What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Hi guys! Got another really vague one for you. :) This is a YA science fiction or fantasy title I would have read in the mid-2000s, no later than 2009. The narration was in first person, told by a teenage boy almost entirely in sentence fragments. I recall him explaining at the beginning that his teachers always told him to use full sentences, but he likes fragments because they "generate pace."

I don't remember too much about the plot, unfortunately. I remember there was a female character who was potentially some kind of supernatural creature/had supernatural abilities taking him along on a mission of some sort. One scene that stood out to me in particular is a part where the characters have to travel underwater. I can't remember how they're able to breathe... Possibly the female character gives the main character some kind of device/spell/other object that lets him breathe underwater? Anyway, she also tells him to take all his clothes off to reduce buoyancy, but he's uncomfortable doing that (possibly attracted to her?) and keeps his shorts or boxers on,

I have kind of vague memories of the cover too. Most of it was yellow, with a picture in the center of the main character in front of an underwater scene.

Anyway, that's about all I got. Any ideas will be much appreciated! :)

Some of the elements in your description fit. The fragmented sentences, told in first person from a boys point of view with a female creature maybe Paranormal sounds kinda like Above

Whoa, that sounds neat! Almost a City of Ember kind of setup. :) Unfortunately, I think it's a little too new to be the one I was looking for. I should have mentioned this in my first post (oops!), but I think the society in the book was very modern/realistic too, and it wasn't until the main character met the girl that all the sci fi/fantasy elements came in.

Thanks for the suggestion, though! Might have to add that one to my reading list. :)

No worries, it was worth a shot.

Oh gosh, I think I found it! It might be Firestorm by David Klass. According to Booklist:

"Jacks parents have taught him to blend in, and he resents it. He knows he can be a star--which he becomes when he shatters his schools rushing record and appears on the news. Then his parents tell him they arent really his parents, and Jack suddenly finds himself catapulted from being on top of the world to running for his life and being the only one equipped to avert ecological disaster. In the first volume in this eco-fantasy series, Klass avoids preaching while still conveying how easily ignorance can cause environmental atrocities; a scene in which Jack helps trawl for orange roughy is downright chilling. The nonstop run of fragmentary sentences is effective in action scenes; its distracting everywhere else, however, so its fortunate that the book is packed with high-intensity thrills. Style matters aside, Klass protagonist comes off as a regular guy, right down to his awkward sexual impulses, and Jacks surprising fate will leave readers waiting eagerly for the second installment in the Caretaker Trilogy. -- Krista Hutley (Reviewed 09-15-2006) (Booklist, vol 103, number 2, p55)"

I'm placing a hold through the library to confirm my suspicious, but the "nonstop run of fragmentary sentences" has me convinced. Haha, sorry guys, I should've just looked a little bit longer myself before posting this. :)

The book arrived today, and this is definitely it! I opened it to the first page, and the line about sentence fragments generating pace was one of the first things I saw. Time to mark this one solved. :)