Sometimes you must risk everything to find out who matters.Tully has her mother's nose and auburn hair-and even her mother's maiden name as her given name. Tully is also athletic and competitive like her mother. She's been swimming competitively since she was 6, and now, at 12, she's encouraged by her mother to be the youngest person ever to swim across Lake Tahoe. But then Mom stops taking her meds, begins exercising obsessively, and suddenly leaves without saying goodbye. Seeing Dad "swallowed up / in the glow of his computer screen," Tully decides that if she succeeds in swimming across Lake Tahoe, her mother will come back, "Because I am a winner / and I can do HARD THINGS." Tully trains in secret, and early one July morning, she sets out across the lake with her best friend, Arch, kayaking alongside her. Laid out in parts titled "Hour One," "Hour Two," and so on, this accessible but sometimes overly obvious story pulls readers into the heart of a grueling 12.1-mile swim. As Tully struggles mentally with the confusion and guilt brought on by her mother's departure and she thrashes her way across a suddenly stormy lake while Arch yells at her to quit, she comes to an honest assessment of herself-and her mother. The varied and creative layout of the text adds an interesting component to the free-verse, present-tense narrative, told from Tully's first-person point of view. Characters read white.Packs a powerful punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)

Twelve-year-old Tully Birch attempts to set a record as the youngest swimmer to complete the Godfather swim, a 12.1-mile trek across Lake Tahoe, in this carefully crafted verse novel by Sumner (Maid for It). Though the endeavor was originally Tully’s mother’s idea, she abandons the family months before the planned swim. Tully hopes Mom will return to celebrate once Tully completes her clandestine swim, which her best friend Arch Novak plans to post online. Arch also serves as navigator, kayaking beside Tully to pace, monitor, and encourage her, as well as intercept increasingly worried texts from both their parents. If all goes as planned, the duo will be safely across the lake by lunchtime. But a lot can happen during a six-hour expedition. Sumner compassionately examines the effects that living with a parent managing mental health challenges can have on a child (“The mind is the biggest/ danger of all./ My mother taught me that”). The spare text deftly mirrors the push-and-pull rhythm of a swimmer in open water, while lengthier poems emphasize memories and harsh realities. Tully and Arch cue as white. Ages 10–up. (Apr.)

Gr 3–7— Twelve-year-old Tully is set to make history as the youngest person to swim the challenging 12-mile "Godfather Swim" in Lake Tahoe. But her motivation isn't just about the athletic feat. She's hoping this achievement will catch her depressed mother's attention, coaxing her to return home after leaving the family. Tully's been training in secret, hidden from her father with the support of her best friend, Arch. Now, poised for the swim, the question looms: Will she complete it or will fate intervene? Told through verse, this quick read captures the emotional turmoil of a young girl grappling with her mother's abandonment. As Tully pushes ahead in the water, she reflects on the past, trying to understand what might have driven her mother away. Each mile not only propels the race forward but delves deeper into Tully's life story, drawing readers into her struggles and emotions. VERDICT A wonderful read that will resonate with athletes, those navigating family challenges, and even reluctant readers; a strong addition to all middle grade library collections.— Kate Rao