Get ready for riffs on hot girls, health class, and social hell! The outrageously funny boys from Swim the Fly return to rock their sopho...
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reviews
Mar 04, 2011
Erin
rated it: 
I started this and was immediately bothered by Cooper's language and his Dad's attitude. I was kind of disgusted to be honest, and didn't expect to enjoy the book, since I wasn't a big fan of Cooper's character. As the story went on, however, I found myself getting sucked in.
Cooper and his two friends start tenth grade with high expectations of getting with some hot girls. Cooper's plans are quickly derailed when he gets assigned to work with Hot Dog Helen on a health project. To More...
Cooper and his two friends start tenth grade with high expectations of getting with some hot girls. Cooper's plans are quickly derailed when he gets assigned to work with Hot Dog Helen on a health project. To More...
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Dec 18, 2010
Shanan
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Beat the Band is an excellent sequel to Swim the Fly. The characters seem to come alive even more as we see them through a second crazy plan. Initially, I found Cooper to be a hard narrator to support. His views, particularly of the girls in his class, really started to get under my skin. I realize part of that is that the reader is brought inside the mind of a teenage boy, but I initially found Cooper more irritating in that regard.
But I was so glad at the end that I stuck with More...
But I was so glad at the end that I stuck with More...
Oct 12, 2010
Marina
rated it: 
I really need to stop reading these kinds of books at night--I laugh through them and that doesn't make me sleepy!
The sequel to "Swim the Fly," this book switches to the point of view of Cooper Redmond. Coop, and his "Swim the Fly" buds Matt and Sean, are in their sophomore year. Their project in health class is to take a topic assigned by the teacher and present a full class period on it. Matt and Sean are drawn as partners but Coop is paired with Helen Harriwick--or H More...
The sequel to "Swim the Fly," this book switches to the point of view of Cooper Redmond. Coop, and his "Swim the Fly" buds Matt and Sean, are in their sophomore year. Their project in health class is to take a topic assigned by the teacher and present a full class period on it. Matt and Sean are drawn as partners but Coop is paired with Helen Harriwick--or H More...
Sep 10, 2011
Cristy
rated it:
“You won’t be sorry; I promise… this is going to be epic!” –Cooper Redmond… Famous last words, yes? Maybe, but that all depends on how you look at it. Even when you lose, sometimes you win something much better.
Although in the same vein of funny as SWIM THE FLY with most of the same cast, BEAT THE BAND (Swim The Fly #2) is a completely different story. To be honest the fact that this second book is written from Cooper’s pov had me going in a bit weary from the start. Coop’s brazen an More...
Although in the same vein of funny as SWIM THE FLY with most of the same cast, BEAT THE BAND (Swim The Fly #2) is a completely different story. To be honest the fact that this second book is written from Cooper’s pov had me going in a bit weary from the start. Coop’s brazen an More...
May 12, 2011
Grumpus
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An outstanding sequel to Swim the Fly! Like the Harry Potter characters, I loved reconnecting with these fellows and their exploits. Nick Podehl's narration is outstanding and those character voices will be forever ingrained in my head. Should there be another in this series, Nick Podehl better do the narration.
Swim the Fly was written from the perspective of Matt, who is one of the three boys whose exploits we hilariously follow. It is in this character's voice that the author More...
Swim the Fly was written from the perspective of Matt, who is one of the three boys whose exploits we hilariously follow. It is in this character's voice that the author More...
Mar 19, 2011
Joant
rated it: 
You know, I do not like Judd Apatow movies, and Homer Simpson truly drives me crazy. So, I knew this book was not written for me. I just really do not like bathroom humor. Other than that, but that is a big that in this book, the story was sort of sweet, and well written,too. Sort of like Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, but with boys. But please YA authors, you can be funny without being vulgar.
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Feb 12, 2012
Kirsty (overflowing library)
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Beat the Band was exactly what I was expecting after reading Swim the Fly last year. It's crude, funny and a better insight into the brain of a teenage boy that I probably needed!
The bos are back and on form. They manage to muddle themselves through a series of madcap events from coop having to join up with a social outcast to do a class presentation on contraception to them 3 boys entering a battle of the bands competition despite the fact they can't actually play any instruments.
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The bos are back and on form. They manage to muddle themselves through a series of madcap events from coop having to join up with a social outcast to do a class presentation on contraception to them 3 boys entering a battle of the bands competition despite the fact they can't actually play any instruments.
More...
Feb 01, 2011
Monica
rated it:
Just like it's predecessor, Swim the Fly, this book had me in tears from laughing so hard. Cooper Redmond decides that for their sophomore year goal, he and buds Matt and Sean will get to all the bases with, he hopes, the four hottest girls of the class. Yes, he crude and objectifies girls, especially when he's daydreaming of foursomes. Most teenage boys also hope for a girl to ask for a co-ed shower. What's funny is he doesn't stand a chance at any at scoring at these things, let alone first
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Jan 13, 2011
Raquelle
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Don Calame has a great sense of humor. I enjoyed reading Swim the Fly but my experience with the sequel Beat the Band was even better. Cooper makes for a hilarious and sympathetic protagonist. Like many high school students, Cooper is obsessed with his reputation. He desperately wants to cover all the bases with a hot girl and be cool with all the guys (and the popular girls) in school. However, the already shaky foundation upon which his reputation sits is about to crumble when he is paired up
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Sep 23, 2010
Kate
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Coop, Matt and Sean are back in Beat the Band. The school year is looking up for the three friends who barely managed to accomplish their summer goal of seeing a girl naked (never mind that it was their old, unattractive teacher on a nudist beach). Coop has big plans to get his cherry popped, preferably in a 4-way with the hottest girls in school! However, his dreams are ruined when he is partnered with "Hot Dog" Helen for a health class presentation on safe sex. To try to resuscit
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Sep 07, 2010
Adriana
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I really enjoyed this follow up to Swim the Fly. This time the story is told from the perspective of Coop, who was kind of the insensitive jerk of the trio of friends (Matt, Sean & Coop) from the first book. The story picks up during their sophomore year. Coop has a goal to hit all the bases with a girl, specifically with one of the 'hot', popular ones. But his tactics are not well-received (let's just say his lines are pretty lewd, but also goofy). His plans take a turn for the worse when
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Feb 05, 2012
Suzanne
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Both this book and its predessor are edgy and a bit crude, just the way young boys can be with each other. As a woman, I was a bit more shocked by the start of this book because it came off even more raunchy than Swim the Fly began. I was a little worried. But I need not have worried the opening shocking bravado was just empty talk.
Once the real story began, I realized that Don Calame was again masterful at allowing the reader to "feel like one of the boys" and that includ More...
Once the real story began, I realized that Don Calame was again masterful at allowing the reader to "feel like one of the boys" and that includ More...
Feb 19, 2012
Kathy
rated it:
Ok, this book had me laughing right from the start. Coop is such a skuz it is unbelieveable, but he has a good heart, and you can't really dislike him.
His Health teacher teams him with a totally unpopular girl for a whole semester for a presentation on contraception, so Coop HAS to do something to redeem his own reputation at school. His first choice is to help the clique of hot girls who are making his partner's life even more miserable. His second thought is to revive the band he More...
His Health teacher teams him with a totally unpopular girl for a whole semester for a presentation on contraception, so Coop HAS to do something to redeem his own reputation at school. His first choice is to help the clique of hot girls who are making his partner's life even more miserable. His second thought is to revive the band he More...
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Feb 03, 2012
Zoe
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This book is hilarious, riveting and fun involving characters I will never forget. I am definitely going to be looking out for the prequel, Swim the Fly, which I have heard is ten times funnier!
Beat the Band revolves around the three trouble-causing teenagers: Coop, Sean and Matt. When Coop gets paired up with the most repulsive social outcast, 'Hot Dog' Helen, he has to do something to keep his reputation (or what he has of it). Rumours are getting worse and worse, so he must act More...
Beat the Band revolves around the three trouble-causing teenagers: Coop, Sean and Matt. When Coop gets paired up with the most repulsive social outcast, 'Hot Dog' Helen, he has to do something to keep his reputation (or what he has of it). Rumours are getting worse and worse, so he must act More...
Jul 07, 2011
Anne
rated it:
Sequel to Swim the Fly
Now that the boys have fulfilled their quest to see a real live naked female, Cooper has set a new goal: sex (or tagging as many bases as he can, anyway). When he gets assigned to a project with Helen "hot dog" Harriwick, he sees his chances of scoring drop to an all-time low. He decides that the way to combat this is by getting into the school Battle of the Bands because rock stars always get the hot girls. The only problem is that his band really s More...
Now that the boys have fulfilled their quest to see a real live naked female, Cooper has set a new goal: sex (or tagging as many bases as he can, anyway). When he gets assigned to a project with Helen "hot dog" Harriwick, he sees his chances of scoring drop to an all-time low. He decides that the way to combat this is by getting into the school Battle of the Bands because rock stars always get the hot girls. The only problem is that his band really s More...
Jan 30, 2012
Tina
rated it:
I can tell that the reader is supposed to dislike the main character at first and then grow to like him as the book progresses. This was not the case for me.
I will forever hate Cooper, even if he turns out to be less of an egotistical jerk in the end. Both he and his dad are very unrealistic, at least to me. Their constant use of slang and vulgar language seems over the top and unnecessary.
I did, however, like Helen. I'm going to be honest and say that when Helen was first in More...
I will forever hate Cooper, even if he turns out to be less of an egotistical jerk in the end. Both he and his dad are very unrealistic, at least to me. Their constant use of slang and vulgar language seems over the top and unnecessary.
I did, however, like Helen. I'm going to be honest and say that when Helen was first in More...
Jul 19, 2010
Jacer3000
rated it:
Woooo, ah, I love this series. But as I said, it's not for everyone. In fact, it probably only appeals to teenage guys about my age... Heh.
But I was laughing out loud for half the book, and the other half was devoted to a surprising amount of drama and romance. This book is exactly like the first book, except if anything, funnier and with a good bit less romanticism.
The first book, (Swim the Fly) was written from the perspective of Matt, the calm dude. And this book tells More...
But I was laughing out loud for half the book, and the other half was devoted to a surprising amount of drama and romance. This book is exactly like the first book, except if anything, funnier and with a good bit less romanticism.
The first book, (Swim the Fly) was written from the perspective of Matt, the calm dude. And this book tells More...
Nov 14, 2011
Tami
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Okay, I loved this book. I laughed outlound several times - late at night, reading until 2am to finish it! Cooper and his Dad are crase and inappropriate but hilariously funny. My favorite parts are: the gassy library (no kidding), shopping for contraceptives, and "sprucing up their image". As an 80's music fan, I enjoyed Dad revisiting his high school band days and the images it conjured up. I also appreciated the use of song titles as chapter titles - clever Mr. Calame, very clev
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Jul 18, 2011
Jennifer
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This book was as much fun as Swim the Fly by Calame. It is told by the POV of Coop,the girl obsessed sophomore who he is crass and unlikable only because his main goal is to round the bases with the hottest girls in school. Then he matched up with Hotdog Helen who is ridiculed by the entire school, to complete a project on contraceptives for Health class. To fight this uncool happening he forms a band with his two best buds in the hope of winning the school's battle of the bands. He soon fin
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Oct 23, 2011
Dylan
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This is easily one of the funniest books I've ever read. I actually picked this one up before I read Swim the Fly. Surprisingly, I wasn't hopelessly confused without the guidance of the first book. Beat the Band could easily be a stand-alone novel.
Cooper, the main character, is absolutely hilarious. I actually laughed out loud many times throughout the pages of this book. The plans he goes through just to accomplish his goal simply adds to the humor. It's actually quite realistic More...
Cooper, the main character, is absolutely hilarious. I actually laughed out loud many times throughout the pages of this book. The plans he goes through just to accomplish his goal simply adds to the humor. It's actually quite realistic More...
Feb 09, 2011
Stacy
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My underclassmen have been checking out this book like crazy. It is a quick read and I can see why the humor in it would appeal to young men. This is the sequel to Swim the Fly which was also very popular at my school. The gist of the story is three young men who are willing to do about anything to see a naked girl and then move that relationship a little further. While sometimes the jokes between the friends in regards to sex gets a little tired, my students don't seem to mind and return th
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Jan 17, 2012
Sarah
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After reading Swim the Fly, I was totally excited to read its sequel, Beat the Band. Swim the Fly came at the right time for me. It's one of my guilty pleasure reads: hilarious in a bawdy, toilet humour kind of way that isn't afraid of looking stupid, with a pretty awesome protagonist (one that I wouldn't mind befriending or even more-than-friend-ing), a hint of romance (which I am an absolute sucker for). However, I did find that some of the aspects of the story could use a little polishing, wh
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Feb 08, 2012
Pamela
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Coop feels like his world is falling apart. Best friend Matt is always with his new girlfriend, Val, Sean is moping over his ex…then he gets paired with Hotdog Helen in health class.
The ridicule starts swift and sure, the masses branding Coop ‘Corndog’. The last thing he wants is to be around Helen or be associated with her. Then he hears about the Battle of the Bands. Coop figures, if he wins, people will back off and remember how cool he is. What Coop doesn’t factor in is the othe More...
The ridicule starts swift and sure, the masses branding Coop ‘Corndog’. The last thing he wants is to be around Helen or be associated with her. Then he hears about the Battle of the Bands. Coop figures, if he wins, people will back off and remember how cool he is. What Coop doesn’t factor in is the othe More...
Jan 20, 2012
Reading this book is like standing to the side waiting for an accident to happen. You know it's coming and you can't do anything to stop it.
The main character, Cooper, isn't easy to like in the beginning. I'm pretty sure I knew him in high school and he was a flipping #&%*! But somehow he grew on me. And the situations he gets himself into are literally laugh out loud funny. After I read one scene to my husband (condoms and beer bottles were involved -- in the book, not with us!) he co More...
The main character, Cooper, isn't easy to like in the beginning. I'm pretty sure I knew him in high school and he was a flipping #&%*! But somehow he grew on me. And the situations he gets himself into are literally laugh out loud funny. After I read one scene to my husband (condoms and beer bottles were involved -- in the book, not with us!) he co More...
Apr 05, 2011
Bri Meets Books
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The boys from Swim the Fly by Don Calame are back! Beat the Band isn’t exactly a sequel to Swim the Fly, but it does have the same characters. Once I heard about Calame’s second book I had to have it. While the first book by Calame was narrated by Matt, Beat the Band has Coop’s tale to tell. It isn’t essential to read Swim the Fly, but after reading Beat the Band, you’ll want to. Both books are hilarious.
It’s tenth grade and the boys are upping the ante on their juvenile bets. More...
It’s tenth grade and the boys are upping the ante on their juvenile bets. More...
Feb 05, 2011
Alissa
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This hilarious follow-up to Swim the Fly reads like the storyline for an American Pie movie told from the perspective of the insensitive, love-to-hate-him jerk Steve Stifler. Or, in the case of this book, the very Stifleresque Cooper "Coop" Redmond (one can easily imagine Coop accidently consuming various bodily fluids, ending up in a dark room with someone's grandmother in a case of mistaken identity, or getting himself in some other hilarious but cringeworthy situation).
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Oct 23, 2010
Bridget
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I won this book in a First-Reads giveaway. Looking forward to reading it!
Update: book arrived & I read it!
I entered this first reads give-a-way because I have a reluctant reader (12 yr old boy) & a 22 yr old new middle school English teacher in my household. My daughter needed mega-books to start her class reading library & I thought it would be cute for my son.
OK, I may be getting old but this book was "faster" than what I thought it would be, right in th More...
Update: book arrived & I read it!
I entered this first reads give-a-way because I have a reluctant reader (12 yr old boy) & a 22 yr old new middle school English teacher in my household. My daughter needed mega-books to start her class reading library & I thought it would be cute for my son.
OK, I may be getting old but this book was "faster" than what I thought it would be, right in th More...
Dec 11, 2010
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
In the author note for BEAT THE BAND, Don Calame states, "It was hard saying good-bye to the characters in SWIM THE FLY. And then I realized I didn't have to. I just needed to find a way to get them back into trouble again."
This reader is extremely pleased that Calame missed his characters enough to give them another chance in BEAT THE BAND. I found them even more engaging and entertaining thi More...
In the author note for BEAT THE BAND, Don Calame states, "It was hard saying good-bye to the characters in SWIM THE FLY. And then I realized I didn't have to. I just needed to find a way to get them back into trouble again."
This reader is extremely pleased that Calame missed his characters enough to give them another chance in BEAT THE BAND. I found them even more engaging and entertaining thi More...
Oct 03, 2011
SWIM THE FLY is quite possibly the funniest book I have ever read, so I was excited to read it's sequel BEAT THE BAND. This story is told from Coop's Point of View. Coop has to be the crudest and most offensive teenage boy ever to grace the pages of literature. Having such an unlikable narrator was annoying at times, but Don Calame's whit and comedic genius carried through anyway. If you loved SWIM THE FLY and want to read more inappropriate male teenager humor, BEAT THE BAND is the book for you
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Jul 06, 2010
Meredith
rated it:
(ARC from ALA) Companion book to "Swim the Fly" - very fun. At first I was disappointed to find this was told from Cooper's point of view- I found the character kind of annoying in the first book. But now I'm glad it was his pov, since I really like the kid after knowing him better. I liked the realistic issues, challenges, hilarious dialogue... Great Dad character. All-around good guy read, great follow-up, and I'm looking forward to Sean narrating junior year, maybe?
