SWIMMING INTO TROUBLE

Will an earache derail Julia’s swimming plans?

Several years ago, Julia’s Korean immigrant parents enrolled her in swimming lessons at the Mountain View Community Centre. It’s right next door to their sushi restaurant, and it’s cheaper than an afterschool program. Nine-year-old Julia’s now the youngest member of the Vipers junior swim team. But one day, while she and her teammates are diving for a swim brick at the deep end, Julia is forced to cut every dive short because of a sharp pain in her ear. The next day, her coach catches on and notifies her family. At the doctor’s office, she learns she has an ear infection that requires medicine. As a precaution, her mother forbids her from swimming for the next 10 days. Julia is disappointed, especially since it means she’ll miss Personal Best Day, when she could qualify for a regional meet. Her doctor’s advice is to keep her ear dry if she goes in the water, so Julia hatches an idea that will allow her to swim—one that unfortunately makes things even worse. After some community problem-solving, Julia still doesn’t know what to do about Personal Best Day, but she comes up with a satisfying solution. Impetuous but thoughtful, Julia’s a spunky protagonist whom readers will root for. Kim’s spot art breaks up the text, heightening the humor and the chaos of the story’s climax.

As charming as its young hero.