Unable to walk because of his cerebral palsy, 16-year-old Ryan is resigned to living in his wheelchair cept when he's in the water. "I seriously love being in the water," he tells readers in his first-person story, explaining that when he's in the pool, gravity is no longer his enemy and he can move around "like anyone else." As a result, he has become a talented swimmer and is a member of his high-school team. His skill in the water becomes imperative when he rescues Jack, a classmate, from drowning, and in the process learns two unwanted secrets: Jack was attempting suicide and he's gay. Ryan, who is straight, keeps Jack's secrets while the two boys begin a cautious friendship. Jack becomes increasingly determined to come out, though he's terrified at what his religious, single-parent mother might think. Concerned, Ryan wants to help, but what can he do? Shaw has written a compassionate, well-crafted story about two boys dealing bravely with challenges and finding support in friendship.

A white boy with cerebral palsy feels responsible for the gay classmate he saves from drowning.When 17-year-old Ryan swims, his wheelchair doesn't matter. So when he sees a skirted figure jump into the river, he dives to the rescue. To his shock, the figure is Jack, a white boy. Jack, terrified of coming out to his "über-religious" mother, charges Ryan with keeping his suicide attempt a secret. Overwhelmed, Ryan agrees, reluctantly becoming Jack's confidant. Their entire relationship consists of Jack's neediness and Ryan's pity, and this patronizing dynamic insults everyone concerned. Seen only through Ryan's perspective, Jack is little more than a constant source of exhaustion and anxiety. Nevertheless, Ryan invites Jack to attend Comic Con with him and his white, "pretty much homophobic, relatively racist" best friend, Cody. Though Jack finds acceptance in Comic Con's open-minded atmosphere, he quickly reverts to an object of pity. Shaw (The Color of Silence, 2013, etc.) compares Ryan's disability and Jack's sexuality to show their struggles in a small town, but Ryan misses a glaring parallel: he's no more Jack's friend than the "forced helpers" assigned to him in school were his. Ryan is understandably out of his depth, but his martyrdom is also unfair to Jack, who clearly needs mentoring and an honest friendship.There are far more nuanced portrayals of gay teens out there—this one can be left on the shelf. (Fiction. 13-18)

Gr 8 Up-A standard problem novel discussing small-town life as a gay teen. Ryan is thrust into the position of hero when he saves a classmate from drowning in the local river. A member of the school's swim team, Ryan enjoys the freedom swimming gives him away from his wheelchair. Jack, the person Ryan rescued, was escaping to the water for a different reason: he is afraid the small-town community he lives in would not accept him once they knew that he is gay. Everyone calls Jack's near-drowning an accident, and Ryan continues to keep Jack's secret for him while realizing how difficult it is to be someone's rescuer. This story is told entirely from Ryan's perspective, and he forms a relationship seemingly out of obligation as the one who rescued Jack. They never truly develop a friendship, as Jack doesn't seem any more interested in spending time with Ryan than Ryan does with Jack. The difficulties of living as a queer person in a small town are not truly explored, either, and Jack's second unsuccessful suicide attempt near the conclusion of this book makes it difficult to recommend to LGBTQ teens. The overall story has the feel of an after-school special without the hopeful ending; Jack does survive, but he does not thrive. VERDICT A strictly additional purchase for large libraries. Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI