Swim Team is a can’t miss graphic novel for middle grades! Bree and her father move from Florida to New York. When she enrolls in her new school, Bree is forced to take swimming as an elective—but she does not know how to swim. She tries to avoid the class, but it’s inevitable that she has to go and that her classmates will learn she can’t swim. It turns out that Etta, an older neighbor at her new apartment complex, is a former swimming champion. She’s more than willing to help Bree learn to swim. Along the way Etta teaches Bree not only how to swim but about the how the laws that created segregation kept many Black Americans from learning how to swim. The history lesson is seamlessly woven into the narrative, providing a social justice component along with a compelling narrative about Bree overcoming her fear of swimming, making new friends, and contributing to the school swim team’s success. The themes of friendship, community, and perseverance are relatable to middle grade readers and will make this a popular read.

A beautiful graphic novel about a girl who learns to swim, joins a team, and learns about the importance of what a team is and how to be a part of one. I loved this story, I loved how it was a two-fold story about the present and the past.

This graphic novel has the perfect balance of text / dialogue and illustrative panels with a color palette that connects me with that cool feeling of dipping into a pool. It masterfully explores the dynamics between peers, while also intertwining the history of segregation and its lingering impacts on children. I loved the swim lessons and watching character growth unfold masterfully over the course of the novel. I'm super excited to add this to the library.

Love this graphic novel and can't wait to share with my students! Great story about overcoming fears, perseverance, and friendship. Also touches on stereotypes and social issues. Fives stars and will likely use for a book club!

Are you looking for the next New Kid or Class Act?! This is it. Sure to be part of every student's favorite book list.

This was a fun graphic novel about a young girl moving to a new school and unwillingly joining the swim team. She makes new friends and learns to actually enjoy swimming! The book teaches a lesson about friendship and the power of team work, along with giving some social justice vibes while explaining serration in pools and beaches. This book will be a hit with young readers, and I can't wait for my daughter to read it, too!

This is a graphic novel about middle schoolers with sports, friendship drama, and a good dose of social justice and historical information--in other words, it's going to be a smash hit. Timid Bree is a likable and engaging character, but her neighbor Etta is hands down the most interesting character in the book. I would recommend it, but this one's going to fly off of our library shelves regardless!

Hello Again!

I am so excited to talk about this graphic novel. I have always been someone who loves swimming. From a young age, I was constantly eager to dive into the water, and I pretty much always had to be forced out. As a middle and high schooler, I was on the swim team (for all but junior and senior years but even then I was still swimming at home, at the school pool, etc..). So when I saw a graphic novel on Netgalley about swimming I knew I needed to ask for the chance to be able to read it! (Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me a Netgalley E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions)! So without further ado, let’s jump into some Swim Team fun!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Bree and her dad are moving! Bree is excited to see what her new home and school will hold! She is going to be a middle schooler living in Florida now while her dad works at a new job and takes a program he got accepted into at night. After arriving in Florida, Bree makes some new friends at her apartment complex, one of which is a fellow classmate, and another a neighbor! As Bree gets settled in and starts school, she soon learns she will not be able to enroll in her favorite class as for her extra period. She really wanted to take an advanced and fun puzzle math class but it’s full, the only class not full is swimming. Bree hates swimming, Bree can not swim and is honestly kind of scared of pools. There is one at her apartment but she avoids it at all costs. Her new friend is the opposite, she loves the water and is on the swim team! When Bree starts skipping school to avoid swim class and her father finds out he enrolls her in swim lessons to try and help her overcome her fears, however, someone spots her at the class and things do not go well. On her way home, she drops her homework in the pool at her apartment complex, Bree tries to reach it but ends up falling in, she is struggling to stay above the water and her neighbor notices and comes to her rescue. Bree’s neighbor helps her get home but also offers her some swimming lessons, Bree takes her up on her offer and her improved swimming in her class leads to her being put on the team. But Bree is really still not sure about this, is she good enough for the team? What if she still can not swim? What about the team winning?

I loved Bree’s story. I do not know what I was expecting when I dove into this one but honestly, it would have blown all of those expectations away anyway. Bree, her friends, her dad, and honestly all of the characters were amazing! They all brought something interesting to Bree’s story and some of them had unexpected pasts that helped to get a better understanding of swim history. Additionally, the art was amazing in this graphic novel. The colors popped off the pages, and I found myself looking back at certain story pieces multiple times. I would love to read further graphic novels about Bree or other graphic novel stories this author might write! I highly recommend checking this one out if you like graphic novels!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Harperalley and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. I really enjoyed this well-illustrated coming of age graphic novel that teaches important lessons about friendship and teamwork. Can’t wait to share this great book with my students

This was such a delightful read! Realistic and relatable friendship and school drama as well as very touching stories about teamwork, remorse, determination, and family. I love the dive (haha get it) into the history of Black swimmers and how segregation severely impacted generations of Black people and their relationships to community/public spaces and swimming.

4.5 stars. What a great addition to the world of middle grade graphic novels! Bree moves from New York to Florida with her dad and ends up in a swim class because it's the only open elective. Not knowing how to swim, Bree does everything she can to avoid the class. But with swim lessons from a neighbor, things start to change for Bree. I loved the historical information about the failed integration of public swimming pools. I also loved the intergenerational friendship in the book. The reason I'm not giving it a full 5 stars is the short time period involved in Bree being able to accomplish what she does in the book as well as the over the top depiction of the private school and especially the swim coach from the private school. Fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft will love this book!

As a former swimmer, this book absolutely made me tear up. Swim team was my life for years, and I'll always be grateful for the time I spent in the pool and on the deck. I feel like Swim Team really captured the feelings that I had when I was swimming with my friends. If you're looking for a really sweet book full of friendships and some great historical analysis of swimming, I highly recommend this book!

A fun and fast paced story about a girl who moves with her Dad from New York to Florida, learns how to swim, and joins the swim team at her school. The artwork is colorful and engaging and fits in well with the overall playful mood of the book. Featuring the friendship of four middle school girls, the dialogue and mannerisms are genuine and really bring the characters to life. The historical aspects of the book feel like a clunky afterthought. Overall, a cute book I would recommend to upper elementary and middle schoolers.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books and Net Galley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Part coming of age, part history lesson-this is a graphic novel that deals with bullies and friends and racial dynamics. It is just so very good.

For Libraries: Definitely a perfect for your graphic novel shelves.

Gorgeous graphic novel with incredible cover appeal! This book is a beautiful exploration of black joy. Can't wait to add this title to our library.

This is a sweet coming of age story, and I love how it tucks in some history about Black swimming culture and why a lot of Black adults, particularly of a certain age, aren't comfortable in water. All of the main characters are distinctly drawn and all are a mix of confident and questioning. After reading Varian Johnson's "Twins," I had a lot of students come back asking for graphic novels starring Black kids and there really aren't that many. (Take note, publishers!) Will definitely be purchasing this for our library in the fall.

Beautifully clear illustrations with an adorable character. It touches on a little talked about but important issue of Black people and swimming. I liked the focus of Bree adapting and becoming an important part of the swim team and vital to winning the state championship.

Swim Team is an amazing graphic novel about a young girl who moves into a new town and is excited to start at her new school. However, she finds out that she'll have to take swimming as an elective and she never learned to swim.
This was so sweet and uplifting. I loved the artwork and the characters.

Swim Team is a wonderful graphic novel about Bree, who gets stuck in swim 101 her first day at a new school. Bree doesn’t know how to swim so she makes excuses to leave class until her neighbor Miss Etta volunteers to teach her to swim. Bree ends up on the Mighty Manatee swim team and helps them win races against their rival, Holyoke. When one of the girls from Holyoke transfers to her school, will it cause trouble for the swim team, or make it even stronger? With her friends Clara, Humberto, her dad & Miss Etta, Bree is sure to have a great season!

Having swimmers myself, I loved that there is finally a book about swimming (not too many out there for kids), and that it has a Black family, school, and characters as the focus. There is also some great history of discrimination and segregation of pools in the 60s woven throughout the story. I can’t wait to buy this for my library and share it with students!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

Great story with the theme of if you put your mind to it you can do anything! Definitely worth the read!