Representation: Side Black character
Trigger warnings: Bullying, near death experience

6/10, usually I enjoy verse novels but I didn't enjoy this one which was a massive shame. All the characters were quite flat, the main character wasn't really that complex but I still enjoyed reading about her anyway. The story is that Kasienka immigrated from Poland to England just to find her father which she found eventually. Further on the story is about Kasienka's new life, there was a plot point about racism but it just mentions it and then brushes it under the rug. The only characteristics she had was being smart, being bullied, having a sister called Briony (who almost died), and being a national level swimmer (her father contributed to this), but other than that she was quite flat.

She developed a romantic attraction to a Black person called William but he was quite flat as well and I didn't feel anything for Kasienka and William. The ending was when Kasienka just won a competition and that's it. I would've preferred if this novel was written in prose rather than verse, it would've impacted me more. If you like a novel about immigration try Refugee by Alan Gratz or Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhhà Lại instead of this. ( )

This is the first prose poetry book I read and I'm surprised to have liked it so much.
The themes of this book are very relevant to both young and old readers: Kasienka, the twelve-year-old protagonist, deals with bullying, first love, immigration, family issues and a lot more while discovering who she is.
I really enjoyed Sarah Crossan's writing and I'll check out more of her books. ( )

In this novel-in-verse, Kasienka is barely staying afloat as she navigates immigrant life, bullying, and a depressed mother. Her passion for swimming and a possible first love help her to find her way. Epilogue, Glossary

First dipped into the poems in the charity shop without realising it was a novel. Then read it cover to cover trying to go slowly. The narrative thread drives you on through the book so that it is really hard to stop reading one poem after another and the book is finished far too quickly. I loved the voice of the girl combined with the maturity of the author. Both shine through together similar to that of other favourite teenage girl characters (Dido, Emma Graham). And since finishing I have been dipping back into individual poems. Shall have to keep this book or give it away to someone special. ( )

I'm not reviewing this one for the library children's department because, as it turns out, it's much more fit for young adults.

Kasienka and her mother have just moved to Coventry (in England) from Poland to look for Kasienka's father, who left them a few years ago. At school, she is placed a grade too low because she doesn't yet read English well, even though she is plenty smart. And most of the other students either ignore her or make fun of her, especially a particularly Mean Girl (think Rachael McAdams) named Clair. Meanwhile, Kasienka's increasingly depressive mother makes her come along on nightly door-to-door quests for her dad.

But not everything stinks in Coventry. A kind-hearted man who lives in the same apartments befriends the two Polish immigrants. Kasienka falls for a boy named William, whose casual confidence and kindness to her allow Kasienka to grow into herself. She shines on the swim team, outperforming Clair and everyone else.

There are elements parents may want to be careful of with younger readers - William smokes (with no sign of condemnation from the author or reliable characters), there is some fairly detailed description of William's and Kasienka's kiss-capades, and the situation with Kasienka's parents involves a lot of gray areas that immature readers may misinterpret. But overall, it's a great story - written in compact but loaded free verse - about finding confidence from the well of your own character rather than in the fickle tides of how others react to you. ( )