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About A Matter Of Heart
Product Description “Will make your heart pound—anxiously, joyfully, triumphantly.” —New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle Readers will happily dive into this emotionally grounded, contemporary young adult novel about the sudden end of one girl’s Olympic swimming dreams and the struggles she endures before realizing there are many things that express who we are. Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is on track to win the state swim championships and qualify for the Olympic trials when a fainting incident at a swim meet leads to the diagnosis of a deadly heart condition. Now Abby is forced to discover who she is without the one thing that’s defined her entire life. “More than a sports novel, this book delves deep into issues of identity—how we identify ourselves separately from what we do well—and the importance of support systems while making life-altering decisions. Give this to fans of Catherine Gilbert Murdock’s Dairy Queen series.” —School Library Journal “This engaging and fast-paced read expertly paints the world of high-school sports and the single-minded focus and commitment that some high-school athletes can have.” —Booklist “This is a solid look at an elite athlete who gets benched. . . . An enjoyable read even for couch potatoes.” —Kirkus Reviews From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up-Sixteen-year-old swimming champ Abby, a possible Olympic trials contender, faints and is diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition. She must choose between taking medication that will slow her finish times and gambling with her life to fulfill her dreams-choices that lead to an ultimately smart and satisfying finale.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Review Dominy's excellent use of dialogue firmly grounds the novel in contemporary times. The setting thrives on details, showcasing excellent research. . . . This is recommended for Chris Lynch fans, swimming fans, and anyone interested in warning teens about the dangers of HCM.-- VOYA About the Author Amy Fellner Dominy is a former advertising copywriter, playwright, and hula-hoop champion. Previous novels for tweens and teens include OyMG, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, and Audition & Subtraction. Amy lives with her husband and various pets in Phoenix. Visit her online at amydominy.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 1 I can’t breathe. There’s no time. All around the pool, coaches yell and pace along the edge as if that’ll make us swim faster. Parents shout out names. I don’t hear which ones. In the water, it’s a different kind of sound. The whoosh and thrum of the surface breaking over my cap. The churn of arms and the fizz of an exhale. The chant of pull, pull that I repeat in time with the bmm bmm of my heart. Mostly, I just hear the scream of my burning lungs. I don’t listen. In the last leg of a 100 free, there’s no time for breathing. Not if you want to win. Pull, pull. Twenty-five yards left. That’s it. Almost in reach. Everything I want is almost within reach. Pull, pull. Through the bubbles and froth I glimpse the rising beauty of the wall. I’m not breathing. Just pushing. Reaching. Pull, pull-- My arm stretches, my fingertips search for the pebbly surface. There! Yes! I explode out of the water, my mouth wide as I gasp, dragging air into my clenched lungs. I grab hold of the wall and turn toward the scoreboard. I rip off my goggles. My eyes, blurred and achy, stare. There’s my name: A. Lipman, lane 4. Was it enough? Was I enough? “Nice finish, Lipman!” It’s Coach somewhere behind me, moving down the lanes. I hear him call to Alicia, another Horizon swimmer, in lane 6. I drink the air and will the scoreboard to show the results I want. It took so much to get here. Months of two-a-day practices. Of pushing myself so hard there were mornings I couldn’t lift my arms to wash my hair. All of it for one moment in time--literally. Fifty-e
