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“[T]his well-crafted tale deftly examines the pressures of success and the courage necessary to find one’s own path… and the story gracefully underscores the importance of talking through problems with empathy and tolerance… A heartwarming coming-of-age tale about swimming, sisterhood, and principles.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Shang weaves a compelling tapestry of perennial tween anxieties, threading myriad subjects such as feeling pressured to act more mature, fear of saying the wrong thing, and the stress of familial expectations into a briskly paced tale of sports and community.”

—Publishers Weekly

The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun

Written by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Published by Scholastic Press

Esme Sun absolutely does not care about winning shiny trophies or finally receiving some of the praise her mother bestows so lavishly on her three older, brilliant sisters. But, actually… it would be nice to be good at something. So when Esme discovers on the first day of summer, opening day at the community pool, that her growth spurt over the winter has made her a really fast swimmer, she wonders if she just might have found that thing.

After Esme has an uncomfortable encounter at the pool with a new girl, Kaya, Esme worries she may have hurt Kaya’s feelings. Then, embarrassed by Esme’s awkwardness, her friend Tegan, the cool girl at school who seems to do everything perfectly, makes Esme promise that from now on, she’ll be chill, not act so babyish and intense about things–especially not swim team.

But when their swim competitions begin, and Esme starts winning, she finds that she actually cares a lot. In fact, she wants to break the pool’s freestyle record. That doesn’t mesh so well with her promise to Tegan. And as Esme tries to navigate swimming and her friendships, she searches for a way to apologize and make things right with Kaya.

Esme’s mom’s focus on winning confuses her, though, and she begins to wonder: Is winning really as important as she thinks, even if it means being unkind to your friends and teammates? Or is there another way to compete, to be a good sport and a good friend?

Primary ISBN: 9781546115380
Publication Date: June 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 08 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Book Guide – The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun

Source: Scholastic Press