Jamie Sumner

This well-written verse novel reveals much of the story in flashback sequences. There are passages that could be pulled and used in English class for discussion and for examples of figurative language and how it contributes to meaning.

Tully places her hopes, her guilt, her wishes, her physical skills, and her relationships with her mom, dad, and best friend on a six-hour swim. The structure of the verse novel follows each hour of the swim. Tully's mom taught her how to have the skill and courage to train and to accomplish a long distance swim. She purposefully tells no one except her best friend, Arch, because she thinks her father will tell her no. This swim, called the godfather swim, is twelve miles. No one her age has ever accomplished it, so she's been secretly training with Arch. Arch doesn't like lying, but he is the perfect best friend because he's steady. She can't bully him; and, if he decides the swim is over, he will force her to quit. Hopefully.

As the swim progresses, Tully looks back over her life with her mother. Everything goes back to mom who struggles with depression; she sounds manic to me. Her mother can never be still. Currently, Tully's mother's whereabouts are unknown. She left. Tully hopes the video Arch is making to document this historic swim will be seen by her mom, which would be the catalyst for her to return home. Having been raised on the water, Tully knows how mercuriel the weather can be. It's supposed to be a good day; it's not. A storm appears. The battles begin. Tully's inner demons demand that she finish the quest no matter what. Tully's outer battles are with the churning waters and with Arch, who demands that she stop. If she doesn't finish, Tully fears everything will collapse.

Over the six hours that she swims, Tully battles her feelings toward her mom and, somewhat, to her dad, eventually coming to a personal truth. Saying that the book follows a six-hour swim doesn't sound exciting, but the writing and pacing are well done.… (mere)

She had me at British Baking Show. Ellie is an aspiring baker and is inspired by Mary Berry, Julia Child and other baking greats. She is also confined to a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy and lives with her divorced mother. The two of them move to a trailer in Oklahoma to help Mema take care of grandpa after his dementia symptoms cause a couple of dangerous accidents. Now she is the new kid in a wheelchair at a small middle school coming from the wrong side of town -- the trailer park. Spunky Ellie may be down, but she is not out. With the help of her two new friends, Coralee and Bert (short for Robert), she will learn the joys of not being normal and discovering who she really is. This book reveals much about living with a disability without being just about that. Ellie's voice is authentic and will provide a much needed window for middle grade kids to living with CP. There is something for everyone in here: baking, therapy, mini golf, pageantry, fishing, and more. As promised on the cover, there is most definitely PIE!… (mere)