Deep Water - Hardcover

Sumner, Jamie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1665935065 ISBN 13: 9781665935067

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024

Synopsis

“Readers will feel every wave of Tully’s emotions as she risks everything to try to get her mom’s attention. A powerful novel in verse.” ―Lisa Fipps, author of Printz Honor book Starfish

A middle grade novel in verse that “packs a powerful punch” (Kirkus Reviews) from acclaimed author Jamie Sumner that spans one girl’s marathon swim over twelve miles and six hours, calling her mom back home with every stroke.

Six hours.
One marathon swim.

That’s all Tully Birch needs to get her life straightened out. With the help of her best friend, Arch, Tully braves the waters of Lake Tahoe to break the record for the youngest person ever to complete the famous “Godfather swim.” She wants to achieve something no one in the world has done, because if she does, maybe, just maybe, her mom will come back.

The swim starts off well―heart steady, body loose, Arch in charge of snacks as needed. But for Tully, all that time alone with her thoughts allows memories to surface. And in the silence of deep waters, sadness can sink you. When the swim turns dangerous, Tully fights for her survival. Does she keep going and risk her own safety and Arch’s? Or does she quit to save them both, even if it means giving up hope that her mother will return?

About this title

About the Author

Jamie Sumner is the author of Roll with It, Time to Roll, Rolling On, Tune It Out, One Kid’s Trash, The Summer of June, Maid for It, Deep Water, Please Pay Attention, and Schooled. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She is also the mother of a son with cerebral palsy and has written extensively about parenting a child with special needs. She and her family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her at Jamie-Sumner.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

How It Starts

How It Starts

Air temp: 44 degrees.

Water temp: 68 degrees.

Body temp: 98.3 degrees.

Mental state of swimmer: Calm. Loose. Ready.

Mental state of support crew: Unknown and highly variable.

Arch looks like he’s going to puke—

hands on knees,

head down like a dog,

orange life vest bunched around his ears.

Poor Arch.

He wasn’t meant for the open water.

He’s a worrier.

You can’t be a worrier and a swimmer.

The water demands trust.

Whatever conditions…

Whatever’s below…

Whatever your head tells you…

You have to believe you’re going to make it

to the other side.

The minute you start to doubt yourself,

you make mistakes.

The water doesn’t forgive mistakes.

Me?

I’m a believer

in the power of the water

and in myself.

I don’t make mistakes.

While we’re still on shore,

Arch adjusts his life vest and breathes in through his nose.

I check his watch.

“5:58 a.m. You’ve got two minutes to get it together,” I say,

and look out over the dark blue of Lake Tahoe,

which is just beginning to twitch awake.

“Tully, I can’t,” Arch says, like he has a choice.

“You have to.

You swore it.”

I don’t remind him when or why he swore it.

He picks up the kayak,

drags it to the water’s edge.

He remembers.

Behind me, Cave Rock would cast a shadow

if the sun were high enough.

They call her Lady of the Lake.

If you squint hard enough,

the rock looks like a woman.

I think it’s a stretch.

If you try hard enough,

anything can look like anything.

Unless it disappears,

and then all the imagining in the world

won’t turn it into what you want,

which brings me back to today.

“One minute,” Arch whispers,

and swipes his dark hair out of his eyes.

We look out over the water.

I nudge his shoulder.

“You can do it.”

He nudges me back.

“That’s what I’m supposed to say to you.”

This will be the last time we touch for at least six hours—

if I do this right,

which I will,

because I do not make mistakes.

I pull my goggles down and step in.

Lady of the Lake, wish me luck.

Not that I believe in luck.

Or second chances.

But I believe in the power of the water

to do what it needs to do

for me,

for Mom.

“Call it,” I say to Arch,

who swallows,

lifts up his phone,

presses record.

“Time is 6:00 a.m.

Participant has left the natural shore.”

His voice breaks on shore,

but he keeps going:

“The marathon swim has begun.”

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1665935065
• ISBN 13: 9781665935067
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224