Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning writer and author of the young adult novels Dealing in Dreams, The Education of Margot Sanchez, the middle grade novel Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit, and the forthcoming Never Look Back by Bloomsbury. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Elle, to name a few.

VERSATILE AND ACCLAIMED AUTHOR: Lilliam Rivera has written highly lauded, contemporary YA like The Education of Margot Sanchez and playful middle grade mysteries like Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit. Other titles include Dealing in Dreams and Never Look Back.For readers who love stories about COURAGEOUS GIRLS SUBVERTING SPECIALIZED SPORTS and activities, like The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez, Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, and Like Vanessa by Tami Charles.A BODY-POSITIVE choice for GIRL POWER ROUNDUPS about rage and USING YOUR VOICE.Nat is a MEMORABLE CHARACTER who is imperfect, headstrong, and principled, but still deeply flawed, making her incredibly RELATABLE for young readers!A NUANCED REPRESENTATION OF FRIENDSHIP AND CLASS DIFFERENCE: Nat learns to make new friends and become a team player while using her privilege to be an ally and friend to Joanne, who helps her working-class mom with bills.

A dazzling story full of heart about how one twelve-year-old channels her rage into synchronized swimming dreams, from the author of The Education of Margot Sanchez, Lilliam Rivera.Natalia de la Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Inglewood pool when her life changed. The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks-on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Sometimes, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she could be both.Barely Floating explores what it means to sparkle in your skin, build community with those who lift you up, and keep floating when waters get rough.Story Locale: Inglewood-Los Angeles, California