Girl Out of Water

Gr 9 Up—Anise was born and raised on the ocean in Santa Cruz, CA. A talented surfer who lives steps away from the water, she is beyond ready for the last summer with her friends before their senior year of high school. Plans quickly change when her aunt, a widow with three children, gets into a serious car accident. Anise and her father have to fly to Nebraska to take care of the house and children. This is not the perfect summer Anise imagined. As she acclimates to life away from water, Anise can't help but feel haunted by the ghost of her runaway mother as she spends time in the house where her mother was raised. As her friends' texts grow fewer and farther between, Anise meets Lincoln. He is a confident skateboarder who has only one arm, and he shows Anise that there is more to life than surf and sand. Anise starts as a seemingly shallow person; being away from her friends forces her to step outside her comfort zone and examine parts of herself and her family that she did not know existed. Though she thinks about her friends in California all the time, they are not nearly as well-developed as her cousins and companions in Nebraska. Readers will empathize with Anise as she explores this different side of her life. The book features a cast of diverse characters and a fresh take on sports (surfing and skateboarding). While the ending is a bit rushed and will leave readers searching for answers about Anise's and Lincoln's futures, this title is ultimately worthy of a spot in any teen's beach bag.