What does Carter (a 14-year-old high school freshman boy) finally GET? Well ... you know, it.
Carter's disappointed in his lowly status in the social hierarchy. He's already got several strikes against him (a nervous stutter, ADD, a bitchy older sister) and he's fighting to find his niche.Is he a smooth ladies man? not so much. Baseball hero? looks extremely unlikely. Academic star? not gonna happen.
Mostly this book is about Carter's blundering through the year. His bike gets stolen. He goes to a party that gets busted. He's not the best athlete on the team. He can't figure out the right question to ask pretty girls. But over the course of the year, Carter begins to learn about himself - who he's not, but also who he might be. And it's fun to find out with him.
Carter's an incredibly like-able character, even when he's acting like an idiot. His friends are just as clueless as he is - I mean, come on, they're all freshman! And so their teenage pain is fairly universal. The book's well written, and I'll recommend it.
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Swim the Fly by Don Calame
If you are a boy, have boys, know boys, or enjoy boys ... this book is for you!
While the main premise (teen boy trying to impress girl) isn't breaking any new ground, the fact that it's set around summer swim team is a little different. But the true jewel in this book is the snappy, witty dialog and well-drawn out characters.
In a lame effort to impress the new girl, perpetual fifth-place finisher Matt Gratton volunteers to swim the toughest position this summer: 100 yard butterfly. His attempts to avoid humiliation make up the rest of the book - and would probably make a popular movie, too. Let's see, you've got breaking into the country club, explosive diarrhea, bikini modeling, a nude beach, and a horny cagey grandpa ... just for starters. Sounds like blockbuster success.
And the book is truly funny too. I really enjoyed it from start to finish, and especially relished the dialog between the 3 teen boys. Plus, grandpa steals any scene he's in. :)
While the main premise (teen boy trying to impress girl) isn't breaking any new ground, the fact that it's set around summer swim team is a little different. But the true jewel in this book is the snappy, witty dialog and well-drawn out characters.
In a lame effort to impress the new girl, perpetual fifth-place finisher Matt Gratton volunteers to swim the toughest position this summer: 100 yard butterfly. His attempts to avoid humiliation make up the rest of the book - and would probably make a popular movie, too. Let's see, you've got breaking into the country club, explosive diarrhea, bikini modeling, a nude beach, and a horny cagey grandpa ... just for starters. Sounds like blockbuster success.
And the book is truly funny too. I really enjoyed it from start to finish, and especially relished the dialog between the 3 teen boys. Plus, grandpa steals any scene he's in. :)
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