Content warnings: Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Medical Content (Trip to the Dentist), Bullying

This was a great debut middle grade graphic novel about a girl, Bree who moves to Florida from New York for her father's new job. We see a single Black father raising a Black girl and we learn about the history of Black people and swimming plus, how segregation affected who went to public swimming pools. Since Bree loves math and puzzles, there are many puzzle references, especially in the art. When the Math Puzzles class is full, she is forced to take Swim 101 but she can't swim. Bree's anxiety and fear drive her to skip class until Ms. Etta, their neighbor and a swimming champion teaches her to swim. As a former swimmer, (I was not good lol) this brought back memories of my swimming days and I thought the way swimming was written and illustrated was very realistic, especially hitting on the note of how community-oriented the sport is.

I loved how the anxiety and intrusive thoughts were written into the story as Bree learns to knock the thoughts down. This is an important book about friendship and teamwork. Really enjoyed it!

Johnnie Christmas tells a lovely tale of perseverance, teamwork, facing one's fears in Swim Team. The story tells of a girl and her single dad moving from NYC to Florida. Upon arrival, Bree has to learn from her math strengths in order to pass swim class, make friends, and deal with classism and the ripples of impacts from the segregation in the 1960s.

Well done. Can't wait to get it into my school library!

Bree and her father move from Brooklyn to Florida. When Bree can't get into her preferred elective (Math Puzzles) at her new middle school, she is stuck taking Swimming 101 instead, even though she can't swim and is terrified of the water. With help from some new friends, Bree learns to swim and finds herself leading her team.

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This was a very relatable story that covers a lot of the usual middle grade graphic novel topics - fitting in, feeling left out, facing fears, managing relationships with friends and parents. It also provides some important information about segregation and stereotypes. I think this will be a popular book with elementary/middle grade kids and would be a great pick for any elementary school library or classroom.

This was an absolute delight.

Bree and her dad just moved to Florida from New York. She loves math and is excited for her first day at her new school. Except the elective Math Puzzles is full, and she gets stuck with Swim 101.

The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.

Bree has to overcome her fears and I love how her anxious thoughts were shown in the art; dark, cloudy word balloons. I think a lot of readers will be able to resonate with her feelings and fears.

Swimming has a long history of racism, from segregated pools and beaches to acid being poured in pools. I love that this was included in the story, and how “Black people aren’t good at swimming” was addressed.

It was refreshing to see a single Black father and a group of Black girls coming together as a team and for the community.

I LOVED this graphic novel out May 17! It's got everything from Black history (and why many Blacks don't swim), friendship, detailed swim coaching scenes, and a sweet connection to the past in Ms. Etta. Sweet, immersive, and compulsively-readable -- fans of Jerry Craft and Varian Johnson's TWINS will love this one.

Bree Hanley moved with her father from Brooklyn, NY to FL. She was forced to join the swim team even though she did not know how to swim. The story was positive because it discussed the moving dynamics of teamwork within the swim team. The author discussed the history against the black community wanting to use the public pools. Well written and sensitive to a painful history.

Bree and her single dad, Ralph, move from Brooklyn to Palmetto Shores, Florida, where he has both an IT training program and a job as a delivery driver lined up. To calm her nerves about moving and starting at a new school, Bree focuses on her favorite things (doing homework with her dad, cooking, and the library), but sometimes intrusive negative thoughts make her doubt herself. Bree, who can’t swim and hates pools, is crestfallen to be placed in the only open elective at Enith Brigitha Middle School: Swim 101. Now her anxious internal dialogue, depicted as heavily outlined, grayscale thought bubbles that are in stark contrast to her sun-drenched surroundings, really run wild. When Bree accidentally falls into the condominium pool and is rescued by her neighbor, Ms. Etta (who happens to be an outstanding swimmer), Bree realizes that she’s found the perfect swimming instructor. Ms. Etta agrees to give Bree lessons – and an informal mini-history of Black people and swimming. Bree surprises everyone, including herself, by winning her first race. Despite some botched flipturns and belly flops, Bree develops into a strong member of Enith Brigitha’s team, which suddenly has a shot at the state championship. Meanwhile, the school district plans to sell the land where the pool is located to Smoothie Palace, but if the swim team starts winning, maybe the plans will change. A rival-to-”swim sister” subplot reinforces the theme of teamwork and adds a layer of drama that middle grade readers will love. Swimming is often under-represented among sports stories, and this one works on every level: an endearing protagonist, bright artwork (including gorgeous underwater panels), representation of young Black swimmers, and exciting races. Readers of Living With Viola by Rosena Fung and New Kid by Jerry Craft will adore it!

An approachable and sweet graphic novel that will be relatable to anyone who has ever been the new kid, had to conquer a fear, or was forced to try a new activity. When Bree moves to a new school in Florida, the only elective available is swimming - which she doesn't know how to do. As a Black girl, she hasn't had much exposure to swimming. As she works to learn this new skill with help of her neighbor and former high school champion swimmer as well as her new neighbor who is a star on the swim team (both of whom are Black), Bree discovers a new talent. This book weaves in the important and not well-known history of Black people not swimming that is largely linked to being excluded from community pools during segregation. Highly recommended for fans of NEW KID by Jerry Craft or EL DEAFO by Cece Bell.

Kid graphic novels are hugely popular at my library and I expect that this book will also circulate very well. It's a great story about learning how to do something and covers issues of Blacks historically being banned from swimming pools.

A really sweet middle grade graphic novel about swimming, friendship, and teamwork. I especially liked the short history lesson about racial segregation.

A fantastic graphic novel that fans of Class Act will love! The illustrations and colors were immersive throughout. The story of friendship and teamwork threaded with historical events was educational and easy to understand. Highly recommend!

I recieved an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book is an excellent graphic novel for middle school-aged kids about facing their fears. There is a great lesson for both adults and children and it is a quick read.

When Bree starts a new school, she's unable to participate in her usual math electives. Due to scheduling, she's forced to take Swimming 101, which it's not a great fit for someone who can't and doesn't want to swim. Through an unexpected friendship with a former swim champ at her apartment complex, Bree learns to swim. With her newfound talent, she finds herself on the swim team and navigating friendship, competition, and teamwork. This middle grade graphic novel will appeal to readers 3rd - 8th grade, especially those who are experiencing change.

Truly excellent graphic novel for young people that addresses Black swimming history, economic disparities, friendship, loyalty, and racism. When contemporary middle school student, Bree, moves from NYC to Florida she is horrified to discover that the only elective left is swimming. While most students at her new school are huge swimming fans, Bree can't swim and is terrified of the water. Assisted by her new friends, a neighbor with a surprising swimming past, and a desire to earn some extra credit to save her swim class grade, Bree joins the middle school swim team and helps make school history.