Coming Up for Air

May 15, 2017
Senior Maggie King has spent her life focused on one thing: swimming. Now that she’s been accepted to UC Berkeley and has a real shot at the Olympic trials, Maggie wishes she’d spent a little more time focusing on guys—specifically, how to hook up with them. Her best friend Levi seems to have no problem finding time for girls, even though he’s also a competitive swimmer. Maggie hits on the idea of Levi teaching her the basics of hooking up, but as the lessons start and get steamy, the pressure to perform in the pool mounts for both of them, and her feelings for him deepen. This lighthearted romance has all the trademarks of a Kenneally novel: a strong female lead, a sexy male love interest, and a complicated relationship fraught with sexual tension. Fans of the author’s Hundred Oaks series won’t be disappointed as they watch Maggie’s and Levi’s friendship move in a new direction, and the competitive and uncertain element of Maggie’s future in swimming makes the page turning all the more enjoyable. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Fans of Miranda Kenneally's authentic writing style won't be disappointed by her new audiobook. Narrator Carly Robins gives an authentic tone to high school student Maggie King as she reevaluates her life and goals. A competitive swimmer who is working to secure an Olympic tryout, Maggie is focused, and she loves swimming. But as the end of the school year approaches, she wonders if she's missing too much to follow her dream. Robins carefully navigates between Maggie's competence in school and swimming and her na�vet� in relationships and love. Robins also delivers credible voices for Maggie's friends, family, teammates, and rivals. There are several moments in which sex is explicitly discussed--but appropriately so in the context of the story and the young adult lives it depicts. K.S.M. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine