{"product_id":"aniana-del-mar-jumps-in-isbn-9780593531815","title":"Aniana del Mar Jumps In","description":"\u003cb\u003ePura Belpré Author Honor Award\u003cbr\u003e** Four starred reviews!**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA powerful and expertly told novel in verse, by an award-winning poet, about a twelve-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Ani’s stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water, but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming, along with medication, will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. \u003ci\u003eAniana del Mar Jumps In\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most—and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Beautiful in its honesty and vulnerability, this is a powerful story about dreams and bodily agency that sings from the heart.”—Natalia Sylvester, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eBreathe and Count Back From Ten\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003ePura Belpré Author Honor Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNew York Public Library Best Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChicago Public Library Best Book of the Year \u003cbr\u003eNCTE Notable Poetry Book and Verse Novel Selection\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003eALSC 2024 Notable Children’s Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUSBBY 2023 Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities\u003c\/b\u003e!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “Ani’s aching, determined verse narration weaves English and Spanish words into striking imagery as she navigates tumultuous emotions and her loving but stifling relationship with Mami. Mendez, also disabled and Dominican American, explores post-traumatic stress and its effects with both compassion and honesty, respecting Mami’s trauma without diminishing the pain her overprotectiveness causes Ani. Religious belief is similarly represented with nuance. . . . A painful yet hopeful exploration of family, trauma, faith, and healing.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★ “Via myriad poetic forms and sensorial verse, Mendez viscerally details the emotional family tumult of grief, mistrust, and resentment alongside Ani’s heartfelt quest to reunite with water.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★ “The nuanced depiction of disability, intergenerational conflict, and family trauma make this a must-have for all middle grade shelves.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e ★ “Mendez’s novel beautifully crafts a first-person narrative with concrete poetry, forming shapes of teardrops, sea creatures, and storms to capture the physical and emotional journey of Aniana’s desire to return to the water and navigate her newly diagnosed disability. Stanzas with English and Spanish dialogue, repetition, and spacing visually add to the tension and distance Aniana experiences with her family and friends.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAniana del Mar Jumps In\u003c\/i\u003e is a story of love, loss, and growth that explores how our actions can unintentionally harm those who we love, how we learn to heal from that pain, and how we grieve not only those who we’ve lost but the people we once were, as well as embracing who we are becoming.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e“Aniana del Mar Jumps in\u003c\/i\u003e is about trusting our own bodies when they tell us what they can and cannot do, trusting our own hearts when they point the way, and trusting one another when we say who we are and what we need. Jasminne Mendez uses multiple poetic forms and deft lyricism to explore the knotty intaglios of family and community, guiding readers through multiple emotional storms to a rousing, heart-warming conclusion.”—David Bowles, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThey Call Me Güero\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003c\/i\u003eReading this made me feel like I have been holding my breath without knowing it. This book made me exhale. Similarly, I know that so many young people will see themselves in this book, exhale and say FINALLY. Such an important book.”—Elisabet Velasquez, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eWhen We Make It\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e“I both cried and rooted for Aniana as she navigates the new realities of her body and journeys to protect the parts of her that, even in illness, are fully hers to claim. Beautiful in its honesty and vulnerability, this is a powerful story about dreams and bodily agency that sings from the heart.”—Natalia Sylvester, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eBreathe and Count Back From Ten\u003c\/i\u003eJasminne Mendez is a best-selling Dominican-American poet, educator, translator, playwright and award winning author of several books for children and adults. She has had poetry and essays published in numerous journals and anthologies and she is the author of two multi-genre collections including \u003ci\u003eIsland of Dreams \u003c\/i\u003e(Floricanto Press, 2013) which won an International Latino Book Award. Her debut poetry collection \u003ci\u003eCity Without Altar\u003c\/i\u003e was a finalist for the Noemi Press poetry prize and was released in August 2022(Noemi Press) and her debut picture book \u003ci\u003eJosefina’s Habichuelas \u003c\/i\u003e(Arte Publico Press, 2021) was the Writer’s League of Texas Children’s Book Discovery Prize Winner. She has translated the work of NYT Best Selling authors Amanda Gorman, Nikole Hannah-Jones, René Watson and Calribel Ortega. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and a University of Houston alumni. She is the Program Director for the literary arts non-profit Tintero Projects and she lives and works in Houston, TX.\u003cb\u003ePrologue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWhen I Learned to Swim\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Before my brother, Matti, is born\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e before I learn how to keep secrets,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e before I learn what my name means\u003cbr\u003e and how it ties me to the water,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi teaches me how to swim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mami is away in the Dominican Republic\u003cbr\u003e visiting family and friends she hasn’t seen in years.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I am six and still afraid of everything.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi knows Mami won’t like it.\u003cbr\u003e But he decides it’s time for me to learn.\u003cbr\u003e The First Time\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I tremble near the edge of a pool.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e My knees KnOcK\u003cbr\u003e                        kNoCk\u003cbr\u003e                                 KnOcK\u003cbr\u003e against each other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A warm August wind w h o o s h e s\u003cbr\u003e through my tangled curls,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I almost let go of my Minnie\u003cbr\u003e Mouse towel when––\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi nudges me\u003cbr\u003e a little closer to the edge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I                  jUmP                  back\u003cbr\u003e as if the pool is a sinkhole of blue flames.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I squeal \u003cbr\u003e a high-pitched trumpet tingling my tonsils:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNo,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e               no,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e                    no!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI don’t want the water\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e               in my eyes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e                                       in my nose\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e                                                               in my lungs. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eMami says that the water . . . \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSssh mi reina, no pasa nada.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi sits me on his lap, \u003cbr\u003e tells me a cuento para calmarme.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePapi: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe first time I swam\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ein the green rivers of el campo,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ethe current slapped me around\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003euntil my arms began to flip\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand my legs began to flap\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand suddenly I was flying underwater.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eYour body will know \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ehow to handle the water\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eas long as you don’t resist it.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jumping In\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi’s big brown arms\u003cbr\u003e wrap around my waist.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His warm breath tickles\u003cbr\u003e my ear and his black beard\u003cbr\u003e sweeps against my cheek.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Papi whispers: \u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eConcentrate––\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eReach your arms out, then pull\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ethem apart as if you are parting \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ethe purple curtains in your room.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eKick your legs like a drummer’s hands\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ewhen they paddle their palms\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eon a Palo drum. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eImagine your body is a feather\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand you’ll float. Let the water hold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eyou. Remember, yo estoy aquí. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He squeezes my hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 1\u003cbr\u003e       2     \u003cbr\u003e             3!\u003cbr\u003e                    We jump in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eThe Island (\u0026amp; Me): May\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMy Island\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We live on an                        island.\u003cbr\u003e The island where we live\u003cbr\u003e is an o u t s t r e t c h e d      arm      reaching\u003cbr\u003e into the Gulf of Mexico.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Galveston:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Where the streets are lined\u003cbr\u003e with papel picado houses\u003cbr\u003e in peacock green and \u003cbr\u003e pomegranate pink.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hundreds of shotgun houses\u003cbr\u003e where the wind whistles \u003cbr\u003e in through the front door and shoots\u003cbr\u003e directly down the hallways\u003cbr\u003e out the back.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Hundreds of houses \u003cbr\u003e in sherbet colors that remind Mami \u003cbr\u003e of “back home.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But this is the only home\u003cbr\u003e I’ve ever known.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On Sundays before church, \u003cbr\u003e I like to walk to the seawall,\u003cbr\u003e alone,\u003cbr\u003e and watch the sunrise explode\u003cbr\u003e in the sky like cascarones\u003cbr\u003e on Easter. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Blue, pink, and orange colors\u003cbr\u003e confetti the horizon and kiss the sea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sometimes, I don’t know\u003cbr\u003e if the ocean is the sky\u003cbr\u003e or the sky is the ocean. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It opens\u003cbr\u003e                   BIG\u003cbr\u003e                                W I D E \u003cbr\u003e                                                  E  N  D  L  E  S  S.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The way I do\u003cbr\u003e when I swim.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sometimes, I think that if\u003cbr\u003e I swim long enough \u003cbr\u003e I’ll reach that cascarón sky\u003cbr\u003e and instead of swimming\u003cbr\u003e I’ll begin to S O A R.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWants Me Close\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some Sundays\u003cbr\u003e after church, Mami,\u003cbr\u003e Matti, and me \u003cbr\u003e go to the beach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sometimes I build\u003cbr\u003e sandcastles with Matti.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sometimes, if Papi\u003cbr\u003e is with us and goes \u003cbr\u003e in the water with me, \u003cbr\u003e Mami lets me                   S W I M.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mami doesn’t like it\u003cbr\u003e that I swim underwater\u003cbr\u003e so far away from her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I try to tell her:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ePapi taught me\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ehow to hold my breath,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003estroke my arms,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eand kick my fins, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003elike a dolphin.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI’ll be fine. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Still––\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e shewantsmeclose.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e She’s afraid la mar\u003cbr\u003e will swallow me up\u003cbr\u003e the way it swallowed \u003cbr\u003e her brother\u003cbr\u003e her house and \u003cbr\u003e her village\u003cbr\u003e during a storm long ago\u003cbr\u003e when she was just a girl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mami calls the ocean\u003cbr\u003e “la mar” instead of “el mar”\u003cbr\u003e because she believes \u003cbr\u003e the ocean is a strong woman\u003cbr\u003e who gives and takes life\u003cbr\u003e when she wants.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe ocean will betray you\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e she says. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I try to tell her: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI am Ani\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ede las aguas\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eI swim \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003ewith the dolphins.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe water and I\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eprotect each other.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eShe won’t take me\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eaway from you.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Still––\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e shewantsmeclose. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBirth Story\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mami says when I was born,\u003cbr\u003e I almost drowned\u003cbr\u003e in the ocean of her belly\u003cbr\u003e and they had to C U T me       out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I was not ready \u003cbr\u003e for the world, \u003cbr\u003e                would not latch,\u003cbr\u003e                                        would not eat, \u003cbr\u003e                                                                would not stop crying.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So they slipped tubes\u003cbr\u003e through my nose\u003cbr\u003e and fed me food\u003cbr\u003e that was not Mami’s milk.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mami says this made her worry\u003cbr\u003e we would not bond \u003cbr\u003e and I would not have enough\u003cbr\u003e of what I needed to grow\u003cbr\u003e big and strong. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And sometimes I worry \u003cbr\u003e she was right.","brand":"Dial Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304122929381,"sku":"NP9780593531815","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593531815.jpg?v=1767721598","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/aniana-del-mar-jumps-in-isbn-9780593531815","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}