Swimming with Sharks (Gym Shorts) - Hardcover

Hicks, Betty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596432454 ISBN 13: 9781596432451

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2008

Synopsis

DOES RITA HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SWIM WITH THE SHARKS?

Rita’s times aren’t good enough to swim with the Sharks—the team where all her friends compete. At first she’s determined to improve, but is Rita ready to attempt complicated flip turns? Or is there another way for Rita to join the Sharks? Early readers will eagerly dive into this latest book in the GYM SHORTS series—sure to make a splash with new readers.

Swimming with Sharks is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

About this title

About the Author:

BETTY HICKS is the author of the GYM SHORTS series— action-filled sports stories that pack the energy of the gym into short novels for kids new to reading. Betty Hicks lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

 

ADAM McCAULEY is the illustrator of several successful fiction series including the TIME WARP TRIO and the WAYSIDE SCHOOL books. He lives in San Francisco, California

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

Swimming with Sharks
1YOU'RE A DOLPHIN!The worst day of Rita's life was the day she became a dolphin.A day like that should have been stamped with a warning label:BEWARE!TODAY WILL BE BADBut, there had been no warning. None.Rita had popped out of bed. She couldn't wait to put on her brand-new warm-up suit--the purple one with ruffles. She couldn't stop smiling. She was one hundred percent ready to try out for the swim team!Even after Rita got to the pool, there was still no warning. It felt like a good day.Rita did a perfect racing dive. She loved how the water felt as her body sliced through it. Bubbles streamed all over her, welcoming her to a smooth underwater world.When she'd swum two laps, Miss York punched Rita's time on her stop watch."Rita," she said. "You're a Dolphin!""Woo hoo!" cheered Rita. She lifted her hands into the air and twirled like a dancer.Dolphins, thought Rita, are very cool fish. They're sleek, smart, friendly, fast. And, soooo graceful. She glided over and took her place beside two other kids that Miss York had named Dolphins.Rita's friends, Rocky, Jazz, and Henry stood across from her, dripping pool water.Rita waited for Miss York to tell them that they were Dolphins, too.Miss York pointed to Jazz. "You're a Shark."A Shark? thought Rita. Jazz is a Shark? Not a Dolphin? She tilted her head and banged it with her hand. Was water stuck in her ear?"Henry," announced Miss York. "You're a Shark, too."Jazz and Henry hurried over to form a new group. Rita's mouth fell open. Her towel slid off her shoulders and landed in the water that had puddled at her feet."Rocky," said Miss York. She checked his name off on her clipboard. "Shark."Rita's heart felt as if someone was squeezing it. It needed room to beat, but there wasn't any.She picked up her drippy towel and pulled it tight around her shoulders.Miss York assigned five more people. "Shark. Dolphin. Dolphin. Shark. Shark." Rita watched all her friends become Sharks. She didn't know a single kid who was a Dolphin. Not one. She elbowed the boy next to her. "How do I get to be a Shark?""Ow," said the boy. He rubbed his arm."Sorry," said Rita. She hadn't meant to hurt him. Sometimes her jabs got carried away.Before he could answer, Miss York explained, "Sharks swam faster times, so they'll form one team. Dolphins," Miss York smiled at Rita's group, "will make up a second team. At swim meets, each team competes against teams that swim like they do."Oh! Rita sighed with relief. She'd be at the same meets as her friends. They'd just swim different races.Miss York passed out schedules.Rita did a little wiggle dance with her hips. Dolphins have style, she thought.Rita looked at the schedule. Dolphin Meets, she read on one side--Thursdays. She turned it over. Shark Meets--Saturdays.No way.Dolphins are stupid, thought Rita.Text copyright © 2008 by Betty Hicks

About this edition

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1596432454
• ISBN 13: 9781596432451
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: McCauley Adam