Amulet Books Up for Air

My daughter is an avid swimmer and nearly 11. I bought her this and she really enjoyed it.

Arrived on time and exactly as product description

Although many ages can relate to this book, it is the perfect book for middle school students. There is nothing so mature that I would be concerned about my youngest students reading this book, but Anabelle is in the summer before her 8th grade year, and her longing to be accepted by the high school crowd is a feeling that will appeal to my oldest students.Embarrassed by accommodations, and frustrated when they don't seem to be enough either, school is a struggle for Anabelle. In the pool, she feels different. In the pool she is in control and she is strong. In the pool, Anabelle is setting records.When Anabelle is asked to swim up with the high school team to help them in the mixed relay, her excitement for the opportunity to prove herself gets distracted by the two-years-older boy who she is crushing on showing her more attention. Struggling to fit in with the older teens has Anabelle hurting her own friends, disobeying her parents, and spiraling downward. How will she find her way through the mess she has made to come up for air?What I loved: The message. Knowing who your true friends and family are makes all the difference. Anyone can comeback and grow from mistakes. The setting. I want to live on Gray Island. The swimming. This is a popular sport with my students and I am excited to add a book about it to our library.#LitReviewCrew

Annabelle is just about to end her seventh grade year, and even though she gets more time on essays than others and that she works hard to prepare, she isn't surprised when most of her grades are Cs. Her mother says she's proud of her, but Annabelle really feels like everyone just feels sorry for her. Being in water is the only time she really feels comfortable and alive, so when she is asked to move up to the high school swim team for the summer, she looks forward to more time in the water, especially since she gets to practice with the older kids, including Conner, who seems to be paying more attention to her than ever before. Will moving to the high school team, mean losing her friends from the middle school team? Will the reappearance of her real father in her life make her feel more like she has somewhere to belong? These are just some of the challenges Annabelle faces in this story.The real strength of Up for Air is the way all of the emotions of the characters are spot on. Annabelle's struggles with loneliness, isolation, insecurity, and misunderstanding are all presented in a realistic way, showing what most girls feel during adolescence. Overall an excellent middle grade book.

Morrison grabs readers from the very first page with a character that is utterly relatable. Rising eighth grader Annabelle struggles in the classroom. She feels like she doesn't quite fit in with her super-successful mother and stepfather, and as much as her stepfather is there for her, she yearns for a connection with her father, who she hasn't seen in years. The one place Annabelle feels at home is in the pool, where she excels. She's so good, in fact, that this summer she's been asked to swim with the high schoolers. Cue: excitement. Also, cue: a little bit of nerves.The thing is, Annabelle's one of those girls who has "developed" and she's getting attention from one of the cute high school swimmers, who's started texting her. Does he like *really* like her? What's going on? If only she felt she could trust her close friends with all that she has going on.Morrison absolutely gets the world of middle school: the concerns, the complicated social dynamics, all of it -- and it all comes into play here in a way that's entirely true to life and cringe-worthy. Like any kid would in her situation, Annabelle makes mistakes. And she struggles to see all that she's good at. It's all too easy for her to notice her weaknesses, and miss her strengths. My heart broke for Annabelle at so many points in this poignant, eminently readable book.I devoured this book, barely coming up for air, and I think so many middle school readers will too