Published by Kokila

Summary:  Nat has grown up in a very progressive household, always encouraged to stand up for herself and to see herself as beautiful.  Her mom doesn’t understand Nat’s love of fancy clothes and make-up, and when Nat sees the L.A. Mermaids perform a synchronized swimming routine, she knows her parents won’t get why she wants to become part of the team.  They do, in fact, deny her request to join, so Nat enlists her older cousin Sheila to help her sneak off to practices and competitions, hoping that when she’s good enough she’ll be able to reveal her secret and persuade her parents.  But soon she’s entangled in a web of lies, hurting Sheila, her best friend Joanne, and herself.  When Nat’s deceptions catch up with her, she and her mother are finally able to communicate about their differences and to find a compromise that works for both of them.  240 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  A fun introduction to synchronized swimming with a memorable narrator who is both confident and vulnerable about putting herself out there.  The Mermaids are a gutsy group of kids who defy the stereotypes of thin white girls participating in the sport and really make it their own.

Cons:  I can generally get behind a good social justice warrior, but Nat’s mom’s constant outspokenness to various family members about progressive causes started to wear on me after a while.