Head Above Water - Hardcover

Rottman, S. L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1561451851 ISBN 13: 9781561451852

Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc, 1999

Synopsis

For a sixteen-year-old high school junior, Skye has a lot on her plate. As she faces the challenges of caring for her disabled brother and making time for school, swimming, and a boyfriend, Skye begins to gain a new perspective into what is truly important in her life.
With her mother holding down two jobs to support the family since Skye’s father left years ago, Skye is given the primary responsibility of caring for her older brother Sunny, who has Down syndrome.
Skye’s relationship with her brother constantly challenges and sometimes frustrates her. All the while, Skye is trying to maintain her GPA, and she is training intensely to qualify for the state championships as a member of her high school swim team, in hopes of earning a college scholarship. She is also struggling to come to terms with her feelings for her boyfriend, who wants more from her than she is ready to give.
Award-winning author S. L. Rottman has crafted an absorbing young adult novel that powerfully depicts the emotional turbulence of teenage life and the difficulty of negotiating complex human relationships.

About this title

About the Author

Young adult author and Denver native S.L. ROTTMAN graduated in 1992 from Colorado State University, and currently teaches English at the Alternative High School in Colorado Springs. The author's two previous novels for teens, HERO and ROUGH WATERS, have received much critical and industry acclaim. HERO was selected for YALSA's 1999 Best Books for Young Adults list, the New York Public Library's 1998 Books For The Teen Age, and won the 1998 Oklahoma Book Award in the children's/young adult literature category. ROUGH WATERS was named to YALSA's 1999 Quick Picks for the Reluctant Young Adult Readers list, and to the New York Public Library's 1999 Books For The Teen Age list.

From the Back Cover

An elegant pictoral history of the architecture of this great Southern city, defined by the famous Atlanta Spirit that has created her skylines and rested in her neighborhoods. CLASSIC ATLANTA breaks new ground--it documents and investigates, criticizes and celebrates, the architecture of Atlanta with fresh scholarship, intriguing archival photographs and drawings, and exquisite contemporary color photography.

Reviews

High school junior Skye Johnson faces so many challenges that it's no wonder she has trouble keeping her head above water. She must knock some time off her personal best in the 200 freestyle in order to qualify for the state swimming competition, she's being pursued by a hunky football star, and she bears the brunt of the responsibility for the care of Sunny, her 19-year-old Down syndrome brother while her single mom is at work. Unfortunately, like the protagonist, the author tackles too much here. Scenes of Skye swimming and her interactions with Sunny are the most fully developed, but a subplot about Skye's boyfriend's attempt to rape her gets superficial treatment. Further complications arise when Sunny wants to take swimming lessons and ends up qualifying for the Special Olympics, scheduled for the same day as the state championship. Only a glimpse of the strength of the adult/protagonist interactions that made Rottman's Hero so compelling is evident in Skye's interactions with her mother and her swim coach. Consequently, the conclusion is too quick and tidy a wrap-up of many complex issues. Ages 12-16.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 9 Up-Skye, a high school junior from a single-parent home, is largely responsible for the care of her older brother Sunny, who has Down's syndrome. She strives to maintain a straight-A average in her schoolwork and is determined to qualify for "States," the statewide swim competition. When the school's football star, Mike Banner, deems her worthy to date, Skye's already complex world becomes almost overwhelming. Responding to pressure from him to spend more time together, she ditches her brother and uses her newfound freedom to meet with her boyfriend. Predictably, he pressures her into sex and finally forces himself on her. She narrowly escapes, but the angry boyfriend continues to badger her and the confrontation between the two ultimately costs her the opportunity to go to States. In the end, Skye begins to mature and to think for herself. Unfortunately, the conclusion is a little too neat. Although the protagonist faces myriad problems, they are all resolved happily. Still, this is a realistic portrayal of dating and of a teenager with Down's syndrome.
Joanne K. Cecere, Highland High School, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1561451851
• ISBN 13: 9781561451852
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 196