I have mixed feelings about the middle-grade graphic novel, SINK OR SWIM. School is out and summer awaits for 12-year-old-Max. Before breaking his arm, Max was the star of his swim team. Now that his cast just came off, Max is now doubting his ability and letting his anxieties get in the way of getting back into the water. Add in his insecurities about his body, the weight he gained during his injury, and ignoring his friends during swim season, Max doesn't want to go anywhere near the water and doesn't know how to reconnect with his friends. Enter summer camp. Will Max be able to regain the confidence he once had in the water, and will he be able to fix his friendships before his friends move on without him?

I think this is a lot going on for a 12-year-old to handle...or maybe it's not! He's got anxiety about going back into the water. Will he be able to pick up where he left off as the team's best swimmer? He thinks he's gained weight and has started skipping meals. He's even talking to himself constantly in front of the mirror putting himself down. Thank goodness for one of the camp counselors who Max feels comfortable talking to. Once he finally gets back into the water and seems to feel comfortable within his own skin again, he then has to face his feelings for his best friend. Does he like him more than just a friend? There just seems to be a lot of things going on in this story. Teaching fifth grade as part of elementary school, I'm also not sure how many of Max's issues my 10-11 year olds will relate to. I do think middle school is the sweet spot for this book. Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced digital copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Graphic for the ARC. This book had so much heart and was an enjoyable read. Ty was star of the swim team but he breaks his arm and is in a cast all season. He has lost touch with his best friend and feelings are hurt. Now they are going to summer camp and swimming is on the to do list. Can Ty gain confidence and his best friend back. A must for the Library.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this Graphic Novel.

The Good:
-Super cute artwork and character design
-Fantastic message about friendship and overcoming adversity with a huge emphasis on mental health
-LGBTQIA+ rep without making a big deal that it's LGBTQIA+ rep

The Meh:
-A big part of the conflict is Ty coming to terms with his body and weight gain after an injury, but Ty looks the same in pictures from before. I don't know if we're supposed to read it as he didn't gain that much weight and is having other mental health issues or just something overlooked by the artist.
-It is a little long but paced well. I didn't feel like the story was dragging or had any unnecessary downtime.

This is so adorable. Like too precious for words. Middle school students are dealing with tough issues right now, and this book does a fantastic job tackling some of them without talking down or preaching to kids. I didn't realize this is the second book in a series, but I think these are side characters from the first book and it reads fine as a stand-alone. I hope this team continues to create comics for young people and highly recommend this one to 5th-8th graders.

I've received a copy for an honest review.
3.5 stars
After breaking his arm and having to sit out the swim season Ty has felt weird about his body. His body doesn't look how it used to and he's out of practice from swimming. His best friend Max has been asking him to hang out and practice for the camp swim competition, but feeling anxious Ty doesn't know if he can. Visual spreads of Ty's anxiety help the reader understand the inner turmoil he's feeling. Through the help of new friends and the camp counselors Ty begins to feel better.
There is a secondary LGBTQIA+ story that could have been more emphasized. At times it felt that it came out of nowhere and didn't flow with the story.

Ty is facing many decision and fears after having the cat removed from his arm. He is afraid to start swimming again, has issues with his body and has his inner voice putting him down all the time. During summer camp he finds support and friendship that help move forward.

I really loved this! A fun and sensitive portrayal of navigating body changes through puberty, sports injury, and friendship changes. The characters were well flushed out and handled the various challenges in compelling ways. I love that the book encourages young people to find caring adults they can trust who will walk with them on their journeys of self-discovery with empathy and experience.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great graphic novel for kids/tweens who are getting to know themselves and their feelings. Great LBGTQIA themes and friendship too.

Ty is dealing with anxiety after recovering from an injury. He’s pushed away his friends and isn’t coping well when it’s time for his annual summer camp with friends. I liked the portrayal of anxiety in a tween boy and the LGBTQ representation.

Sink or Swim is one of the best graphic novels I have read this year! I thought the story was engaging and the art was wonderful!

This book really hit home for me. I work in a middle school and I have kiddos every day who are trying to deal with anxiety over different issues, such as appearance, grades, and friendships. This book would be perfect to recommend to them to let them know that they are not alone in feeling this way. I particularly like the part of this book where Max seeks out a trusting adult to talk to and tell his feelings to. I think when kiddos see it in print, it encourages them to be brave and consider doing it themselves in real life. With the help of his tribe, Max is able to overcome his feelings of anxiety and get back to doing all the things that he enjoys! I really enjoyed this book and I would like to thank NetGalley for providing an ARC for me to preview. I believe this book will be enjoyed by youngsters everywhere!

While I enjoyed this read, I think this would be geared to more middle and high school-aged readers; I thought this would focus more on simple themes of changing friendships and insecurities that come with growing up, but this hit on much heavier topics. That being said, I don't think younger readers couldn't connect or get much from it, but I think a lot of the experiences were told in ways that would go over the heads of a lot of younger readers. I teach 7th grade and will be adding this to my library - I think it will show kids that others go through similar experiences and that they aren't alone. Thanks for the ARC!

Many middle-grade readers will be able to relate to Max at times throughout this book. While 324 digital pages seemed a bit excessive, Max experiences a loss of identity when wearing a cast for a broken arm requires him to take a break from the swim team. The idea of getting back in the water, finding something else in common with his friends, and negative body images are great themes for this age group. This title does go a bit heavy on LGBTQ+ representation.

The artwork is engaging and lively, calling to readers that love Baby Sitters Club and Raina Telgemeier, but with a boy main character.

This is a great look at how to become a new person after an accident and how to interact with your friends again. I think any middle grade kid will like this book, because those can be the awkward years where you are trying to figure out who you want to be and where you belong.
The story and illustrations were great and kids will zip through it and probably want more!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

This graphic novel was a lot of fun to read. I had never read anything by this author before, but I will definitely be looking out for more of their works in the future. I can't wait to add it to my library's collection.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. The story had a lot of elements to it and covered many important topics. I appreciated that this graphic novel discussed anxiety and the feeling of being underwater with it. I also thought it was important that the main character was a boy dealing with this because so often the mental health of boys isn't discussed enough. I'm sure that many young people who read this graphic novel will relate to the main character. While I enjoyed the book, I don't think I will be adding it to my classroom library. Some of the topics were a bit too mature for my fifth graders to handle and understand, but this book certainly deserves a place in middle school classrooms with students who can connect with the characters.

I really loved this book and I know my students will too. The colors are beautiful, the characters are cute, the scenes are immersive. The words are pretty easy to read and the story was fun and funny. I know my students will relate to and laugh at this story. I can't wait to get it to them.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. This book had a lot of stuff going on; almost too much for one book. It handles some topics well- being anxious, but it tended to go on for too long within the book.

This book was a great story about a boy learning more about himself in many different ways after dealing with an injury. I thought that the story was well told and hit a lot of issues that older students are dealing with. As an elementary school librarian, I won't be purchasing this for our library. The issues that it covers are too mature for our students. This would be a great addition to a middle or high school library.

I enjoyed the art style of this book and there was a fabulous amount of representation. I especially liked that the story centered around a young boy with anxiety. I think that the authors did a great job of capturing how kids in this age group might react to the events that occurred throughout. While I felt a bit confused at times with how the story played out, it didn't prevent me from enjoying the book overall. Graphic novels readers that enjoy realistic stories will likely enjoy this book.

I feel like this graphic novel was way too long. The main character goes to camp after getting her cast off. But, she doesn't want to go into the water at all. On a different part, she talks to herself and berates herself in the mirror all of the time. She even stops eating and is by herself all of the time at camp. I just wish that it was one type of help needed for her.