Customer Reviews

Head Above Water

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I have read all three of R. L. Rottmans books. Head Above Water was very well written and dealt with the High School pressures of sex and dealing with personal emotions. Skye Johnson has her head screwed on straight. She is working towards qualifying for State Swimming Championships and the challenges of being responsible for her Down syndrome older brother, who is also a Junior in High School. Talk about massive frustration. This book was hard to put down. Thank you S. L. Rottman, I can't wait for your next book.

This book excellently displays a teenagers struggle with everything going on in their life. Skye is a junior at her highschool and is struggling with taking care of her brother, Sunny, who has Down Syndrome. She also sturuggles for time with her personal life because her mom works two jobs to support their family. Her father left when she was a kid and they've been on their own ever since. Once Skye starts to get a plan so she could spend more time with her boyfriend, she starts lying to her mother. The lies build up and she learns the hardway how it well all blow up in her face. She is also giving her all everyday after school to make state for her school swimming team. The portrayal of an everyday battle with your own needs and the needs of others is perfectly mastered in this smartly written, teenage-savvy book. I highly recommend this book along with other S. L. Rottman books.

This is a story about a swimmer, a daughter, a sister and a friend--but most of all it is a journey of Skye accepting and learning who she is.
I connected with aSkye, and even if I haven't been in some of her unique roles as a caretaker to her brother with Down's, and I've never had any experience with competitive swimming, her struggle to find her place, and really appreciate what life has to offer even in the midst of hard times makes for a wonderful story.
The way she handles things that life throws at her is understandable. She has real emotions and we get to experience them with her. What I really appreciate though is how she ultimately learns from it, and though she's not perfect, the next time she's faced with similar, she is better able to respond. I know that in my own life I've refused to learn and grow, but Skye wasn't like that and we got to see her progress and hopefully learn from it.
This is an older book, but I think that it definitely deserves a chance to shine again with new readers.

Skye, a junior in high school, has always had to be very responsible. Her mother works two jobs and her older brother has Down Syndrome and requires a lot of supervision. Skye is the one who always ends up having to take charge. In order to keep her sanity, Skye swims on the school team, where she is able to take her frustrations out on the water and rise to the top of the competition.

Life becomes a bit more crowded for Skye when the popular and desirable football player Mike asks her out. Skye begins to resent having to watch her brother all of the time, as it leaves her with no free time for her new boyfriend. And her brother hates Mike, seemingly for no reason. Is there something about him that Skye just doesn't see? Or is her family just being unreasonable again?

I liked this glimpse into the life of a family with a Down Syndrome member. It would be difficult to try to juggle regular responsibilities with the extra effort of caring for someone with a developmental problem. However, the demands Skye's mother placed on her seemed completely unreasonable to me, and it seems as though Skye would have rebelled long before she did. The character of Mike also wasn't developed enough that I could see why Skye ever fell for him. He seemed like a jerk right from the beginning, and I found myself thinking Skye was really stupid to like him at all, even before he started being so awful to her.

Skye Johnson, a junior in high school, is an excellent swimmer, and is training to qualify for State. The state swimming competition could net a college scholarship for Skye. Her older brother, Sunny, has Down Syndrome. Since her divorced mother must work more than one job to support the family, she is away from home most of the time, and it is Skye's job to watch out for Sunny. He's a great kid, always cheerful, but he does require a lot of time from Skye as she makes sure he does his homework, and manages to get home from school, along with fixing him meals. There is just not much time for anything else...just Sunny, school, and swimming.

Then Skye meets Mike and her priorities begin to change. Sunny wants to learn to swim: he adores his sister, and wants to be just like her, and he wants Skye to teach him how. Life is frustrating, and Skye finds herself being dishonest with her mother in order to find time for herself. She had promised to give Sunny swimming lessons, but instead signs him up for classes so that she can spend time with Mike - only to find out that he may not be the nice guy that she thought he was.

Her life is further complicated when Sunny qualifies for Special Olympics, and his meet is at the same time as Skye's state championship swim. Skye's emotions are on a roller coaster, and her pain and frustration had me crying and then cheering for her victories.

Rottman is a master at characterization and plotting. The author brings to life the reality and rewards of caring for someone with a learning disability in a fast-paced story that is hard to put down.

Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

Head Above Water tells the story of Skye Johnson, a junior in high school. Skye is an excellent swimmer. She also has a brother, Sunny, who has Down syndrome. Skye's mother is divorced and works a couple of jobs to support the family, and since her mother is almost always gone, Skye has to watch Sunny. Skye has little time for anything other than swimming, her brother, and school. Skye is trying to find time for all of these things so she can get a scholarship to college. Skye and her brother go through many difficult times throughout the book, some leaving Skye frustrated, laughing, and sometimes crying. Skye also tries to help her brother Sunny to swim because he wants to be just like her. Once Skye starts dating Mike she all of a sudden starts lying to her mother and not spending time with her brother. Bcause she starts dating Mike she is not helping swim ans tells her mother she is. I recommend this book to any one who enjoys reading. I think that Rottman's writing was very touching in this tale of Skye and her brother. It showed how difficult it was for Skye to have tocare for her brother with Down syndrome, and has little tie for herself. It was definitely a page-turner and was a hard book to put down. If you like this book I would recommend Rottman's other amazing books such as Hero.