“When I am in the waterMy body moves like a wave:There is a violence to itAnd a beauty.” Initial Final Page Thoughts.“And itNever felt so good.”YES.High Points.Kasienka. William. The writing. Friendship. Saying goodbye. Reunions. Butterfly stroke. Kisses like Haribo. Love is a large W. Mama. Resilience. Culture. Blueberry ice cream. Girly sleepovers. Tummy tumbles. Low Points.I would have loved to have had a few more poems set when Kasienka and her mum were in Poland. I think it would have ad

A short, basic read. The story was alright, quite mediocre and not much happened. It just felt quite basic and underdeveloped. I adored One, also written by Crossan in a freeverse format, but this just felt very two dimensional and boring.

“And though he is right,It makes me feel worseBecause I do not knowHow to be happy.”Although I have read only two of Crossan's books. It's safe to say I love her. I read One last year and it actually made me cry and love it so bad, it jumped onto my top #5 spots. Although it has been replaced, but nevermind that. Sarah Crossan knows how to make you feel. She knows how to squeeze your heart and make you use up a whole box of tissues. Yeah, she's that good. Not many authors are able to do that. Th...

The Weight of Water is a short but stunning novel, written completely in verse, about picking up the pieces and starting over again.Kasienka and her mother arrive in England from Poland, in search of Kasienka's "Tata" (father), who abandoned them when she was very young. She is enrolled in a secondary school in Coventry, but is treated as an outsider and an intruder by classmates who constantly poke fun at her. She finds solace in swimming and befriends an adult neighbour, both of which bring he...

Everyone…should…read…this…beautiful…and…heartbreaking…book! Trust me, you'll never regret reading it just as I thought I would!

The Weight Of Water is a novel written in a beautiful,poetic style which creates a fantastic story and atmosphere.Kasienka and her mother move to England, in search of Tata,Kasienka's dad who her mother is determined to find despite Kasienka's reluctance. Kasienka encounters numerous problems throughout the book, in school and at home.The novel deals with numerous themes, relevant to young people and adults.The honesty in Sarah Crossan's writing is a brilliant aspect of this book, as she doesn't...

3.5/5 StarsI always like a Sarah Crossan's book. This one was well done and I appreciate so much the fact that it was written in verse, the author is truly good with this writing style. I think the story is one a lot of people could relate to, not only because of the immigrant aspect which is very prominent in the narrative, but also because of the family theme that is always present on the page. I would categorize this book as a middle grade, but don't let this discourage you from reading it be...

This book made me cry. I felt so much frustration and heartache for Kasienka right through to the end, and, when there were glimmers of hope, I revelled in them. The story is beautifully written, poem-like in structure with a powerful rhythm that had me marching through, desperate to reach those happier moments. A good book to consider using with upper KS2 children in PSHE in regard to bullying and family separations.

There won't be a review as I don't think I can write a review to show how much I was surprised with this novel. A brief thought: The Weight of Water is raw, heart breaking and real. There were many deep subjects that young adult readers will enjoy although the main character was a middle grade child. This was written in free verse poem style- which I actually loved.

It's my novel, so I'm giving it five stars in the hope that I start a trend! Do hope you enjoy reading it. Any thoughts, send me a message; I'd love to hear from you.

April is here, and there’s a new Bookish bingo challenge to compete in! I didn’t score a bingo last month, and this time around I’m determined to be more strategic about my picks. One of the boxes I’d like to tick off is “verse novel,” which gave me the excuse I needed to dive into another Sarah Crossan book. The Weight of Water was Crossan’s debut and it follows a young girl named Kasienka as she adjusts to her new life in England with her mother. The two immigrated from Poland to track down Ka...

I'm not usually a fan of novels written in poetic form, but this was an exception. Much like the water which is a recurring motive, this is far deeper than it first appears, with a beautifully written protagonist. The sparse words were infinitely more evocative than dense prose would have been. I found that the characters moved fluidly and realistically throughout Kasienka's life, and the result was a beautifully moving piece of literature. Simply lovely. Excerpt from book:We weren't on a ship.I...

Talk about come-from-behind challengers. I was so certain I had my Carnegie nominees sorted, and then I read the The Weight of Water. I almost didn’t read it. It’s getting close to the end of the school year, and in a week’s time I’ll be on a plane back to Canada for the summer. I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest the time in reading this book, particularly because it is written in verse. Poetry and I are … fairweather friends.Not reading this book would have been a huge mistake, one I’m glad I did...

The Weight of Water is the story of Kasienka, a Polish girl who moved with her mother to England to look for her father, who has left them. I like Sarah Crossan's writing and I have read some of her work before. But this book was a bit on the cliche side for me. It's not bad just over done. Although if I were to complain about anything it would be the lack of positive female characters. Not every female in the universe is the "mean girl" or apart of the mean girl's group and it feels like I have...

The story of a young Polish girl called Kasienka, who along with her mother leave their home country and travel to England in search of Kasienka's birth father. Along the way, she starts at a new high school and runs into a group of nasty students in her year group. All she ever wants to be is happy and swim in the local pool, competing for school and country. This, along with Sarah's other novels I've read by her is written in verse. The short, poetic chapters made for raw emotional reflection....

I picked this book up completely on a whim, i'd never heard of it or the author before but it was on display at the library and I was quite taken by the cover. This book is told in verse and is a story about a Polish immigrant coming to the UK and trying to fit in. Its a very quick read, i read it in about 20 minutes or so, and I enjoyed it but wasn't bowled over as such. 3.5 stars

Simply Perfect. Do yourself a favor, carve out a few hours and read this in one sitting. It will leave a tiny stone in your gut that you will be unable to free yourself from for days. Beautifully written. Image rich and perfect for teen-agers dealing with being the odd-person out and fitting in. Loved this book.

I need to finally brush off my prejudice against books that are written in verse. Every single time I raise a sceptical eyebrow in their direction - completely unable to believe that this is anything more than just lazy storytelling - and every single time I find myself impressed. The Weight of Water was no exception. This is a delightful, if somewhat heartbreaking, little story that took me just over an hour to read.I've noticed some people shelving this as "middle grade" and I understand w

Young AdultThoughts to follow

Sarah Crossan’s One is one of my all-time favourite YA novels, but I hadn’t yet picked up her first verse novel, The Weight of Water. It’s about 12-year-old Kasienka who moves from Poland to England with her mother, searching for the father who left them. Continue reading this review over on Pretty Books.