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There's no such thing as normal.Sarah has always been a hard-working student, even if she has felt her grades don't reflect her efforts. She is a good friend, a kind daughter, and she loves being creative. But lately she is struggling with school and friendships, and nothing brings her much joy. Her family doesn't seem to understand what's happening, and neither does Sarah. Everyone keeps telling her to do better, and Sarah is trying her hardest, but when her first year of middle school begins, what was supposed to be a fresh start turns into a disaster that quickly spirals out of control. Sarah, who can't understand why she is feeling this way, begins to seriously wonder if the world would be better off if she was no longer alive. Sarah has always felt a connection with mermaids, and she now wishes she was a mermaid herself, so she could just slip under the ocean and swim away, disappearing from everyone's lives forever.Finally, Sarah reaches her breaking point, and in desperation, seeks help from a trusted teacher. Everyone in Sarah's life reaches in to pull her from her own drowning emotions, and with the help of her family, friends, teachers, and mental health professionals, Sarah learns there is a name for what she is feeling. She develops tools, not only for coping, but for thriving. In learning about her condition and gaining the support she needs for managing it, she begins the long journey back to her life.Rewarding, memorable, and deeply evocative, this gorgeously written story about a girl who learns to navigate the choppy and scary waters of her mental health, is nothing short of remarkable.
I read this to my 4th Grade class, and they absolutely loved it! If I couldn't devote a solid 20 minutes or more to reading this book aloud each day, students would beg me to fit it into the schedule! I am currently teaching a realistic fiction writing unit in writer's workshop and a fiction unit in reader's workshop, and this book was perfect to use as a mentor text. Sarah is an immensely relatable, real character dealing with real-life struggles. This book teaches students that they are not alone, and that there is no such thing as "normal". My students felt compassion for Sarah. They shared stories of times they felt alone and trapped as Sarah does. I recommend this book to anyone who is feeling as if they do not belong or anyone trying to find themselves. The added bonus in this book is intermittent poetic free verse between chapters. My students are asking for more books in the Michaels Middle School series!