Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Margaret Waterman for TeensReadToo.com
SWIM THE FLY is a funny, cute novel about three best friends on a mission - to see a girl "in the buff."
Every summer, the boys get together on the morning of their first day of summer swim team and set a goal. They must complete this goal by the last day of summer. This year, it is to see a girl naked.
The main character, Matt, sets his eyes on Kelly West, the newest addition to the Rockville swim team. Having gone from string bean to smokin' in just one year, Kelly is gorgeous - and Matt can't keep his mind off of her.
Unfortunately, this goal turns out to be far easier said than done.
In just a few chapters, the reader realizes that Matt's other summer goal, swimming the 100-meter butterfly (which is generally acknowledged to be the hardest stroke in the sport of swimming), is far more realistic.
A fast and fun read, I would recommend SWIM THE FLY to boys and girls alike - boys will repeatedly relate to Matt and his friends, and girls will be interested to see a bit into the mind of a typical teenage male. This book constantly delivered laughs and was never too slow or too boring.
I'm looking forward to seeing more from Don Calame in the future!
SWIM THE FLY is a funny, cute novel about three best friends on a mission - to see a girl "in the buff."
Every summer, the boys get together on the morning of their first day of summer swim team and set a goal. They must complete this goal by the last day of summer. This year, it is to see a girl naked.
The main character, Matt, sets his eyes on Kelly West, the newest addition to the Rockville swim team. Having gone from string bean to smokin' in just one year, Kelly is gorgeous - and Matt can't keep his mind off of her.
Unfortunately, this goal turns out to be far easier said than done.
In just a few chapters, the reader realizes that Matt's other summer goal, swimming the 100-meter butterfly (which is generally acknowledged to be the hardest stroke in the sport of swimming), is far more realistic.
A fast and fun read, I would recommend SWIM THE FLY to boys and girls alike - boys will repeatedly relate to Matt and his friends, and girls will be interested to see a bit into the mind of a typical teenage male. This book constantly delivered laughs and was never too slow or too boring.
I'm looking forward to seeing more from Don Calame in the future!
Every summer since they were little, Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, have set goals for themselves. This year, it's to see a real live naked girl. Pictures don't count. Porn doesn't count. A real girl, alive and warm and luscious, counts.
Meanwhile, Matt is busying trying to figure out how he can win the attention of Kelly West, a beautiful fellow swimmer. He decides to volunteer to swim the 100 fly--the hardest race ever--in order to impress her, but quickly realizes that he is NOT equipped to swim the fly at all.
In between trying to accomplish their goal and trying to make sure he doesn't end up making a fool of himself, Matt doesn't realize that he also has time to open his eyes to some bigger and better things that are out there for him.
What can I say about SWIM THE FLY that will do it justice? This book absolutely blew me away. I found myself rolling on the ground in laughter and devouring the pages as I couldn't stop flipping through them, eager to see what sort of scrapes Matt and his adorable friends get themselves into. Think "There's Something About Mary" starring teenagers, and you can get a slight sense of the appeal that this book will have for both males and females.
SWIM THE FLY is just the right combination of gut-splitting humor, teen romance, and failed "missions" to win the hearts of any reader. I await Don's future novels with great impatience now!
Meanwhile, Matt is busying trying to figure out how he can win the attention of Kelly West, a beautiful fellow swimmer. He decides to volunteer to swim the 100 fly--the hardest race ever--in order to impress her, but quickly realizes that he is NOT equipped to swim the fly at all.
In between trying to accomplish their goal and trying to make sure he doesn't end up making a fool of himself, Matt doesn't realize that he also has time to open his eyes to some bigger and better things that are out there for him.
What can I say about SWIM THE FLY that will do it justice? This book absolutely blew me away. I found myself rolling on the ground in laughter and devouring the pages as I couldn't stop flipping through them, eager to see what sort of scrapes Matt and his adorable friends get themselves into. Think "There's Something About Mary" starring teenagers, and you can get a slight sense of the appeal that this book will have for both males and females.
SWIM THE FLY is just the right combination of gut-splitting humor, teen romance, and failed "missions" to win the hearts of any reader. I await Don's future novels with great impatience now!
This book was a lot of fun to read. The writer had a nice, light writing style that made the story seem very real (the voice of a teen boy was very clear in the story) and reachable (I felt this book was an easy read).
The characters are very realistic. They are all a mix of positive characteristics that make them lovable and negative characteristics that make them human. And they change throughout the story.
I was disappointed that the storyline with Ulf was not more complete at the end. I felt Matt needed to meet with Ulf again after swimming the fly to debrief from the experience because the experience obviously changed Matt but I am not sure in what ways. And I am not sure that Matt really gets what changed for him too.
The characters are very realistic. They are all a mix of positive characteristics that make them lovable and negative characteristics that make them human. And they change throughout the story.
I was disappointed that the storyline with Ulf was not more complete at the end. I felt Matt needed to meet with Ulf again after swimming the fly to debrief from the experience because the experience obviously changed Matt but I am not sure in what ways. And I am not sure that Matt really gets what changed for him too.
