Chapter 1: Summertime Swimming
By Jake Maddox
“Race you to the pool!” Rachel shouted.
“No running!” Jenny called back. Jenny smiled as her younger sister Rachel walked as fast as her little legs could go toward the community swimming pool. Sun sparkled on the clear water. It was August, and in just a few days summer would end, and Jenny would be starting sixth grade.
“Hey, Jenny!” a girl shouted. Jenny looked over to see her friend Maya waving from the deep end. Jenny smiled and waved back at her, then turned to find Rachel. Her little sister was already starting down the steps into the pool.
“Wait up, Rachel!” Jenny shouted. She motioned for Maya to join them in the shallow end. Jenny walked down the steps and let herself slide under the cool water.
“Ahhhh,” she said as she popped back up.
“I love swimming!”
“Me too,” Maya said, swimming up to her. “In fact, I think I’m going to join the swim team this year.”
“Oh, really?” Jenny asked as she waded through the water toward Rachel.
“Yeah,” Maya said. “It’ll be fun. I mean, we’ve spent all summer in the pool, why not keep it up?”
Jenny frowned. “I don’t know,” she said. “I love swimming, but I don’t like competition. It always makes me nervous.”
“But you’d be great,” Maya insisted. “Yeah, you’re super fast!” Rachel agreed as she dog-paddled past the two friends.
“Maybe,” Jenny said, twisting a strand of wet hair around her finger. “I’ll think about it.”
“Just don’t take too long,” Maya cautioned. “School starts next week, and tryouts won’t be long after!”
The girls stayed at the pool all afternoon, swimming until the sun was high in the sky. Rachel sat on the edge of the pool while she ate a snack and kicked her legs in the water. Maya and Jenny floated in the water nearby, talking about what middle school would be like.
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Adapted from Pool Panic, by Jake Maddox, ©️ by Capstone. Reprinted with permission.
In this chapter, Jenny and her younger sister Rachel go to the community swimming pool on a hot summer day. Jenny's friend Maya joins them, and they all have fun swimming in the pool. Maya tells Jenny that she plans to join the swim team, but Jenny is unsure about competing because it makes her nervous. Maya encourages her to give it a try and mentions that school starts soon, so tryouts won't be far away. The chapter ends with all three girls enjoying their time at the pool and discussing what middle school will be like.
Who is telling the story?
A third-person narrator
Rachel as the first-person narrator
Jenny as the first-person narrator
Maya as the first-person narrator