Breathless

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

Beverly learned to scuba dive last year in Winnipeg and is now spending
winter break helping out at her uncle’s dive shop in Hawaii. Along
with the chance to scuba dive in the beautiful, warm waters of Kauai,
she hopes to lose 10 pounds and find a boyfriend during her two-week
stay. Beverly becomes tired, lightheaded, and weak from not eating, but
she continues to work hard in the store and goes scuba diving. She gains
the attention of several boys, including an overly flirtatious
18-year-old who works as a dive master for her uncle. Beverly’s
choices soon lead to trouble, as her dieting and her desire for a
boyfriend put her at serious risk.

Although the topic of crash dieting, the exotic setting of Hawaii, and
the adventure of scuba diving are great components for a teen novel for
reluctant readers, Beverly’s story has some inconsistencies that
weaken her authority as a narrator and diminish the impact of the book
as a whole. For example, Beverly says she is ignored by boys in
Winnipeg, which spurs her decision to diet, but in Hawaii, several boys
express interest in her before she even loses any weight. Also, she is
supposed to be an avid scuba diver, but she is unaware that salt water
is more buoyant than fresh, a fact that every certified diver is taught.
Beverly clearly and often demonstrates bad judgment and suffers the
consequences of her choices, but she ultimately learns from her
mistakes. Recommended with reservations.