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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
The author did a great job of capturing the voice and thought process of a middle school girl. Annabelle is not a little kid and not quite as mature as an older teenager and trying to figure it all out. I've read/listened to so many books where the characters seem much older or younger than the age they're supposed to be but this rang true as thirteen year old girl.
This is very age level appropriate content for a middle school aged reader but complex enough to be appreciated by an older audience. Watching Annabelle struggle with all her angst and confusion that goes along with being that age reminded me why I'm so glad I'm not 13 anymore. Without giving away too much she at one point falls for a high school boy and I'm just thinking bless her heart this cannot end well but can see where id be optimistic about it if I was her age.
This is very age level appropriate content for a middle school aged reader but complex enough to be appreciated by an older audience. Watching Annabelle struggle with all her angst and confusion that goes along with being that age reminded me why I'm so glad I'm not 13 anymore. Without giving away too much she at one point falls for a high school boy and I'm just thinking bless her heart this cannot end well but can see where id be optimistic about it if I was her age.
Having a competitive swimmer and being a swimmer myself made this book so fun to read. There are not too many books about swimming so loved the little details in this one.
Love the cover, but it does give the appearance that the book leans towards the younger end of middle grade fiction. This is definitely a book got middle school readers.
Love the cover, but it does give the appearance that the book leans towards the younger end of middle grade fiction. This is definitely a book got middle school readers.
This was a fantastic upper middle grade book! Annabelle was the perfect example of feeling deeply, being perceptive, but also confused as things change in that shift around 8/9th grade. I would have loved this book as a young teen.
Being in middle school is so hard! Add in a learning disability, a deadbeat dad, some friendship problems, and an unreciprocated crush and - well - this summer is not going quite like Annabelle had hoped for.
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. I had been wanting to read this book since I was in fourth grade and I could not be happier that I waited a couple of years to read it. This book is targeted toward an older middle school audience that is over 11. It deals with topics that I overall feel would not be appropriate for a fifth grader. And let’s just say it did not deal with these topics well. The characters in this book irritate led me so much. Both Mia and Annabelle were over their heads and thought too highly of themselves and Conner was just a jerk. The activities that they get up to should not be prohibited at 12 and just to mention she rides the ferry by here self at 12 without telling her parents. I know my parents wouldn’t have been okay with that. Also there is no consequence for her actions each time she does something wrong her parents just let it slide. However I did enjoy the skilfully done insight into the mind of a competitive swimmer and what it felt like to swim at that level. This book was still poorly developed though and did not make it worth reading in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder
This book pulled me out of my reading slump. I finished it in just a few days and absolutely loved it. Hand it off to your middle school kids and be ready to talk to them about it!
I enjoyed Annabelle's story and the way it rings true for middle school students who want so desperately to fit in and be grown up. Annabelle struggles in school but excels in swimming. So much so that she is bumped up to the HS team in hopes of winning the league championship. Along the way she learns some important lessons about true friendship, listening to the warnings of others, and how trying to fit in can be hurtful. She also learns that what she thinks people believe about her may not be what they actually think.
emotional
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated