The Big Splash

Another cute, feel-good middle grade novel about friendship, welcoming new people and adjusting to change as the Vancouver Viper swim team has to learn how to work with a new coach and work together to raise funds in order to keep being able to pay for swim times. I really enjoy this Asian Canadian......more

Julia adores her swim team, the Vipers, so she and the rest of the team are devastated to learn that their beloved Coach Marissa will be leaving them for an unknown length of time due to a family emergency. Even worse, their replacement coach, Coach Nathan, is terrible! He's mean and dictatorial, no......more

While a sequel, I loved the way this tackles so many issues in such a simple way and walks the reader through how to work through the situations as a child. I really enjoyed how tight the story is while encompassing weird friendships, disliking adults, friend groups, economic issues and how they aff......more

The Big Splash is an easy middle grade chapter book about a community swim team. The young characters are easy to identify with, and when faced with problems, generally react with kindness toward each other. I found the plot a bit frustrating, as the problems all seemed to resolve themselves without......more

Part 2 in this series gives young readers more into Julia's life adapting to change in her swim practices and with friendships. She realizes she can be open, give new people and things a chance, namely a new coach and a swim team member. I really enjoy the meticulous black & white illustrations, par......more