SUMMER LIFEGUARDS

Four seventh graders get lessons in community spirit when a hurricane hits their Cape Cod town.

Narrators Jenna, Selena, Piper, and Ziggy start their school year assigned to write “a paper about what matters to us in life.” Meanwhile, as a hurricane heads their way, Jenna frets about beating Franny, her swim team rival, at an upcoming meet; Selena tries a homemade beauty treatment that goes badly awry; Piper worries about the safety of her grandma and the horses they care for; and Ziggy has concerns because her “hippie” mom is a conspiracy theorist who refuses to take the storm warnings seriously. Still, as the storm causes dramatic flooding and evacuations, all four girls pitch in to help and, in the aftermath, are left with both themes for their school assignment and inspiring glimpses of the good work done by the local lifeguard crew. In a largely White cast, the representation of characters with various underrepresented identities—from Ecuadorian American Selena to biracial Israeli and Somali Samantha, who has “dyslexia and other learning differences,” and autistic Franny—unfortunately misfires. The book broaches identity-related subjects, but they are not developed with tact or insight. Selena’s concerns about color-blind casting in the school play, Samantha’s self-identifying as “a mutt,” a character’s misleading comment about racial diversity in Israel, and the objectifying portrayal of Franny’s autism are missed opportunities for depth.

An uplifting story marred by clumsy efforts to inject diverse representation.