Head Above Water

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.

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.