Booktalk: "This book is for the kid who always gets sent to the principal's office for talking too much or acting up. Nat is that kind of kid. She is proudly, unapologetically an Afro-Latina big girl who loves cosplay and will get loud if she sees an injustice happening. This summer she has discovered synchronized swimming and she loves it, all the elegance of it and the fancy swim costumes. But people take one look at her and think, You don't look like a synchronized swimmer. Oh, no, no, no, do not get Nat started. She is about to show everyone what she can do, no matter what they say." Nat’s attitude and reactiveness to challenges evolve to being more productive, and yet even to the last line of the book, she has not lost the swagger within. A lively, bold voice and a welcome representation. ( )

Tough-talking 12-year-old Natalia never backs down from a challenge.

Whether it’s a fistfight with a boy who is disrespecting her cousin or a swimming race against a much older teen at the city pool, Nat’s confidence and tenacity compel her to finish anything she starts, no matter what the odds. Nat’s parents, a community activist and a college professor, have instilled a strong sense of justice in her and her three older brothers. When she becomes enchanted with Black-owned synchronized swimming team the L.A. Mermaids, she knows she needs to try out—even if her fat body and Latina heritage aren’t the norm for the sport. Her parents veto the idea, citing the dominance in elite synchronized swimming of thin, White girls. In an ill-conceived plan, headstrong Nat decides to join the team anyway and begins learning the sport in secret. Joining the L.A. Mermaids brings her new friends—Daniel, whose race is not specified and who is the sole boy in a female-dominated sport, and Ethiopian American Ayana, who struggles with an overzealous mom. In contrast to these blooming friendships, Nat’s connection with her best friend has frayed over the summer, and she isn’t sure why. She must tame her temper and learn to own her mistakes to keep her relationships with family and friends afloat. Nat’s radical self-acceptance is a beautiful example for readers: Her unapologetic self-love and empathy make her a compelling character.

A body-positive story of growing up that’s sure to make a splash. (Fiction. 9-13)

-Kirkus Review

Nat figures her summer will go according to plan: she and her best friend Joanne will hang out at the pool. Joanne will read manga, Nat will earn money by betting older kids that she can beat them in swimming races, and they'll make plans for the anime con they'll attend in the fall. But everything changes when Nat sees a demonstration by the L.A. Mermaids, an artistic (formerly called synchronized) swim team. The costumes, the glitter, the coordinated moves... Nat is immediately in love, but her parents are skeptical. They're of the opinion that synchronized swimming puts too much emphasis on appearances. Nat is confident in her body: she knows she's fat, strong, and fabulous. She's passed the audition for the Mermaids, and she has some money saved up. So, she decides to lie to her parents. With the help of an older cousin, she starts attending practice, and learns how much work goes into those effortless-looking moves. But she can't keep up the lie forever...

I really loved the character building here: Nat's a great lead, and the secondary characters are all well fleshed out, with their own lives and problems. I do think the scope and duration of the lie was a little hard to believe, since Nat's parents are cast as being involved and interested in Nat's life. However, I was willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of the story, and I found it well-plotted and paced. Recommended to readers of middle-grade realistic fiction. ( )