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DiDonovan
, April 03, 2015
(view all comments by DiDonovan)
As this is quite possibly the first and only novel about synchronized swimming (indeed, it's a fading art that many adults may not know much about), Out of Synch is, right away, in a class of its own. The story focuses on the efforts of thirteen-year-old Katie, who dreams of competitive synchronized swimming while her parents want her to choose the more lucrative competitive racing.
Her swim team coach believes synchronized swimming is well on its way out, her parents want Katie to focus on a swimming approach that is more of a guaranteed success, and pressure is applied to drop out of synchro. Katie has her hands full trying to convince the adults in her life that her real love in life is both viable and important.
Middle school readers (especially those familiar with the world of competitive sports in general and competitive swimming in particular) will relate to Katie's efforts, which are tested when she has to replace a familiar and loved routine without her swim partner's support. It's a far different approach to swim a solo routine - a learning experience which Katie is forced to keep secret from her parents.
Part of the joy of reading Out of Synch is that it exudes passion and struggle. Even readers with no prior familiarity (or interest) in the world of competitive swimming can easily relate to Katie's feeling of being pulled in all directions, most of which oppose her love of one (less promising) choice in particular.
It's a familiar scenario: does one follow one's heart, or acquiesce to the pressures and (supposed) insights of those older and wiser? Does one continue the struggle against seemingly insurmountable odds, or make the kinds of decisions that lead to new opportunities? And where is the intersection between personal goals and belief and the bigger picture of success?
That Katie will succeed, with her drive, determination and vision, is a given. The story line lies not in the fact that she will ultimately succeed, but in how she becomes a winner. Details on the sport of synchronized swimming are specific and real, teammate and family interactions are realistic and absorbing, and readers will find in Katie an inspiring figurehead for their own desires to buck outside pressures and understand the differences between realizing a dream and tackling impossible odds.
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