Dive Smack

"A tense psychological drama with a voice that pulls you in and a twist you won't see coming."―Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten

A 2018 Junior Library Guild Selection

Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.

Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.

But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make Theo question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone―including himself.

"Heartbreaking, human and heroic, Demetra Brodsky's Dive Smack is a Perfect 10!"― Karen LaFace, 1992 USA Olympic Springboard Diver