Warman, Jessica. Breathless.

Warman, Jessica. Breathless.
Walker & Co 2009 311p 16.99 978-0-8027-9849-7 ms/hs Katie loves to swim, in fact it is the only thing that seems to bring calm and meaning into her turbulent home life. But under her popularity at her new boarding school and budding romance, lies a secret that Katie is afraid will tear her newly invented life apart. In this debut novel, Warman establishes herself as a welcome new voice in YA fiction. Katie has a lot on her plate, a schizophrenic older brother who is incarcerated in a prison for the criminally insane, parents who retreat intowork and alcoholism to deal with their problems. When she is sent to a boarding school, she retreats to the one thing that calls her otherwise chaotic life - swimming. She slowly begins to reinvent herself, only to have the secret she so desperately wants to keep (her brother) brought out into the open. Themes of friendship, love and self-worth are woven seemlessly into this coming-of-age, coming-to-grips story that will resonant with older middle school and high school readers. Nominated for 2010 Best Books for Young Adults. Conflict Naismith, Pat