About the Book Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Anis stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water, but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming along with medication will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most--and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat -- Provided by publisher. Book Synopsis Hermosa por su honestidad y vulnerabilidad, esta es una poderosa historia sobre el cuerpo y los sueos que nacen del corazn. --Natalia Sylvester, autora galardonada de Breathe and Count Back from Ten Una poderosa novela escrita en verso sobre una nadadora dominicano-estadounidense de 12 aos, a quien le diagnostican artritis juvenil. Aniana del Mar pertenece al agua como un delfn al ocano, pero mantiene en secreto sus clases de natacin. Hace aos, a su mam se le ahog un ser querido y no se ha recuperado de la prdida. Un da, la artritis juvenil obliga a Aniana a guardar reposo. Entonces confiesa lo importante que es para ella nadar y, aunque el doctor cree que la natacin puede ayudarla a mejorar, su mam lo prohbe. Esta es la historia de una nia que debe crecer como las mareas para encontrar su fuerza y defender lo que ama. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Beautiful in its honesty and vulnerability, this is a powerful story about dreams and bodily agency that sings from the heart.--Natalia Sylvester, award-winning author of Breathe and Count Back From Ten A powerful and expertly told novel-in-verse by about a 12-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis by an award-winning poet. Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea. But she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. That is, until the day Anis stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. Mami forbids her from returning to the water, but Ani and her doctor believe that swimming along with medication will help Ani manage her disease. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be. Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most--and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat. Review Quotes Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most--and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat. -- Books Central Mendez uses concrete poems, haiku, and tanka throughout to narrate this accessible story of forgiveness. -- School Library Journal , starred review Its a lovely, poignant, and honest glimpse into disability, chronic illness, and ableism. -- Book Riot About the Author Jasminne Mendez is a Dominican-American poet, playwright, translator, and award-winning author of several books for children and adults. She is the author of two hybrid memoirs, Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press) and Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry (Arte Pblico Press). Her second YA memoir is Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American (Arte Pblico Press); and her debut poetry collection, City Without Altar , was a finalist for the Noemi Press Book Award for Poetry.