The Vine: Ask The Readers Book-a-thon #9
Hello!
So, I am beginning to think I might be crazy, because I am looking for a book I loved but I am having no luck at all.
I read it in the 1970s; it was about a girl, she might have been a cheerleader, but somehow broke her legs. She then started swimming for therapy, but ended up becoming a really good swimmer. I believe the setting was Florida.
I think there was a romance with a boy who might have been a swimmer, or at least someone who wasn’t the kind of guy she was used to dating.
The cover was blue, cardboard with what I want to say was a dolphin, but might have been a swimmer. I really can’t believe I don’t remember the author or title — I read it about 50 times.
The main character was the girl, who started off kind of snotty, but seemed to gain in character as she started to deal with life as someone not deemed as popular.
Any help would be great. I really loved this book as a kid.
Maureen
Tags: Ask The Readers popcult
The description made me think that it was a Sweet Dreams book, and a Google search turned up this:
http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Perfect-Sweet-Dreams-190/dp/0553294520
The main character has a limp, joins the swim team, and there’s even a dolphin who gets caught in a net.
I totally remember that book. Like Maureen I read it dozens of times in the 70s but, for the life of me, I can’t remember what its called. There were no dolphins.
The day before cheerleading tryouts she’s in an accident and breaks both her legs. And then she’s totally cranky because well, her entire future depended on her becoming cheerleader. And, I expect, her arch nemesis/best friend became head cheerleader and got all the cute guys. But then she’s sent to swimming for therapy, and has to endure the swimmer guys helping her in and out of the pool. And eventually grows up a bit and fall for one of the guys in her senior year, who likes her because when she’s not being a cheerleader she’s kinda cool, and she wins the state swimming championship.
And I can’t remember the title….
Andrea-oh so very close! I read the book in the 1970’s, and it looks like the one you found was published in 1992.
I read this book! Or a similar one…
The girl was an athlete of some sort and she was going water skiing and the steering in the boat broke and ran over her. She had loads of physical therapy in the hospital and she made friends with young boy in the hospital using a dragon hand puppet. The guy she ended up dating was the sick boy’s older brother.
No idea of the title though.
I’d totally forgotten the waterskiing part!
Karen and CurlyQ-that is totally the book I am looking for! I think I got the dolphin idea because I also read Island of the Blue Dolphin numerous times, must have got the covers confused. You guys remembered a lot more details than I did.
So close, but no title-I can’t believe I don’t remember it, I loved it so much.
I’m pretty sure this is The Family Name. I LOVED this book when I was a kid.
Oh oh, I remembered a bit more. One time when she’s swimming she’s watching a girl named Nancy practice diving and Nancy hots her head on the diving board and gets knocked unconscious and the heroine swims over and saves her and everyone is amazed at how fast she swims and that’s how she ends up on the swim team.
Now, what the heck was it called? I read it in the late 70s/early 80s and it was out of the school library.
Honey Wheeler is right, thank you so much! It is called The Family Name by Jan Washburn, I just ordered a used copy from amazon. As soon as I saw the cover, I knew that was it. The girl is in an orange and white bathing suit, and the guy is kneeling next to the pool.
This is amazing to me, I have been trying to find this book for years. The power of the TN!!
I just have to throw out there how much I love the Honey Wheeler moniker. I’ve spent my life alter-egoing as Trixie, so to see a fellow BWotG out here makes me oh so happy.
Leigh in CO: Gleeps!! None of my friends read the TB books when they were kids/have ever even heard of TB, so it is so cool to find another honorary BWotG out there.
Oh lord, I loved the TB series. My mom has my whole set in her attic so that when my daughter (now 14 months) is old enough, she can read them. Lame much?
Rachel, I have my whole set in my parent’s attic. If we’re lame, at least we’re lame together.