Book Info:
Sink or Swim by Veronica Agarwal and Lee Durfey-Lavoie
Genre: Middle Grade
Publishing Date: June 4, 2024
Synopsis:
Summer is here! School’s out, the pool is open, and new adventures with friends await! But what happens when twelve year old Ty’s anxiety has other plans? From the world of Just Roll With It comes a graphic novel about accepting yourself even when it’s a little scary.
Bouncing back from a broken arm should be no big deal—but when Ty spends a month off the swim team the thought of getting back in the water is suddenly not as fun as it used to be.
After weeks of ignoring his friends, Ty isn’t sure how to connect with them again in summer camp. They used to have swim team together but after so long without swimming he’s out of shape and afraid of failing in front of them. With his friendships fracturing, will Ty be able to gain confidence in himself and fix everything before it’s too late?
Book Links:
About Veronice:
Veronica Agarwal is a Cartoonist and Illustrator from NYC. She graduated from SVA in May 2016 with a BFA in Cartooning. She loves plants, summertime, dogs and her three cats! Her work focuses on mental health, coming of age stories, and friendship.
Veronica’s Links:
Website: https://www.wisbafolio.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anuanew
About Lee:
Lee Durfey-Lavoie is a proud college dropout who was able to find a career in writing. He’s available for freelance writing projects (prose or graphic novel), personal essays, or blog posts. He loves writing queer stories, stories about workers rights, and about all different types of fantasy.
His hobbies include role-playing games and spending time with his cats.
Lee’s Links:
Website: https://www.wisbafolio.com/lee
Tour Schedule:
Sink or Swim subject matter of anxiety and body shame was perfect for a graphic novel and the way this was portrayed through Ty in words and illustrations was so stunning it broke my heart.
I did like that other characters from the first book were included but for me the LGTBQ could of been handled a bit better maybe put into another stand alone as I don't think it done the subject any justice.
I also found the ending was lacklustre and the length a tad bit long.
For all the above reasons Sink or Swim receives 4 stars