Breathe and Count Back from Ten
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4.2 • 5 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A Pura Belpré Honor Book * A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens
In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.
Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body.
Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor.
She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.
Disability Representation: A heartfelt journey of a teen with hip dysplasia who finds freedom and strength in the water, the one place she feels truly safe in her own body.First Love: A sweet romance with the new neighbor, Alex, who might be the one person she doesn’t have to hide her scars—or her dreams—from.Peruvian-American Heroine: Verónica navigates the expectations of her conservative Peruvian parents while carving out her own identity as a first-generation American teen.YA Coming of Age: It’s the summer before senior year, and Verónica is ready to seize control of her life, from auditioning for Mermaid Cove to discovering her own strength.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Peruvian American teenager Verónica feels most at peace when she's swimming—where the pain caused by her hip dysplasia fades and she doesn't have to deal with other people's perceptions of her body. When she meets kind Mexican American Alex, who sees a therapist and takes medication for his depression, she must maneuver her growing feelings for him alongside her overprotective immigrant parents' disapproval. They have been distrustful of her ever since they misconstrued a private moment with a boy, consequently shaming Verónica for acting on her desires. They also don't approve of her "childish" dream to be an aquatic performer at a local Florida tourist attraction, Mermaid Cove, fearing that the role's physicality is too much for her. But when further health complications and increasingly tense interactions with her parents embolden Verónica to take control of her own life and body, she eagerly auditions for and receives a role at Mermaid Cove. With attentiveness rooted in the author's lived experience, Sylvester seamlessly explores bodily autonomy and familial expectations through a perceptive protagonist, sharp narration, and complex relationships. Verónica's progress toward overcoming the boundaries created by family, friends, and society alike is powerful and engrossing. Ages 13–up.
