pickEvery time I listen to a book and realize it‘s a novel in verse, I wish that I could see the text, so this is another I need to track down in print. It was a quick and enjoyable listen today about a girl who loves to swim but is sidelined by a debilitating disease and a very protective mother. Set in Galveston about a Dominican American family it also uses the imagery of a hurricane throughout.
#audiobook #NovelInVerse #MiddleGrade
“God grant Mami the serenity
to accept that she cannot change me,
the courage to face her fears
and let me swim again,
and the wisdom to know she and I
are different.”
I really enjoyed reading about Aniana's relationship with her Papi. He was the one who taught Aniana how to swim. Aniana struggled when she found out that her father, her true confidant, would be going away. It reminded me of her journey with the arthritis. Her father going away prevented her from being with him, the one person she really wanted to be with. Her arthritis prevented her from swimming, the one thing she really wanted to do.
My initial reaction to this book was that it somewhat reminded me of “Poet X“ by Elizabeth Acevedo. Both books feature a young Dominican girl who has to hide what she loves from her mother. In “Poet X,“ Xiomara has to hid her love for poetry, and in “Aniana del Mar Jumps In,“ Aniana has to hide her love of swimming. I think both books are great for middle grades because students might relate to having to hide something that they love from family.
I chose to read this book because I felt a connection to the main character. Aniana is a 12-year-old Dominican American girl who loves to swim and has to learn how to navigate her love for swimming after getting diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. I too am Dominican American and struggle with arthritis so I though it would be interesting to see how Aniana handles growing up and balancing these two contrasting elements of her life.
pickAniana, her 4 yo brother, and Mami and Papi live in Galveston, where my husband and kids used to visit every summer. Ani loves to swim and Papi encourages her to excel in swim team; but must keep it a secret from Mami…A novel in verse
#LitsyLove
#ReadAway2024
so-soMiddle grade fiction. So much of this book was so good, but the resolution was not strong enough. Aniana's mother has major trauma that she needs to deal with and did serious harm because of that trauma and her religious beliefs and this needed to be resolved in a more thorough manner.
Fantastic reading weekend full of great graphic novels and a great audiobook (also a verse book). #awesomeapril @Andrew65
Kicking off #middlegrademarch with three diverse novels in verse. Tagged book was fave. Themes of fitting in, mental health, loss, disease and cultural influences swirled in the trio of unique stories.
Aniana del Mar Jumps In | 
