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Award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang dives in to the deep end of sportsmanship, prejudice, and the power of friendship in this funny, heartfelt story about two very different girls and one shared passion: swimming.
Esme Sun absolutely does not care about winning shiny trophies or finally receiving some of the praise her mother bestows so lavishly on her three older, brilliant sisters. But, actually... it would be nice to be good at something. So when Esme discovers on the first day of summer, opening day at the community pool, that her growth spurt over the winter has made her a really fast swimmer, she wonders if she just might have found that thing.
After Esme has an uncomfortable encounter at the pool with a new girl, Kaya, Esme worries she may have hurt Kaya's feelings. Then, embarrassed by Esme's awkwardness, her friend Tegan, the cool girl at school who seems to do everything perfectly, makes Esme promise that from now on, she'll be chill, not act so babyish and intense about things--especially not swim team.
But when their swim competitions begin, and Esme starts winning, she finds that she actually cares a lot. In fact, she wants to break the pool's freestyle record. That doesn't mesh so well with her promise to Tegan. And as Esme tries to navigate swimming and her friendships, she searches for a way to apologize and make things right with Kaya.
Esme's mom's focus on winning confuses her, though, and she begins to wonder: Is winning really as important as she thinks, even if it means being unkind to your friends and teammates? Or is there another way to compete, to be a good sport and a good friend?
Wendy Wan-Long Shang, the award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu and The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, dives in to the deep end of sportsmanship, prejudice, and the power of friendship in this funny, sweet, and wonderfully moving story.
Praise for Bubble Trouble:
"Shang has developed a feast for the senses; anyone with a sweet tooth will rejoice at Chloe and Henry's blossoming romance alongside abundant confectionary descriptions." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Secret Battle of Evan Pao:
* "[A] well-paced and nuanced story." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Shang's storytelling sensitively moves readers to be mindful of making assumptions and to consider ways to achieve meaningful reconciliation. Full of thoughtful prose and dialogue, Shang's timely story is full of realistic portrayals and powerful messages." -- Booklist, starred review
Praise for Not Your All-American Girl, cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg:
A Tablet Magazine Best Book of the Year
"A nearly pitch-perfect middle school exploration of race and friendship." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Lauren's story is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of a girl who struggles to find her place in a community where very few people look like her... this is a funny, tender, quick-moving story of family, friendship, identity, and music." -- School Library Journal
"While focusing on serious themes (racism and prejudice), the overall tone remains light, and several scenes (including Lauren's disastrous attempt to lighten her black hair, resulting in orange stripes) will elicit laughter." -- Booklist
Praise for This Is Just a Test, cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg:
2017 Sydney Taylor Award -- Honor Book
CBC Book of the Year Finalist
2017 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers
New York Historical Society's Children's History Book Prize Finalist
2018 Young Adult Virginia Author Award Finalist
"For a book about the possible end of the world, Rosenberg and Shang keep the tone surprisingly light. . . . The dialogue is snappy and the plot fast-paced." -- The New York Times Book Review
* "It's refreshing to meet a male protagonist who, like Tara in Paula Freedman's My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, is struggling with how to be authentically Jewish in a bicultural family. . . . Giggle-inducing, light, and charm
Esme Sun absolutely does not care about winning shiny trophies or finally receiving some of the praise her mother bestows so lavishly on her three older, brilliant sisters. But, actually... it would be nice to be good at something. So when Esme discovers on the first day of summer, opening day at the community pool, that her growth spurt over the winter has made her a really fast swimmer, she wonders if she just might have found that thing.
After Esme has an uncomfortable encounter at the pool with a new girl, Kaya, Esme worries she may have hurt Kaya's feelings. Then, embarrassed by Esme's awkwardness, her friend Tegan, the cool girl at school who seems to do everything perfectly, makes Esme promise that from now on, she'll be chill, not act so babyish and intense about things--especially not swim team.
But when their swim competitions begin, and Esme starts winning, she finds that she actually cares a lot. In fact, she wants to break the pool's freestyle record. That doesn't mesh so well with her promise to Tegan. And as Esme tries to navigate swimming and her friendships, she searches for a way to apologize and make things right with Kaya.
Esme's mom's focus on winning confuses her, though, and she begins to wonder: Is winning really as important as she thinks, even if it means being unkind to your friends and teammates? Or is there another way to compete, to be a good sport and a good friend?
Wendy Wan-Long Shang, the award-winning author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu and The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, dives in to the deep end of sportsmanship, prejudice, and the power of friendship in this funny, sweet, and wonderfully moving story.
Praise for Bubble Trouble:
"Shang has developed a feast for the senses; anyone with a sweet tooth will rejoice at Chloe and Henry's blossoming romance alongside abundant confectionary descriptions." -- Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Secret Battle of Evan Pao:
* "[A] well-paced and nuanced story." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Shang's storytelling sensitively moves readers to be mindful of making assumptions and to consider ways to achieve meaningful reconciliation. Full of thoughtful prose and dialogue, Shang's timely story is full of realistic portrayals and powerful messages." -- Booklist, starred review
Praise for Not Your All-American Girl, cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg:
A Tablet Magazine Best Book of the Year
"A nearly pitch-perfect middle school exploration of race and friendship." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Lauren's story is a sensitive and realistic portrayal of a girl who struggles to find her place in a community where very few people look like her... this is a funny, tender, quick-moving story of family, friendship, identity, and music." -- School Library Journal
"While focusing on serious themes (racism and prejudice), the overall tone remains light, and several scenes (including Lauren's disastrous attempt to lighten her black hair, resulting in orange stripes) will elicit laughter." -- Booklist
Praise for This Is Just a Test, cowritten with Madelyn Rosenberg:
2017 Sydney Taylor Award -- Honor Book
CBC Book of the Year Finalist
2017 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers
New York Historical Society's Children's History Book Prize Finalist
2018 Young Adult Virginia Author Award Finalist
"For a book about the possible end of the world, Rosenberg and Shang keep the tone surprisingly light. . . . The dialogue is snappy and the plot fast-paced." -- The New York Times Book Review
* "It's refreshing to meet a male protagonist who, like Tara in Paula Freedman's My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, is struggling with how to be authentically Jewish in a bicultural family. . . . Giggle-inducing, light, and charm