Swim Team: A Graphic Novel

by Johnnie Christmas, Johnnie Christmas (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Vibrant, colorful artwork brings Johnnie Christmas’ middle grade debut to life in Swim Team, a standout graphic novel about a young girl overcoming her fear of the water. Christmas seamlessly blends fact and fiction, delivering a fun, informative, and powerful read of courage and resilience.

“Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!” JERRY CRAFT, author of the Newbery Medal–winning New Kid

A splashy, contemporary middle grade graphic novel from bestselling comics creator Johnnie Christmas!

Bree can’t wait for her first day at her new middle school, Enith Brigitha, home to the Mighty Manatees—until she’s stuck with the only elective that fits her schedule, the dreaded Swim 101. The thought of swimming makes Bree more than a little queasy, yet she’s forced to dive headfirst into one of her greatest fears. Lucky for her, Etta, an elderly occupant of her apartment building and former swim team captain, is willing to help.

With Etta’s training and a lot of hard work, Bree suddenly finds her swim-crazed community counting on her to turn the school’s failing team around. But that’s easier said than done, especially when their rival, the prestigious Holyoke Prep, has everything they need to leave the Mighty Manatees in their wake.

Can Bree defy the odds and guide her team to a state championship, or have the Manatees swum their last lap—for good?

Praise for SWIM TEAM:

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor

National Book Award Longlist

Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Harvey Award Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

“A revelation! You’ll root for Swim Team—the water is just right.” —JOHN JENNINGS, New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning creator

“Swim Team is a beautiful story about trying new things. Johnnie Christmas is a fantastic storyteller and artist.” —KAZU KIBUISHI, author of Amulet

“Full of charm, heart, and pulse-pounding races. A winner!” —GENE LUEN YANG, author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063056763
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	13,417
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist and author-illustrator of the critically acclaimed middle grade graphic novel Swim Team, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2022, and received a Jane Addams Book Award Honor. He calls Vancouver, British Columbia, his home.

You can visit him online at johnniechristmas.com.

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist and author-illustrator of the critically acclaimed middle grade graphic novel Swim Team, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2022, and received a Jane Addams Book Award Honor. He calls Vancouver, British Columbia, his home.

You can visit him online at johnniechristmas.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/18/2022

When Bree and her single father move from Brooklyn to Florida, Bree’s dad encourages her to keep an open mind, emphasizing the way small changes can result in “big unpredictable effects.” The middle schooler enjoys learning math, solving puzzles, and spending time with her father, but experiences worry and self-doubt around making new friends and playing sports—especially swimming, which she’s never learned to do. But she soon befriends neighbor Clara, an enthusiastic swimmer on the future classmates’ underfunded school team, which is on the verge of losing its pool. Bree does everything she can to steer clear of water activities, but swimming seems to be a way of life in Florida, and a full-up elective math course lands her in the only course still open: Swim 101. When elder Ms. Etta, a neighbor at the family’s apartment complex, saves Bree from a near drowning, the two build a close bond that propels Bree into confidence in the water, and into a local swim legend’s legacy. Challenging the idea that “Black people aren’t good at swimming,” this middle grade debut from Christmas (the Angel Catbird series, for adults) details segregation’s generational impact through a warmhearted story of community, Black diasporic identity, and learning, all portrayed in kinetic contemporary art. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" — Jerry Craft, author of the Newbery Award–winning New Kid

"A revelation! You’ll root for Swim Team—the water is just right." — John Jennings, New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning creator

"Swim Team is a beautiful story about trying new things. Johnnie Christmas is a fantastic storyteller and artist." — Kazu Kibuishi, author of Amulet

"Full of charm, heart, and pulse-pounding races. A winner!" — Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops

“This graphic novel belongs on shelves in school and libraries everywhere.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

"A powerful, knowledgeable, and pressing exploration of the intersection where swimming meets Black identity. Empowerment through swimming and swim team is well-embodied in Bree, a smart, perseverant, anxious kid who readers will embrace instantly. The friendly and familiar style of Christmas' linework pours out into some true artistry." — Booklist (starred review)

Challenging the idea that “Black people aren’t good at swimming,” this middle grade debut from Christmas (the Angel Catbird series, for adults) details segregation’s generational impact through a warmhearted story of community, Black diasporic identity, and learning, all portrayed in kinetic contemporary art. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"This enjoyable graphic novel deals with familiar and middle-grade-appropriate themes of friendship, perseverance, and overcoming fears. The accessible illustrations add to the humorous (and sometimes serious) moments within the text." — Horn Book Magazine

Questions of belonging, ability, racial justice and who gets to swim are handled with thought and care...its nuanced storytelling and visual appeal will have outsize reach and meaning beyond this age group. — New York Times

This energetic, heartfelt graphic novel captures the joys and challenges of a sport that should be—but hasn’t always been—freely enjoyed by everyone. — Book Page

From the Publisher

"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!"

Jerry Craft

"A revelation! You’ll root for Swim Team—the water is just right."

John Jennings

"Full of charm, heart, and pulse-pounding races. A winner!"

Gene Luen Yang

"A powerful, knowledgeable, and pressing exploration of the intersection where swimming meets Black identity. Empowerment through swimming and swim team is well-embodied in Bree, a smart, perseverant, anxious kid who readers will embrace instantly. The friendly and familiar style of Christmas' linework pours out into some true artistry."

Booklist (starred review)

★ 04/01/2022

Gr 3–6—When Bree's father takes a coding job in Florida, the two move cross-country and Bree's world is turned upside-down. Away from her friends, in a town obsessed with the local swim teams, Bree struggles to find her safe space among the mathematics classes and clubs. The lack of space in her desired elective classes lands her in the worst possible situation: swimming class. Unable to swim and grasping for excuses to avoid class, Bree begins drowning in anxiety and self-doubt. However, when her older neighbor Etta takes an interest in teaching her how to swim, things begin to turn around for Bree. Filled with vibrant illustrations and charming characters, this title tackles themes ranging from overcoming fear and forging friendships to grappling with classism and racism as the public school swim team competes with the private school team equipped with more resources to prepare for the season. The work presents an opportunity for readers to reflect on both typical childhood issues as well as the systemic issues the United States has faced for centuries such as the lack of access to pools and resources for Black athletes. Rich with images and references to Black culture, this text will serve as a mirror and window for readers. Bree, her father, and Etta are Black. VERDICT A fresh companion to Jerry Craft's New Kid, this graphic novel belongs on shelves in school and libraries everywhere.—Angie Jameson

School Library Journal

"Swim Team is a beautiful story about trying new things. Johnnie Christmas is a fantastic storyteller and artist."

Kazu Kibuishi

★ 2022-03-02
Leaving Brooklyn behind, Black math-whiz and puzzle lover Bree starts a new life in Florida, where she’ll be tossed into the deep end in more ways than one. Keeping her head above water may be the trickiest puzzle yet.

While her dad is busy working and training in IT, Bree struggles at first to settle into Enith Brigitha Middle School, largely due to the school’s preoccupation with swimming—from the accomplishments of its namesake, a Black Olympian from Curaçao, to its near victory at the state swimming championships. But Bree can’t swim. To illustrate her anxiety around this fact, the graphic novel’s bright colors give way to gray thought bubbles with thick, darkened outlines expressing Bree’s deepest fears and doubts. This poignant visual crowds some panels just as anxious feelings can crowd the thoughts of otherwise star students like Bree. Ultimately, learning to swim turns out to be easy enough with the help of a kind older neighbor—a Black woman with a competitive swimming past of her own as well as a rich and bittersweet understanding of Black Americans’ relationship with swimming—who explains to Bree how racist obstacles of the past can become collective anxiety in the present. To her surprise, Bree, with her newfound water skills, eventually finds herself on the school’s swim team, navigating competition, her anxiety, and new, meaningful relationships.

Problem-solving through perseverance and friendship is the real win in this deeply smart and inspiring story. (Graphic fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews