The Principles Behind Flotation

A lighthearted coming-of-age debut echoing novels like Karen Russell's Swamplandia! and Carol Rifka Brunt's Tell the Wolves I'm Home.

A.Z. McKinney is on the shores of greatness. Now all she needs is a boat.

When the Sea of Santiago appears overnight in an Arkansas cow pasture, it seems, to some, a miracle. But to high school sophomore A.Z. McKinney, it marks her chance to make history—as its first oceanographer. All she needs is to get out on the water.

And when a cute, conceptual artist named Kristoff moves to town, A.Z. realizes she may have found a first mate. Together, they draw up plans to build a boat and study the sea in secret. But from fighting with her best friend to searching for a tourist-terrorizing alligator (that may or may not be a crocodile), distractions are everywhere . . .

With her self-determined oceanic destiny on the line, A.Z. finds herself at odds with everything she thought she knew about life, love, and the sea. To get what she wants, she'll have to decide whether to sink or float . . . But which one comes first?

"Beautifully written, equal parts hilarious and poignant, this insightful, and stunningly imaginative, novel is a miracle in itself." —Skip Horack, author of The Other Joseph, The Eden Hunter, and The Southern Cross

"Teague's debut novel masterfully chronicles the friction, contradictions, and emotional tsunamis of being an intelligent 14-year-old girl." —Booklist, starred review