Dive

Gr 5 Up–Anderson’s latest realistic fiction delves into the world of diving, both aquatic and dumpster. Thirteen-year-old Kass, who is cued white, was content at her shabby school with her best friend, but her mother believes Kass’s diving talents can be better developed at a private Catholic school. Anxious about missing her friend and the tension between her parents regarding finances, Kass is lonely until one day she hears a voice coming from a dumpster. Miles, a high school dropout, shares the world of scavenging with Kass and challenges her to look at discarded items in a new light. Told in economical sentences, the book reads quickly as it covers a few weeks in Kass’s life. The characters are well drawn: the “mean girl” has depth and a believable redemption. Miles, whose motives regarding Kass are questioned by multiple characters, is also shown as an isolated, hurting kid. The story additionally succeeds in teaching lessons without moralizing. Kass acknowledges to herself that some of her choices are strange or unsafe, which are later reinforced by other characters when she explains what is going on.