WEIGHT OF WATER by Sarah Crossan. New York:  Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2013.  221p.  978-1-59990-967-7; hc., $16.99.    Gr.6 & up    YAF

     With sensitivity and compassion, Crossan brings readers the story of 12 year old Kasienka. When her beloved father leaves them, Kasienka’s mother packs what fits into one bulging suitcase and a laundry bag, leaving their home and the only world Kasienka has ever known for London, determined to find her errant husband.

     In her new school, her teacher calls her Cassie, a name as foreign to Kasienka as a language she can barely speak. Unfriendly and often hostile classmates add to her unhappiness and discomfort. Comfortable and happy only when she is in the swimming pool, she meets a boy who will become a friend,  change her outlook and give her a goal which will help her keep afloat in her new bewildering, changing world.

Told in prose, this well written book is Kazienka’s journey to find her father, find a relationship with her mother and not least discover herself.  An asset to public and school libraries alike, it will be perfect for a reading list and discussion.

     Barbara Ward, Retired Children’s Librarian, Dickinson County Library