How It Feels to Float

Authors: Fox, Helena
Lexile: 630,
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
BISAC/Subject: YAF058050, YAF031000, YAF058140
ISBN: 9780525554356, Related ISBNs: 0525554297, 0525554351, 052555436X, 1984885545, 1984885553
Classification: Non-Fiction
Number of pages: 384,
Audience: Young adult
Synopsis: A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year

"Profoundly moving . . . Will take your breath away." --Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces

A stunningly gorgeous and deeply hopeful portrayal of living with mental illness and grief, from an exceptional new voice.


Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface--normal okay regular fine.

But after what happens on the beach--first in the ocean, and then in the sand--the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe--maybe maybe maybe--there's a third way Biz just can't see yet.

Debut author Helena Fox tells a story about love and grief, about inter-generational mental illness, and how living with it is both a bridge to someone loved and lost and, also, a chasm. She explores the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honors those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea.

"Give this to all your...friends immediately." --Cosmopolitan.com
"I haven't been so dazzled by a YA in ages." --Jandy Nelson, author of I'll Give You the Sun (via SLJ)
"Mesmerizing and timely." --Bustle
"Nothing short of exquisite." --PopSugar
"Immensely satisfying" --Girls' Life
* "Lyrical and profoundly affecting." --Kirkus (starred review)
* "Masterful...Just beautiful." --Booklist (starred review)
* "Intimate...Unexpected." --PW (starred review)
* "Fox writes with superb understanding and tenderness." --BCCB (starred review)
* "Frank [and] beautifully crafted."--BookPage (starred review)
"This book will explode you into atoms." --Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels
"Helena Fox's novel delivers. Read it." --Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue
"This is not a book; it is a work of art." --Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned
"Perfect...Readers will be deeply moved." --Books+Publishing
Sign up for our literacy platform for reading at home

LightSail includes up to 6,000 high interest, Lexile aligned book titles with every student subscription. Other titles are available for individual purchase.

Watch the power of

Lightsail in action

×

SUPPORT GROWING READERS

Immediately Engage Students
Immediately Engage Students
Simple intuitive design has classrooms reading within minutes.
Exponentially Grow Reading Time
Exponentially Grow Reading Time
Students love the LightSail experience and naturally spend more time reading.
Accelerate Literacy Development
Accelerate Literacy Development
Students reading 25 minutes a day on LightSail are seeing 2+ years of Lexile growth in a single year.

LightSail Education is a comprehensive Lexile and standards-aligned, literacy platform and digital e-book library. Including multimodal learning functionality and featuring books from leading publishers, LightSail holistically assesses and nurtures each student on their reading and writing-to-learn journey, throughout elementary, middle, and high school.

*LightSail offers a 2,000 or a 6,000 title bundle with its student subscriptions. Other titles are available for individual purchase.