i love dolphins

[Laura Sisco-Briggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Painful. My daughter picked because she liked the cover. The teen speak was cringeworthy # everything. Do yourself a favor and don’t read, you’ll be ready to gouge your eyes out

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good teen or preteen book.

[Heidi Doreika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good piece of realistic teen fiction.

[Savannah Cordell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[MaryAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but unmemorable story except if you want to learn more about training dolphins.

[Melanie]

Cute book about dolphins and friends

[AurorainBookland · Rating 4 out of 5]

KT and her friends are 12 years old at the beginning of the book and they have social media, the law states you have to be 13 to have social media. Unless they're parents run the account but that's never mentioned so it's implied the girls post their own stuff without getting parent permission.

Dolphin animal rights mentioned briefly
Page 33 - 34 "I don't live under a rock; I've seen a documentary or two and know what went down at SeaWorld with the orcas. But Mom and dad promised that Dolphina Cove is totally humane, and it's actually more of a rescue center slash sanctuary than a creepy water animal entrainment park. The dolphins are kept in an open water lagoon, not pools or tanks (phew), so it's just like an extension of their natural habitat."

Slang words chill and tight used both mean cool apparently. More slang. My dudes = my friends.

The Hashtag this hashtag that is annoying.
It does not make KT or the others seem cool or more grownup. Authors please stop doing this.

[booknerd27 · Rating 2 out of 5]

My sister recommended this to me after she read it in the sixth grade, so I read it, and it was too easy of a read for me and I started and finished it all in one day. I don’t like when a book does that to me.

[Em's Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep coming back to this book because it's just so good!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an inspiring and heartwarming story. The only thing I didn't quite like is that the slang was weird and it said "hashtag" and "chill" quite a lot, and it got annoying.