I appreciate what the authors were trying to get at with this book, but I don’t love how it was done. I’m giving it four stars because I do genuinely believe there were nothing but good intentions while creating this book, but I have to take one star away for the bad delivery of the good message.

Sink or Swim is the perfect graphic novel for a middle school summer. The authors do an incredible job of tackling several issues that middle schoolers are facing today - anxiety, overcoming adversity, building resilience, and learning to foster a positive body image. I loved seeing the acceptance of the different ways kids could “nerd out” at summer camp. Lots of strong and positive messages about friendship and having a place in the LGBTQIA+ community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Loved the art and the setting! Was motivated to read this because of the first book in the series. While I didn't like the sequel as much as Roll with It, I thought it was an interesting read nonetheless.

Hi Again!

Happy Eclipse Day (for those who are watching/celebrating)! The rest of April and into May is going to be a crazy time for me, so I am trying to make time for reading as much as humanly possible. I have been trying to be strategic about reading this month so far and carving out time to read in all the formats. One of the books I have picked up so far is a new graphic novel called Sink or Swim (thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions). Sink or Swim is technically the second in a series (I have not read the first but I did often skim it when I worked at a library and now will definitely have to seek out a copy to try).

SPOILERS AHEAD

Ty broke his arm this school year, which is tough because he loves swimming and he can not exactly swim with a cast on his arm. He was on the swim team at school and the captain of the team but he can not swim with his cast so he has to sit out the rest of the season. Now he is kind of isolating himself and feels incredibly awful about what’s happened with his body since he has not been able to swim/workout. He has refused to hang out with friends but now summer is here. Ty goes to summer camp every year with his friends but he is super nervous about going especially because he and his best friend always do this swimming competition and with his cast newly off he has not yet gotten back in the water. Once Ty arrives at camp his friend seems to be acting coldly towards him and he knows it’s cause he has been avoiding and not answering him, while his other friend (his best friend’s twin) is trying to chat with Ty and get him to open back up. As Ty goes through his days at camp he continues to struggle with his body image, swimming, and friendship. But maybe he can find a way to keep his head above water.

I really loved this graphic novel. The colors and illustrations popped off the pages and the story was very very good. I do not want to give too much away but watching Ty go through everything you just want to reach out and hug him and say it’s going to be okay. Luckily in the actual story, there are so many people that are there for Ty in so many different ways. I will definitely be seeking out a finished copy of this graphic novel and highly recommend giving it a try when it hits shelves on June 4th, 2024.

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

***Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you Random House Children's, Random House Graphic, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This was an enjoyable read with cute illustrations and important messages about friendship, overcoming adversity, and huge emphasis on mental health. This is a great fit for the middle grade (grades 5-8).

I love how the author and illustrator showed one of their stories in Just Roll With It, and the other in Sink or Swim. There's a level of love and care that you can feel through both stories, and the art style is just so warm and friendly.

This book deals with some heavy topics in ways that feel accessible to younger readers. I love the visuals of water splashing over the panels, taking over Ty until someone or something grabs him and pull him out, and enjoyed seeing him grow throughout the story.

I think books like these are so important to letting readers know they aren't alone in feeling any of these ways, and I can't wait to add this one to my classroom library.

The book contains negative self talk, disordered eating, anxiety, and some internalized homophobia, so take care of yourself when reading.

So many students are going to relate to Ty's anxiety and body image issues. They will love that Sink or Swim is a graphic novel and so many who have read Just Roll With It ask for another book like it. Now I'll have something to hand them!

Ty had to sit out of swim season due to a broken arm. His body has changed, his confidence has weakened, and his friendships aren't the same. Can some time at summer camp with his former best friend heal what's bothering him?

Sink or Swim is a graphic novel that tried to do too much. Parts of it worked really well--the depiction of Ty's anxiety and the feeling of drowning was particularly impactful. Other parts didn't seem to be as well thought out. I didn't truly believe that Ty was struggling with his sexual orientation--it seemed like that was added on at the end. The incorporation of body image was well done, especially the counselor not really having specific advice. I think that is true to what a lot of adults would feel. The art style wasn't my favorite.

I received an ARC from Random House Children’s via NetGalley. This realistic juvenile graphic novel is great for fans of the first book Just Roll with It, but also reads just fine independently. Ty is recovering from a recent injury and is high anxiety about his appearance since he hasn’t been as active during his recovery period. Ty is at summer camp and having trouble focusing on friendships and activities. Overall, a well developed story of adjusting to change and opening up about emotions. It’s nice seeing so many middle grade graphic novels about working through mental health concerns.

Middle grade graphic novels are some of my favorite books to read, and I'm always on the lookout for upcoming releases that will be good recs for the kids at my library. Sink or Swim will absolutely be one that I'll be recommending to kids looking for a book that explores mental health, body image, friendship dynamics, and features a diverse cast of characters.
We get to follow our main character, Ty, as he navigates coming back from breaking his arm and how that impacted not only his passion for swimming, but also his body image and his friendship with his best friends. Ty's struggle with anxiety and the pressure he puts on himself are things I think middle school readers will relate to, and this book navigated hard topics in such a tender and thoughtful way. I honestly wish younger me would have had this book. I cried, I laughed, I cheered. Sink or Swim was so amazing and truly navigated body image, anxiety, sexuality, and friendship in a way that I wish even more books would. I'll be recommending this to anyone who listens.
Also, side-note, but I WISH I got to go to a summer camp as cool as the one in this book.

A middle-of-the-road summer camp graphic. I love a good camp story, but this one didn't do anything special for me, and I didn't find that it contributed anything particularly original to the conversation on anxiety. Sure to be gobbled up by readers, though, especially given the success of Just Roll With It. All major characters lgbt. Ages 10-12. 2.5 stars.

3.5 Rating this on the higher star side of things because it has more going on than some of the one-issue narratives that have become a staple of some middlegrade graphic novel releases. It addresses body shame and self-hatred among boys, as well as friend break-ups and drama among boys—boys experience this stuff, too, and there’s still not a lot of representation of that in middlegrade books. Finding new facets of oneself when one was previously boiled down to a star athlete and nothing else—as Ty does when he finds himself enjoying hanging with new friends into tabletop gaming after he breaks his arm, misses a sports season, and doubts he’ll ever be good at sports again—is here, too. Loneliness is also, though, and anxiety, and reconciliation.

But (spoiler)


I was disappointed when out of nearly nowhere in the last few pages Ty & Max’s friendship breakup also apparently has to do with Max’s crush on Ty, and Ty reciprocating it. I’m getting weary of seeing random sudden queerness introduced into middlegrade books with nearly no nuance or true build-up. There’s a girl-girl couple with character and romance in the book from almost the start—yay!—but this boy-boy attraction is mostly out of left field, and honestly kind of dilutes the depiction of their friendship breakup—like THIS was what it was really about, not poor communication and mindreading and no longer swimming together competitively and Max being afraid to share how much his new body is affecting his security and sense of self. I’m cranky about “throw a nonbinary kid in it” feeling like Portlandia’s “put a bird on it” sketch for middlegrade publishing right now. Neither Ty nor Max are nonbinary, but it felt of a piece with poorly-executed “nonbinary kid drops” into other books. ***I want to make it clear that there are plenty of great middlegrade books with nonbinary and gay representation***. I just thought it wasn’t done well here.

*Sink or Swim* is a strong middlegrade read even so. Thanks due to #netgalley for access to the digital ARC.

(Review posted to goodreads)

okay so there's Ty, who used to the swimming team captain. but he broke his arm and was on cast for months, thus he lack of practice and is very conscious about his out-of shape body. his mind keep thinking that he can't swim anymore, with a body like that. not only he has to face his insecurity, he also needed to mend things between him and one of his best friend, Max, who got pissed that Ty kept pushing and ignoring his friends. it was a lot of misunderstanding and pricked ego.

I felt that this book is too long. and Max's mood swing was tiringgg. one panel he's all pouting, next panel he'd smile slightly, and on the next panel he's pouting again. also... this is a middle grade book, the crush and kissing part were really unnecessary pls. it could be just about beautiful friendship... so. 2,5 stars.

Sink or Swim has so many lovely and meaningful conversations about hard topics. I really appreciated how each topic was handled by friends and, or camp counselors.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's through NetGalley.
Agarwal brings readers in to meet characters after major events have happened. Ty gets his arm cast off at the start and readers learn he has not only lost a season of swim meets but has ghosted his friends while he was healing. They all attend summer camp together and the conflicts come with them. Ty struggles to talk with Max but is better able to connect with Max's twin, Heather. Ty also makes new friends and this adds to the tension. The imagery used to show how much Ty is struggling directly connects to his fear of swimming again. Readers see the waters rise and are encouraged when he fights back. Sharp readers will notice water on every page spread.
The characters are complex and dealing with more than one issue as happens in reality. Ty is struggling to rebuild strength, afraid to try and battling self image issues with his weight. I questioned the pale whiteness of his created self but it may have been to distinguish the two. This inner voice was vicious as happens when people spiral. We also see Max and Heather wrestle with their own issues. Again, I appreciate the reminder that no one's life is perfect. I had a concern with the camp counselors attempting to help, but they did seek other sources for support and did encourage Ty to get further help. There are LGBTQ+ relationships woven through with major hints that this may be another area where Ty and Max suffer from anxiety until the ending.
The artwork is detailed and offers further information about the story. The characters are well rounded with emphasis on specific areas. Middle grade readers will identify with the various issues shared.

Ty was the swim team captain, it was who he was. But when he breaks his arm, he is out for the season. When he finally gets his cast off, his family and friends are excited for him to return to the water. But Ty isn't so sure - he has gained weight and is out of practice. He has massive anxiety about getting in the water, and having people see his larger body. Ty tries to handle it on his own, but he pushes his friends away. When he is sent to summer camp, with one big aspect being swimming, will he get over his nerves, or will he need help facing his fears?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this graphic novel.

Readers will love the illustrations, and the presentation of this story. The anxiety about returning to a sport after injury, body image, and friend are well represented, and many kids will be able to relate.

My heart 😭 I cried. This book is so adorable and perfect for middle school. It's about Max who was the swim team captain But he broke his arm and missed a season. When he gets cast off he starts to talk to his best friends again but then realizes that maybe they don't like him anymore because he doesn't know if he can swim so he ignores them. But then they have summer camp and there's this big swim competition and Max tells his friends that he's going to do it but is so scared to do it. His body has changed since he wasn't able to really exercise as much with his cast and he's really insecure about himself and his friendships and his future. This book is so heartwarming. It is really an excellent portrayal of the ups and downs of emotions in relationships at that age.

Loved that we got discussions about body image, eating disorders (not clinical but more in terms of eating is neutral), queerness, friendships, crushes, teamwork, hobbies

Genuinely adorable. Highly recommend.

Oh, Max. Sweet Max who is dealing with so much as he recovers from the changes he went through while he had a broken arm and wasn’t part of the swim team. Now he finds himself at camp where he can’t figure out how to get back to normal while he drowns in anxiety.

I really loved Sink or Swim. It had various themes like friendship evolving, being queer, and being disappointed in your body. I loved the imagery of being underwater when the main character felt overwhelmed. I loved the camp setting as well.