Breathe and Count Back from Ten Self-Expression A visually and emotionally immersive

A visually and emotionally immersive immigration story

odds are they see rows of desks

In this “vital

refuses to be silent

Twelve-year-old Zita

Breathe and Count Back from Ten Self-Expression A visually and emotionally immersiveA Pura Belpr Honor Book * A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Vernica, a Peruvian American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body. Vernica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation