Publisher Description
From the beloved author of Posted comes a powerful, poignant, and unexpected coming-of-age story about the rules in life that box us in—and the determination it takes to break out.
From the moment Kassandra Conner leaps from the diving board to the moment she hits the water, everything feels in control.
The rest of her life does not.
St. Lawrence Academy is supposed to have everything Kass's old school didn’t: safe hallways, small classes, and, most important, a chance to dive. But since transferring, all Kass can think about is what’s missing. Like her best friend, Aleah, who’s starting to pull away. Or the comfortable life so many of her classmates enjoy while Kass’s family’s restaurant struggles to stay afloat. Even the excitement she always felt in the pool, now that she’s on the same team as Amber Moore—the best diver in the state, who’s barely said two words to her all year.
Kass feels like she’s drowning, until she meets a boy named Miles. He’s a diver, too—someone who searches through dumpsters in the posh side of town for things he can salvage or sell. Miles knows what it’s like to be boxed in by things you can’t control, and as Kass spends more and more time with him, she starts to wonder what would happen if she tried to break out of her own box—and what she might lose by doing so.
Unlikely Friendship: She's a private school diver trying to stay afloat; he's a townie who scavenges for a living. When Kass meets Miles, she finds a connection she never expected and a challenge to see the world differently.Competitive Diving: On the board, Kass is powerful and in control. But to be the best, she'll have to face down her rival, Amber Moore, and the self-doubt that threatens to hold her back.Family Struggles: While her classmates enjoy comfortable lives, Kass's parents' restaurant is barely surviving, adding a weight to her shoulders that has nothing to do with school or sports.Finding Your Voice: Trapped between who she is and who everyone expects her to be, Kass must decide if breaking out of her own box is worth the risk of losing everything she's ever known.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Because of her diving skills, 13-year-old Kassandra Conner's restaurant-owning parents transfer her to St. Lawrence, a private Catholic academy that, despite the financial strain, they believe will afford Kass better opportunities than her former public school. Now Kass struggles to manage academic, athletic, and parental pressure alongside feelings of loneliness. Then she meets Miles, a 17-year-old who has dropped out of high school. He teaches her about the joys of dumpster diving, and as their friendship develops, Kass begins stepping out of her comfort zone and contending with new emotions brought about by Miles's attention ("When he talked to her, she felt something... awkward and uneasy and exciting"). Simultaneously, she unexpectedly befriends her diving rival Amber, who's dealing with her own challenges. In this heartfelt, emotionally complex story, Anderson (Keep It Like a Secret) expertly depicts Kass's desire to break free from overwhelming expectations both internal and external. An underlying current of hope balances the novel's profound depictions of the protagonist's need for connection, understanding, and acceptance. The main characters read as white. Ages 8–12.
