Product details:
Publisher: Templar Publishing.
Release date: June 1st 2011.
Paperback, 336 pages.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart.
Funny and heart-warming, Don Calame’s Swim the Fly is a book that will make you laugh until you cry. Although I have been reading a lot of contemporary YA fiction lately, I’ve realised that I had yet to read one that centered around a male protagonist, and so, when Swim the Fly was pitched to me, I knew I had to give it a try. I just never imagined that my first foray into dude-lit would be such an enjoyable one. This book is laugh out loud hilarious and is definitely the funniest book I have read all year.
Friends Matt, Coop and Sean have a long standing tradition. Every summer they set themselves a mission, and this summer they’ve set themselves their toughest goal yet – to see a real live naked girl! You will not believe the hilarity that ensues as the trio endeavour to complete their mission. From laxatives to nudist beaches to cross-dressing, Matt, Sean and Coop know no bounds in their quest to see a hottie in the buff!
Summer is not all about trying to see naked girls, though. Well, it mostly is, but Matt, Coop and Sean are also members of their local swim team, and when Matt develops a crush on the Kelly West, the hot new girl in town, he decides to try and impress her by volunteering to swim the one-hundred yard butterfly – only the hardest stroke known to man! Further hilarity ensues as it soon emerges that Matt is no star athlete, and while he is dedicated to his cause, he spends just about as much time trying to weasel his way out of swimming the fly as he does training for it.
Every scene in this book is a gem, and Calame’s writing style is vivid, entertaining and fast-paced. Matt, Coop and Sean are a great trio, while secondary characters such as the ever-funny Grandpa Arlo, for example, will leave you in fits of giggles. Feel good and funny with themes of family, friendship and loyalty at its heart, Swim the Fly will appeal to teenage boys who will be impressed by just how far Matt, Coop and Sean will go to achieve their goal, while teenage girls will delight in getting a sneak peek into how the mysterious mind of the teenage boy works!
In Swim the Fly, Don Calame has written a great coming of age tale that will brighten your day whatever your mood, and as I turned the final pages of this book (still laughing), I was delighted to see that the series is set to continue with Coop (one of my favourite characters) taking center stage next time. Beat the Band is set to release in spring 2012. I can’t wait to read more!
Thanks to Templar Publishing I have an exclusive signed copy of Swim the Fly to give away!
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Competition closes: June 10th!
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