Swim Team
by Johnnie Christmas
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas is assigned in US schools at grades 3–7. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Swim Team is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 3–7
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 251
- Reading time
- about 4h 35m (est.)
- First published
- 2022
- Genre
- Middle Grade Graphic Novel
- ISBN-13
- 9780063056770
Where to find this book
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About this book
When Bree moves to Florida and the only elective with open seats is swimming, she has to confront a deep fear of the water — with coaching from an older neighbor who once swam competitively. Johnnie Christmas's Eisner-winning graphic novel threads the history of Black Americans and swimming into a grades 3-7 underdog sports story.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Graphic Novel title, typically at grades 3–7. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on perseverance and friendship; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
perseverance · friendship · race · courage
Where this book is assigned
Battle of the Books (state reading programs)
- recommended·3rd grade · North Carolinasource: NCSLMA Elementary Battle of the Books 2025-2026 (Grades 3-5)
- recommended·4th grade · North Carolinasource: NCSLMA Elementary Battle of the Books 2025-2026 (Grades 3-5)
- recommended·5th grade · North Carolinasource: NCSLMA Elementary Battle of the Books 2025-2026 (Grades 3-5)
Similar grade-level books
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
See all books like Swim Team→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Swim Team?
- Swim Team is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–7. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Swim Team?
- It takes about 4h 35m to read Swim Team (251 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 275 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Swim Team?
- Swim Team appears on reading lists for Battle of the Books (state reading programs). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Swim Team banned in schools?
- Swim Team does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Swim Team explore?
- Central themes in Swim Team include perseverance, friendship, race, courage. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 3–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.