I grinned and looked over at Kaya and Viv. They were smiling, too.
I thought about what Mr. Alvarado had written. He was right. Yeah, my official project was all the triathlon-y stuff, but I’d taken way more risks than I’d written about in my paper. I went to a therapist and talked about it with my friend. I had an honest conversation with Viv. I helped Mom get out of her funk—the one I didn’t actually cause. I helped me get out of my funk. I realized that friends didn’t only have to be the people you went to school with—they could be your nice neighbor with the cocoa, a high school girl who seemed snotty but actually wasn’t, anybody.
Everybody.
And I did it all, even with that big worry in the back of my mind that it wouldn’t work, that I’d be sad, that my future bubbles would say the same sad things as everyone else’s. But maybe a sad bubble or sad thought every so often didn’t mean a sad life.
There probably would be some sad things in my future. But there would be good things, too. And as long as I had my friends and family with me, and really listened to them, and we worked together, I’d never have to deal with any of those things alone. We’d cross finish lines together. And when the lines disappeared or got taken away by a big guy named Rick, we’d make it work. We’d eat pancakes and move on. Adventurous Girls did. And that was a fact.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
If you want to know what I’m really thinking, here it is: I’m the luckiest writer ever. I feel so fortunate to have been able to work on this book with a great team by my side. Thank you to Rebecca Sherman, Susan Dobinick, and Margaret Ferguson for your endless encouragement, invaluable insight, and overall amazingness.
Thank you also to Morgan Dubin, Joy Peskin, Andrea Morrison, Beth Clark, Jennifer Sale, and Karen Ninnis.
I am also thinking that the Sweet 16s, MG Beta Readers, and the Guild are the absolute best. Thanks all for your continued friendship and support.
Other people who are the best: my wonderful early readers and friends, Kalvin Nguyen, Erika David, Gail Nall, Jo Marie Bankston, and Victoria Coe. You all really helped make the story shine, as did Noah Priluck (thanks for the history tidbits!) and Francis Keating (thanks for letting me borrow the story about the queen!).
To my wonderful family and friends: AJ, Rena, Andie, Devorah, Gail, and Jess, thank you for being awesome. And of course, to my parents, Kathy and David, who started championing my books in elementary school and haven’t stopped since—thank you. I have the best, most unconditional support system with you two, and am so lucky to be your daughter.
When I wrote this book, I never could have imagined that I’d find someone who would always be able to tell what I was thinking, no magical bubbles needed. Michael, not only do you know my thoughts, you know exactly how to respond to each one (usually with a combination of patience, humor, encouragement, and grilled cheese sandwiches, plus a whole lot of love). You’re the best.
ALSO BY ABBY COOPER
Sticks & Stones
About the Author
Abby Cooper, a former teacher and school librarian, lives in Minnesota with her miniature poodle, Louis, and a whole bunch of books. Her favorite things in the world (besides writing) are getting and giving book recommendations and sharing her love of reading with others. In her spare time, she likes eating cupcakes, running along the Mississippi River, and watching a lot of bad reality TV. Sticks & Stones is her first novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1 Imaginary Locks
2 Downstairs
3 Four Months of Mourning
4 Risk
5 Rainbow Insides
6 False Alarm
7 Try-athlon
8 Rocks
9 Ten P.M.
10 Weird Whimpers
11 Un-manifesting Destiny
12 Secrets
13 For the Gloves
14 Spinning
15 The Tough Eat Pancakes
16 Wristbands
17 Highlights
18 Bubbles Are upon Us
19 Noodling and Other Non-drowning Activities
20 The Pool
22 Swimming (or Something)
23 Splat
24 Work
25 Truth
26 Little Wins
27 You Can Run but You Can’t Hide
28 Eruption
29 The Stuff You Know
30 An Update
31 The New Project
32 Tri Time
33 The End of the Race
34 News
35 Figuring It Out
36 Pancake Party
37 All the Truth
38 The End of the Bubbles
39 An Adventure
40 Climbing Mount Fitz Roy
41 What You Do
42 The Risks I Took
Acknowledgments
Also by Abby Cooper
Copyright
Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
An imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
Text copyright © 2017 by Abby Cooper
All rights reserved
First hardcover edition, 2017
eBook edition, July 2017
mackids.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Cooper, Abby, author.
Title: Bubbles: a novel / Abby Cooper.
Description: First edition. | New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017. | Summary: While trying to cheer up her depressed mother, twelve-year-old Sophie gets roped into doing a triathlon as part of a school project on risk-taking, and discovers she can see people's thoughts in bubbles above their heads. | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016038108 (print) | LCCN 2017014003 (ebook) | ISBN 9780374302924 (ebook) | ISBN 9780374302900 (hardback)
Subjects: | CYAC: Extrasensory perception—Fiction. | Risk-taking (Psychology)—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Mothers and daughters—Fiction. | Middle schools—Fiction. | Schools—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Friendship.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.C6477 (ebook) | LCC PZ7.1.C6477 Bu 2017 (print) | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016038108
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eISBN 9780374302924