Apenas a flote / Barely Floating

Lilliam Rivera, autora de La educación de Margot Sánchez, nos regala la deslumbrante historia de Nat, una chica de doce años que cambia todos sus enfados por un sueño: la natación sincronizada.

Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, Nat para sus familiares y amigos, tiene doce años y un exitoso negocio en la piscina pública de Boyle Heights, donde desafía a los niños del vecindario que dudan de su destreza. Sus planes de verano consisten en ganar dinero fácil y leer manga con su mejor amiga, Joanne. Pero todo cambia cuando ve a Las Sirenas de L.A. en acción.

Apenas a flote explora lo que significa brillar en tu propia piel, apoyarte en tu comunidad y seguir flotando, aunque las aguas de la vida se pongan turbulentas.

«El debut juvenil de Rivera, lleno de capas y destellos, recuerda a Dumplin’ (2015) de Julie Murphy con Starfish (2021) de Lisa Fipps… Exhiban esta novela empoderadora junto al clásico Million Dollar Mermaid de Esther Williams».
—Booklist, reseña destacada

«Rivera aporta una frescura notable a una historia juvenil tradicional, con una prosa fluida que captura con naturalidad las emociones complejas y a menudo contradictorias de la preadolescencia, especialmente cuando se enfrentan microagresiones por ser gorda, morena, latina y no rica».
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, reseña destacada

«Con una prosa directa y que provoca carcajadas, Rivera construye una interpretación conmovedora y orgullosamente positiva del deseo de una preadolescente de romper los moldes».
—Publishers Weekly, reseña destacada

«Una historia de crecimiento con enfoque body positive que está destinada a causar sensación».
—Kirkus Reviews


ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

A dazzling story full of heart about how one twelve-year-old channels her rage into synchronized swimming dreams, from the author of The Education of Margot Sanchez and Never Look Back, Lilliam Rivera

Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Boyle Heights pool when her life changed. The L.A. Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.

The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks—on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Sometimes, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she could be both.

Barely Floating explores what it means to sparkle in your skin, build community with those who lift you up, and keep floating when waters get rough.

“Rivera’s layered, sparkling middle-grade debut is Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ (2015) by way of Lisa Fipps’ Starfish (2021). . . . Display this empowering novel with Esther Williams’ classic Million Dollar Mermaid.”
—Booklist, starred review

"Rivera brings a freshness to a conventional middle-grade story with flowing prose that effortlessly captures the complicated and often conflicting emotions of being a tween, especially one who has to face microaggressions for being fat, brown, Latina, and not rich."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

“In laugh-out-loud, blunt prose, Rivera cultivates a touching and unapologetically positive interpretation of one tween’s desire to break the mold.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A body-positive story of growing up that’s sure to make a splash"
—Kirkus Reviews