Review by Moira Young
Tundra Books, Penguin Random House, 2024
176 pages, Hardcover, $17.99CAD, 9781774881880
Middle-Grade, 7-10 years
Fiction, Comedy/Humor
APDIA
From where she sat, through the glass wall behind the sushi café, Julia could see the giant pace clock in the aquatic center. It had colored hands that didn’t actually tell the time. It was used to keep track of lap times. Julia watched the red hand sweep past the sixty-second marker, and she counted as it went around and around three times. One hundred and eighty-seconds. Three minutes. She could swim a lot of laps in that time.
Nine-year-old Julia Nam was born to be in the water. Angela Ahn’s middle-grade fiction novel Julia On the Go! Swimming Into Trouble dives into the life of Julia Nam, a determined young swimmer who dreams of being the best member on the Vancouver Junior Vipers swim team. With vivid storytelling and relatable characters, Ahn creates a compelling narrative that will make a splash with young readers and adults alike.
Julia’s passion for swimming is crystal clear from the very first page. The pool and the Mountainview Community Centre are like a second home to Julia, especially since her parents own and run the centre’s beloved sushi café. Even though Julia is the youngest swim team member, she is certainly not the slowest or the least competitive. This is why when Julia learns that Coach Marissa is planning a Personal Best Day that will give the team a chance to qualify for regionals, Julia is confident that she can make waves and secure her spot. However, the unimaginable happens when Julia is diagnosed with an ear infection, and both her parents and Coach forbid Julia from swimming until she recovers, forcing her to miss the swim practices she loves and the opportunity to swim at Personal Best Day.
Like many kids who may associate their identity with their activity of choice (whether it be dancing, horseback riding, karate, or swimming), it can be scary and uncomfortable when that aspect of their identity is taken away. Julia is courageous, determined, and confident, but still, above all, she identifies as a swimmer. Therefore, when she feels like that part of herself is stripped away, she begins to question who she truly is and spirals over what her future will be like if she cannot be the swimmer she always dreamed of becoming. Through Julia, Ahn highlights a struggle that will resonate with anyone who has faced a setback in pursuing their passions!
Without a doubt, the backbone of Ahn’s novel are the vibrant and diverse characters within Mountainview Community Centre. Although Julia confronts her challenges by herself, at no point in the story is she truly alone. Julia is continuously supported and inspired by her friends and role models at the community centre, like the whimsical art teacher Stevie and the wise librarian Lorna, who emphasize the importance of community building. Ahn repeatedly brings new and unique characters to each chapter, making the plot flow quickly as the reader wonders who they will meet next.
Julia On the Go! Swimming Into Trouble tells a charming story about determination, patience, and family while teaching readers meaningful messages about resilience, teamwork, and community building. It is an excellent middle-grade novel for fans of The Salma Series by Danny Ramadan or The Nina Soni Series by Kashmira Sheth, as well as readers who enjoy narratives about girl power and embracing new or unique challenges. Most importantly, Julia On the Go! Swimming Into Trouble illustrates that you are not defined by your passions or challenges, but you are defined by how you decide to face them.
Moira Young is an undergraduate at UBC Vancouver, majoring in English Literature and minoring in Creative Writing. She is passionate about writing and the art of storytelling.
YOUNG ADULTING 