Publishers Weekly’s 2023 Summer Read

A Kubo and Amazon Best Book of the Month

2024 ALA’s Top Ten Rise Feminist Booklist

“Rivera’s layered, sparkling middle-grade debut is Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ (2015) by way of Lisa Fipps’ Starfish (2021).” - Booklist starred review

“In laugh-out-loud, blunt prose, Rivera cultivates a touching and unapologetically positive interpretation of one tween’s desire to break the mold.” - Publisher’s Weekly starred review

“A body-positive story of growing up that’s sure to make a splash.” - Kirkus Review

Named one of the best children’s book coming out this summer by BookRiot

Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Boyle Heights pool when her life changed. The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.

The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks—on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Sometimes, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she could be both.

Barely Floating (Kokila Books) explores what it means to sparkle in your skin, build community with those who lift you up, and keep floating when waters get rough.

Available wherever books are sold!