
Aniana Del Mar Jumps in
Penguin Young Readers Group · Hardcover · March 14, 2023
Pura Belpré Author Honor Award ** Four starred reviews!** A powerful and expertly told novel in verse, by an award-winning poet, about a twelve-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A verse novel brings swimming, chronic illness, and family tension into close, heartfelt focus.
- Themes
- Chronic illness and disability, Mother-daughter secrets, Bodily agency
- Genres
- Special Needs, Water Sports, Illness & Injury
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
Red Bird DancedDawn Quigley54% match
The Incredibly Human Henson BlayzeDerrick Barnes52% match
The Beautiful GameYamile Saied Méndez56% match
Will on the InsideAndrew Eliopulos57% matchShares Illness & Injury
El NiñoPam Muñoz Ryan63% matchShares Water Sports
The Poetry of Car MechanicsHeidi E. Y. Stemple57% match
LolaKarla Arenas Valenti54% match
Rain RisingCourtne Comrie59% match
For older readers: The Story of My Anger, An Impossible Thing to Say, Light Enough to Float
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
Pura Belpré Author Honor Award ** Four starred reviews!** A powerful and expertly told novel in verse, by an award-winning poet, about a twelve-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago.
Continue reading
That is, until the day Ani’s stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water, but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming, along with medication, will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. Aniana del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most—and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat. "Beautiful in its honesty and vulnerability, this is a powerful story about dreams and bodily agency that sings from the heart.”—Natalia Sylvester, award-winning author of Breathe and Count Back From Ten
Finding Her Stroke
A verse novel brings swimming, chronic illness, and family tension into close, heartfelt focus.
Come here for
- A young swimmer’s changing relationship with her body
- Mother-daughter secrets and the pull of the water
Expect
- Poetic, accessible storytelling
- Small triumphs alongside grief and uncertainty
Where it sits
| Water Sports | 71% |
|---|---|
| Special Needs | 61% |
| Illness & Injury | 50% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- US: Hispanic & Latino Stories
- Illness & Injury
- Water Sports
- Authors
- Jasminne Mendez
- Publisher
- Penguin Young Readers Group
- Published
- March 14, 2023
- Format
- Hardcover
- Theme
- Chronic illness and disability · Mother-daughter secrets · Bodily agency
- Reading lane
- US: Hispanic & Latino Stories