Students who are fans of Raina Telgemeier will love this title. It is full of heart and brings in the struggles of being black in a sport that is dominated by white athletes. It also looks at the expense of being in a sport like swimming. It is assumed the public school will not be successful against a private swimming team. It also shows the struggles of trying something new. I especially appreciated the use of speech bubbles to show the negatives thoughts and fears of the main character. Her single father is taking courses along with working two jobs.

The story opens with a sad Bree who is moving from Brooklyn to Florida and is a lover of all things math and puzzles. She is nervous about starting in a new school and those fear are realized when she learns she cannot be a part of the math puzzle club. She is instead signed up for Swimming 101. Bree is terrified because she cannot swim. She begins skipping swim class rather than be embarrassed. This is completely out of character for Bree who is generally a very good student. Her relationship with a neighbor is the turning point of the story and leads to Bree joining the swim team. It is a story of perseverance and friendship. I highly recommend this book for all readers who struggle with starting something new.

There was one particular part that talks about the segregation of pools that connected my own learning to The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. Public pools used to be quite normal and the segregation of pools impacted black swimmers and BIPOC people seeing swimming as a viable athletic pursuit. It is woven beautifully into the novel. It is not preachy but gives the background in a creative and instructive way.

I was only able to get half of SwimTeam downloaded, but the first half was so good I will definitely get the book when it comes out and finish reading it. The art work and story are both melding together for a good read for children and adults alike.

Thank you Harperalley and NetGalley for a copy of this graphic novel. This was a great story of perseverance, self-discovery, and friendship-but my favorite part were her intrusive thoughts. I really liked how the illustrations showed her self doubt and how slowly it went away.

This book was so well-written and beautifully illustrated. I would highly recommend this.
It was a page turner, and I loved the storyline. Great job, Johnnie Christmas.

I'm posting a full review on my ig page by Wednesday!

This was precious. Bree and her dad just moved to Florida from New York and when her desired elective of math puzzles is full, she's stuck with swim 101, except Bree doesn't know how to swim.

Lucky for her, an elderly woman in her building is a former swim caption and also a puzzle fan, and together they get Bree swimming proudly and confidently, enough that she even joins the swim team.

I really loved this story and the way that Bree's fear and anxiety was addressed. Also her relationship with her dad was heartwarming.

This one also addresses the misconception that Black people are bad at/don't like swimming and has some historical context about segregation and discrimination surrounding pools in the US.

Definitely a great quick middle school graphic novel!

Swim Team was a cute graphic novel that explores how a young girl grows to love swimming and competing on her school's swim team. I know my 4th grade students would enjoy this book in that they are very interested in any graphic novel they can get their hands on and would relate to the main character's struggles and achievements. I like how this book included history about segregation at public pools and how this impacted opportunities.

Splash into this MG graphic novel.
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Bree just moved with her dad and can’t wait to start middle school. However, on her first day she’s given Swim 101 as her elective and there’s one big problem: she can’t swim and the thought of it makes her ill. After skipping class several times, Bree ends up getting help from her elderly neighbor, Etta, who was once a swim team captain. With Etta’s training and hours of hard work, Bree ends up not only learning to swim, but also making the school swim team. But when their rivals, Holyoke Prep, try to beat them out for state champs, it’s up to Bree to rally her team.
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I just adored this middle grade book! Reminiscent of Jerry Craft’s art work, Swim Team also shares the history of Black people and swimming and explains the stereotype that many can’t swim. I know this will be a HUGE hit when it hits shelves May 17! Preorder now!
CW: racism, bullying

"'It's too late for me to learn.'
'Nonsense. You learned math. And now it's your favorite subject. In fact, your true talent isn't math. It's that you -'
'What?'
'You never gave up. Not on a hard math problem or a difficult puzzle. Just apply that to swimming.'"

This book wasn't on my radar until I saw Amanda post about it online. After reading her review, I immediately went to NetGalley and requested my own copy of this graphic novel. Not only did the cover draw me in (I mean seriously, it's so gorgeous), I was intrigued by the plot. A story about a girl who moves to Florida and has to help her school's swim team do well so the community pool stays open? Yes, please! I feel like there aren't nearly enough stories about swimming, especially as part of a swim team, so I was very excited to dive into this book. What I wasn't expecting was a history lesson in the systemic racism that led to so many Black folks being unable to swim today. I had no idea that pools were closed or Black folks were refused to enter community pools just a few decades ago. This, of course, led to a huge deficit for today's Black families as young people have never learned how to swim because their parents also never learned how to swim. Prior to this book, I had never once considered how segregation and white supremacy affected Black folks, but now that I know better, I am enraged that another part of systemic racism has been hidden from history books.

This graphic novel is incredibly well done. It's a graphic novel that covers a wide range of issues. When we first meet Bree, she doesn't know how to swim but with the help of her neighbor who swam competitively in her younger years, Bree learns how to swim and ends up acing Swim 101. To me, this felt like where most graphic novels would end their story. Bree knows how to swim, she stopped skipping class, and her anxiety about the water is slowly disappearing. Yet Johnnie Christmas isn't done telling Bree's story yet. In fact, we're barely halfway through the story. Bree is now on the school's swim team and she is about to face off against the same girls who made fun of her earlier in the story. Bree's team has to perform well or the pool her team practices at will surely be closed over the summer to make space for a smoothie shop. This graphic novel not only covers systemic racism in a way that is easy for young readers to understand, but we also get to see a very visual display of Bree's anxiety and all of the negative things her brain tells her. I appreciated seeing how she worked through this to overcome the voice in her head and do what she does best: never giving up.

Is Swim Team this year's Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms? At this point in the year, I would venture to say yes. I loved it that much. I highly recommend this graphic novel to readers of all ages. It is absolutely fantastic and would be great addition for elementary and middle level classroom libraries alike.

TW: bullying, systemic racism, body shaming, panic attack

**Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books, and HarperAlley for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas is sure to be an instant hit with middle grade fans of Raina Telgemeier, Jerry Craft, and Victoria Jamieson. Bree and her dad uproot from their Brooklyn home and move to Florida in pursuit of better opportunities. Bree struggles with anxiety about school, friends, and the dreaded Swim 101 elective she gets stuck with. Through the support of a trusted neighbor, new friends, and her own determination, Bree learns she is capable of more than she ever thought.

I love how Christmas weaves in the history of racial segregation of swimming pools and makes that history an integral part of the story. Kids will enjoy following Bree’s personal growth and learning about this history and how it still affects Black Americans today. I can’t wait to recommend Swim Team to my students.

Thanks to Net Galley for the eARC to review.

I absolutely loved this. It was such an amazing story with adorable artwork and fantastic representation. The way Bree’s anxieties and intrusive thoughts were presented was so amazing, especially as we watch her learn to get away from them. Swimming went from an anxiety-producing activity for Bree to becoming something that actually ended up helping her. Watching Bree make amazing friends at her new school after she was so worried about moving proves more how she was able to face her anxieties and come out stronger. There were so many important things in this book and I learned so much, I’m so excited for everyone to be able to read this and I plan on purchasing a few copies for my mom’s school!

I really loved this middle-grade graphic novel! The illustrations were really lovely and I loved the message. I wasn't a swim team kid growing up but this book still made me feel nostalgic for that time period. Would love to have a physical copy of this.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe I am biased as a swim team mom (who cannot swim herself), but I will freely admit that this upper elementary/middle grade graphic novel was fantastic!

The story focuses on a middle school girl who moves to Florida with her dad while he trains for a new career and she embarks on navigating a new school. When other electives are full, she is added to a swimming group...but cannot swim. She befriends a helpful neighbor and learns to swim, finding out that she is talented enough for the school's swim team. She and her teammates learn what is needed for a team to function successfully as a cohesive group.

I deeply appreciated the author including the racist stereotypes about swimming and the discriminatory practices that helped to form those stereotypes. While the history is in the book, it isn't presented in a way that is overly didactic. I also appreciated that the illustrations show the girls as young girls and did not adultify them, which I sometimes feel is an issue in graphic novels as a whole.

I adored this one. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thanks so much to Johnnie Christmas and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Swim Team was a charming graphic novel. The main character, Bree, has not swam in the past for fear of drowning, but is signed up involuntarily for her school's swim elective, Swim 101.

It has some amazing historical tie -ins, with an eye-opening reminder of what the Jim Crow laws were like before 1964, when the laws preventing African Americans from participating in communities were finally abolished. The addressing, and debunking, of the stereotype "Black people can't swim," along with background of their culture, moved me immensely. Johnnie Christmas has done a fantastic job.

I am definitely biased towards swimming books, but this one was truly great. Not only does it document Bree's journey learning to swim, but it tackles her anxieties around swimming and the long history of Black folk not having access to pools during the period of Jim Crow laws. For sure a great graphic novel for ages 8-12! Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy!!

This is a charming story with characters who are well developed, an interesting and in many ways original story in content and in the telling, and quality artwork. I'm sure kids will find it both enjoyable and relatable. I bought many copies for our library system.

Bree has to face her fears about swimming not only for her school grades but also to be a part of the school team. Johnnie Christmas illustrates the negative thoughts of fear, anxiety, and self-worth as dark bubbles under the water, and Bree is shown to overcome these thoughts by swimming over the top of all of them, and out-racing those thoughts that threaten to drag her under. Pressure from without also presents itself with difficult peer relationships and the meaning of teammates is under challenge. Bree has a lot to overcome to be successful in her first year as a swimmer.

Really cute middle grade graphic novel that gives you a bit if black history but overall is a really good story of friendship, teamwork, and overcoming your fears! Definitely a fun read worth picking up

There are a lot of middle grade fiction about swim teams out there.

This one, a graphic novel about a Black child, Bree, who has moved to Florida because of her father’s work, doesn’t want to learn to swim. She is afraid of swimming. She would rather do math, but when she gets her school schedule, she finds it is the only class she can take.

The reason I point out that she is Black, is because, as the book points out, there was a lot of segregation that did not allow Black people to swim in pools in the past, and there is no such thing as Black people not being *able* to swim, as Bree believes.

She gets help from a neighbor who was a swimming champ in her youth, and shows Bree how to excel at swimming.

Of course, being a middle grade story, there are friendship problems, and mean girls, and all those sorts of fun tropes that are actually so tree about middle school (Junior High to you older folks out there).

Great story.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

I received a free digital ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books via NetGalley. This realistic middle grade graphic novel follows Bree and her dad as they move to a new town. At her new school Bree who doesn’t know how to swim finds herself enrolled in Swim 101. With the help of her neighbor and some new friends Bree finds herself competing at swimming. Despite some clashing with a local competing swim team, Bree is finding her way, but can her team make it to the State Championships or will there be to much drama?

This was a cute story with multiple messages about race, inclusion and friendship. The characters were uniquely drawn and individually memorable. Another solid entry into contemporary realistic fiction graphic novels for 3rd to 6th grade readers. Similar to New Kid by Jerry Craft or Twins by Varian Johnson.

4.5 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the arc. Swim Team was a super cute middle grades graphic novel about main character Bree who learns to swim and joins the swim team. It also has a great historical tie in.