The Weight of Water

Sarah Crossan’s The Weight of Water chronicles a young teen and her mother as they move to London from Poland, trying to find “Tata” who left them. As an outsider in an English school, Kasienka experiences mean girls, poor living conditions and a sense of invisibility to those around her. What saves her is swimming, first love and a Kenyan neighbour who listens and says, “Happiness should be your revenge.”

Starkly honest, this novel-in-verse is a lovely ode to growing up and facing the truth.