Swimming with Dolphins - by Suzanne Purvis (Hardcover)

About the Book

Grace's dream is to swim with dolphins but when she's sent to live with her absent father, she must decide how she will live her dream and trust in family.

Book Synopsis

Eleven-year-old Grace Arrow is obsessed with all things aquatic, especially dolphins. She lives in the small town of Bagdad, Florida with Gigi, her definitely not-wealthy, overstrict, and sometimes unstable great-grandmother.

Grace stays afloat by escaping to her imaginary world of Aquamarina Girl, a superhero who rescues wildlife and fuels Grace's dream of one day swimming with dolphins. With her BFF Abby, Grace has summer plans to earn money for a dolphin encounter at the nearby marine park. But when Abby moves to the desert and Gigi has a mental health breakdown, Grace's dolphin dream sinks.

Foster care places Grace with Mike, her long-lost dad-a crab fisherman she's never met who lives 150 miles away on a boat at a marina. Grace enjoys being so close to the aquatic world she loves, but her new home means learning to give family and community another chance.

As she struggles to find an anchor with Mike, she befriends marina manager Sandy and her dolphin dream resurfaces. But an unexpected betrayal throws her into a whirlpool of confusion, and Grace must decide how she will live her dream of swimming with dolphins-and how to find trust in family again.

Review Quotes

Swimming with Dolphins is a stunning middle grade novel-in-verse that invites readers into both poetry and the aquatic world. Through vivid imagery, haiku, and a sun-soaked Gulf Coast setting, Suzanne Purvis tells a heartfelt story of found family while gently teaching poetic form and marine life. This is a book to savor and to share.

-Elaina Kellogg, author of Simply Sweet

Swimming With Dolphins was a joyous read. I was hooked from the start! Grace will steal your heart-all while dreaming big, navigating rocky shores with a new home aboard a boat, a never-met-before father with a secret, and an uncertain new future-one that someday-might include swimming with dolphins. Grace-with the help of the brave Aquamarine Girl and her pet fish, Lucky, shares her emotional journey of loss, healing, and hope, all while finding a surprising community in sunny Barefoot Cove Marina. Swimming With Dolphins is emotional, uplifting, and brimming with heart. -Kelly Bingham, author of Shark Girl

"Swimming with Dolphins is a delightful, head-first dive into the world of Grace Arrow-a brave girl with big dreams. For her twelfth birthday, her dream is to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, she lives with Gigi, her great grandmother, the dream killer. Only months before her birthday, Gigi has a breakdown; and Grace's future looks like foster care and drowned dreams... Until the social worker locates Mike, a man who lives on a boat-and is the father Grace has never met. Swimming with Dolphins is a heart-warming adventure and the story of a girl who learns that big dreams require big risks. A must read for Middle Graders." -Sandra Tilley, 7th grade English teacher and author of The Ghost and Mrs. Miller and Dead Man's DNA.

Captivating. Invigorating. Encouraging. Suzanne Purvis' prose is enthralling, charming both the middle grade and teenage audience, but also well seasoned readers, proving her to be a tidal force to be reckoned with. -W. Scott, author of muses from the moon