Swim Team is a 2022 graphic novel by Johnnie Christmas. It follows Bree, a girl who learns to swim and joins her school's swim team. It received widely positive reception, including winning a BCALA Literary Award and Young Reader's Choice Award and being nominated for an Eisner Award and Harvey Award .
Plot After moving to Florida from Brooklyn, Bree starts attending the swimming-obsessed Enith Brigitha Middle School, which means Bree is confronted with her own inability to swim. After being saved following falling in a pool by her elderly neighbor Ms. Etta, the two form a mentor-student relationship. In addition to covering Bree's journey in learning to swim and joining her school's swim team, the book discusses the history of swimming for Black communities in the United States, including how segregation and denial of access to swimming places resulted in stereotypes of Black people being unable to swim.
Reception The book received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly noted the themes of "community, Black diasporic identity, and learning" and the "kinetic contemporary art." Bookpage stated the book "captures the fun of an athletic endeavor that can—and should—be enjoyed by everyone".
Accolades YearTitleAward/HonorResult2021Swim TeamDwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics2022Harvey Award for Best Children's or Young Adult BookKirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Books of the YearGraphic Novels & Comics Round Table's Best Graphic Novels for ChildrenNational Book Award for Young People's Literature2023BCALA Literary Award — Children & Youth Literary AwardsCoretta Scott King Award - IllustratorEisner Award for Best Publication for KidsCybils Award for Graphic NovelBarnes & Noble Children's & Young Adult Book Awards - Young ReadersQuick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersJane Addams Children's Book Award - Book for Older Children2025Young Reader's Choice Award - Junior Category
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