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Swim the Fly (Swim the Fly #1)

by Don Calame (Goodreads Author), Nick Podehl (Goodreads Author) (Narrator)

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 1,516 ratings · 411 reviews

Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Sean and Coop, always set themselves a summer-time goal. This year’s? To see a real-live naked girl for the ﬁrst time. As far as Matt is concerned, they’d have better luck ﬁnding the lost city of Atlantis. But seeing a girl in the buff starts to seem like child’s play compared to the other summertime goal Matt sets for himself: to swi...more

Audiobook, 368 pages

Published April 13th 2010 by Brilliance Audio (first published April 14th 2009)

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Feb 20, 2010 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, young-adult

Every summer, Matt and his friends Coop and Sean set a goal for themselves. This summer, it's to see a girl au natural. And not on the Internet or in Playboy, but a real live girl.

The trio also spend each summer on the local swim team. But this summer, something is different. Kelly West has moved onto their swim team and Matt would do anything to get Kelly's attention--even volunteering to swim the 100 m butterfly section of the relay. The only problem--Matt can't swim the butterfly and it's one...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Kirsty (Blatant Biblioholic) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kirsty by: ARC from Waterstones

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, arc-review-copy

Swim the Fly follows three teenage boys who, every year, set themselves a goal for the summer. This year's goal is to see a real life naked girl. The book charts their attempts to complete this mission, with plenty of laughs along the way. It's told from the viewpoint of Matt, who has another challenge of his own - to swim the 100 yard butterfly in his swim-team's championship relay race in order to impress the new girl on the team.

It's an interesting peek into the mind of a teenage boy and, as...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-february-2012

A good, enjoyable read. Matt and his two friends, Coop and Sean, have spent every summer since they were practically babies at the pool with the swim team. They've always been the slowest swimmers, behind even the little kids, but it's never bothered them. It's what they do in the summer. And each year, they set some new challenge for themselves as a rite of passage.

This year, Matt has found a girl to impress, and that changes things. To get her attention, he volunteers to swim the butterfly str...more

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Mar 29, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humorous

This funny, fast story about three friends and their summer quest to see a naked girl is the perfect read alike for Whale Talk. It has a lot beneath the surface as Matt's determination to 'swim the fly' becomes more than just a way to see that girl's breasts. It will suck in a lot of readers with its fast dialogue and almost painfully 'will they get caught' scenarios. The bathroom humor widens the age range and I wouldn't be surprised to see this on the shortlists for awards next year ranging fr...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

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...more

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Mar 25, 2010 Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: guy-books, brought-to-rhs-library

Well done adolescent humor. If I Love You, Beth Cooper is adult adolescent humor, this is the high school version. Plenty of curious characters, vulgar jokes, and cringe-inducing shenanigans. It looses a little steam towards the end, where wrapping up all of the plot points slows the comedy down a bit, but this is a book I won't hesitate to recommend. It reads like a cousin of Carter Finally Gets It, but since I read "Swim" first, I like it just a bit more.

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Dec 12, 2012 Johnyates1797 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Author:Don Calame
*I think this book is for the kinda silly,funny type of reader. This book has alot of humar taht will have you smiling while you read. Its also the kind of book for a person is the hidden love story,how people hook up with the one person you would never get.
*I would give this a book 3-4 stars. I loved the comedy and the lil love story. But i felt like it was missing the surprem goal of the entir story.
*Beyond everything i truly loved this book start to finish,it had me laughing...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Ed added it · review of another edition

Calame, Don. (2009). Swim the Fly. New York: Candlewick. 352 pp. ISBN 978-0-7636-4157-3 (Hardcover); $16.99.

Let's see...what to say about SWIM THE FLY… I could say that the galley copies of this book include a blurb from—ME (and Lynn Rutan and Cindy Dobrez—the Booklist, Bookend bloggers and friends). I could also say that I would still be laughing if it wasn’t pouring through old yearbooks trying to decide if I ever used Don Calame as an alias in high school. This is one of those books that is f...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Cheeky_Monkey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now here's a book guys don't want you to read! Raunchy, hilarious, sharp, and did I say raunchy, this is one of the most entertaining reads I've ever come across.

Each summer, Matt, Sean, and Cooper set themselves a goal. This year, it's to see a naked girl. (Need I say more? Your interest is already piqued!) This might be easy for some guys, but not these ones- they're all, well let's just say their not ladies' men. Matt is also trying to impress a girl on his swim team, Kelly, by swimming the b...more

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May 13, 2012 Jake Lehmann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Matt, Coop, and Sean are best friends. In fact, they have been hanging out since they were in the third grade. Summer is kicking off and with it starts the swim season. They have been members of a community swim team for for a number of years. They enjoy it, but they are not necessarily all that good. That doesn't stop Matt from taking a surprising challenge when their butterfly swimmer has to drop out due to injury. He volunteers to fill the open slot, an major challenge since the opposing swim...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Mike marked it as to-read · review of another edition

In this novel Swim the Fly by Don Calame, the escapades of Matt Gratton and his best friends, Sean and Coop, are detailed with hilarious results. The boys set a summer goal to see their first live girl naked. A sub plot ensues when Matt volunteers to swim the fly in order to impress Kelly, a new member of the swim team. Some comical elements occur throughout the story: grandpa Arlo is smitten by his recently widowed next door neighbour, Matt mistakenly takes a powerful laxative instead of protei...more In this novel Swim the Fly by Don Calame, the escapades of Matt Gratton and his best friends, Sean and Coop, are detailed with hilarious results. The boys set a summer goal to see their first live girl naked. A sub plot ensues when Matt volunteers to swim the fly in order to impress Kelly, a new member of the swim team. Some comical elements occur throughout the story: grandpa Arlo is smitten by his recently widowed next door neighbour, Matt mistakenly takes a powerful laxative instead of protein powder with disastrous results and the three friends fall out of a bedroom closet while they are spying on Tony Grillo and Mandy Reagan having ‘fun’ at a party. Another pleasurable element in this story is Calame’s amusing choice of diction to paint interesting imagery in the reader’s mind. On page 79, details are given about Matt’s horrific reaction from the laxative, “The cesspool stink smacks me in the nose like a baseball bat and I feel the warm stew seeping down my legs. I waddle into the stall and stand there in complete shock.” More pleasurable elements include Matt’s failure with his partners-in-crime, which leads Matt and Sean getting caught by his sister. Page 67 quotes, “Sean struggles for but he’s no match for his sister…You’re in such deep s**t, Sean.” This was a very humorous scene as the failure of the three boys were seen and portrayed through their sibling’s anger. Another pleasurable scene included Matt and his mischievousness along with his three friends when they spot their swim coach naked at a nude beach. Page 292, quotes the humour of Matt and his friends’ immature behavior. “He presses the binoculars to his eyes and points them in the direction we were looking…You should have listened to us, Sean…How are you ever going to forget Ms.Luntz’s superdroopers.” Another memorable and pleasurable scene was near the end of the story where Matt is forced to race against Tony Grillo. Matt unexpectedly wins the race against Tony Grillo because Tony was disqualified, and the situation and reason for his disqualification is portrayed on page 343, “Tony breached his Speedo. Sean laughed…He flashed his saddle bags to all of Rockville. It was friggin’ awesome.” This was another expected and pleasurable scene to read as it portrays the hilarious deeds the three boys perform in order for Matt to win the race. Finally, what I did not like about the story, was its frequent use of rude and foul language. I thought the novel was extremely hilarious with captivating scenes, but the reoccurring explicit language was not satisfying and was something I disliked very much. To conclude, this was an amazing novel that brings life and excitement in each chapter, giving any reader the eagerness to read and want more, and I would highly recommend this novel to all teenagers. (less)

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Jul 04, 2011 K rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-ebook, nook

Firstly, Milk Money. Also, Wendy Peppercorn. American Pie and Sorority Boys. Superbad. I’ll stop now.

In short, this was like any summer teen movie. It reads a little young, the laughs are cheap and the ending can be spotted a mile away. But the laughs are there. Some books are the words on the page, some are just a feeling, and some, like this one, are better viewed as a movie in my mind. And who among us can’t laugh at bathroom humor? It had a sweet ending and it was actually the fact that the...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Lyrical rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I warn you, do not read this book on public transport unless you don’t mind people staring at you tittering away in the corner. Many books are funny but very few force eruptions of laughter from you when you least expect it, and Swim the Fly by Don Calame falls very comfortably into that category. This book is packed with all the cringey, awkward and embarrassing moments that plague the average teen boy’s life as the trio of 15-year-old boys try to fulfil their summertime goal – to see a naked g...more I warn you, do not read this book on public transport unless you don’t mind people staring at you tittering away in the corner. Many books are funny but very few force eruptions of laughter from you when you least expect it, and Swim the Fly by Don Calame falls very comfortably into that category. This book is packed with all the cringey, awkward and embarrassing moments that plague the average teen boy’s life as the trio of 15-year-old boys try to fulfil their summertime goal – to see a naked girl. Cue one badly laid plan after the other, all ending in catastrophe. Each chapter is like one episode after another of a coming-of-age sitcom, only without the unfunny bits like drugs and underage pregnancy. It’s pure slapstick with enjoyable tributes to the edgy.

Don’s experience as a screenwriter shines through in this story as it reads like a film, going at a really good pace and employing realistic dialogue. Perhaps the greatest skill in the writing lies in the way he weaves the relationships between each character and gives even the minor characters a really well-developed personality. I think my favourite bit part character is Grandpa Arlo with his shameless pursuit of the recently widowed Mrs Hoogenboom. I would probably die of embarrassment if my grandfather said some of the things Grandpa Arlo does and even he is a victim of the bad plan epidemic. However, despite the cringeathon, there are some really sweet moments in this book, especially the relationship between the three boys, Matt, Coop and Sean. Their interactions are so convincing that you think you’ve been reading about them for years but you’ve only known them for a few pages. Their friendship is so strong and despite their constant larking about, it’s clear they would do anything for each other and this is evident in the one decent plan Coop and Sean make at the end to help Matt out in his race. I won’t spoil it!

There’s also a serious side to Swim the Fly – if you can believe it – and it’s a side that really shows up the beauty and subtlety of the writing. From start to finish there’s a tremendous sense of Matt’s journey from boy to man. I know it’s an age old cliché but it’s woven so subtly that you don’t really realise what’s happened until you start thinking about it. Matt starts off as a pretty superficial guy, desperate to fit in and ogling the hottest girl on the swim team, but as the story goes on he gradually finds his humanity, realising what kind of girlfriend he actually wants, what really matters in life and what his friends mean to him. This is the beauty of the story: couching a heart-warming journey within hilarious episodes, keeping the story light but maintaining a significance and a reason to actually read it. It’s not a throw away comedy, it’s a beautiful and funny story, a really clever plot that will have you thinking fondly of it, like an old friend, for many months afterwards.

And don’t think this is a story strictly for teen boys. Girls, Don has an amazing ability to get inside the mind of a teen boy so don’t miss out on this rare insight. Adults, this one will have you indulging that secret immature side of yourself – the one that laughs internally at rude jokes and still marvels at new ways to refer to secret parts. You know it’s there – do not resist!

Lyrical Reviews (less)

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May 13, 2011 Winsontam added it · review of another edition

Swim the Fly is a great book for boys. It is a very humorous book and many teenage boys will really enjoy. Swim the Fly is a book full of drama and I can relate it to myself because I am a teenage boy myself. I find that if girls read this book the will understand how the boys mind work. It will answer a lot of questions that girls might have on boys. This book is a very fast past book, many thing happens in a short period of time, so I feel that when I start reading I don’t want to put the boo...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Diane Morasco rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fun, hilarious, my-library, review-copy, series, ya

Oh, my! Don Calame is one of the most humorous writers to walk this universe. Swim the Fly knocked me out. I was so immersed in Calame's witty prose, I just found myself turning the pages rapidly & it still didn't seem fast enough.

Swim the Fly is a must read for both males & females. Matt & his lovable cohorts get themselves into so many priceless scenarios you will be rolling so much your sides will ache. You will shake your head @ their hijinks, nod as their shenanigans ebb & f...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Tylor added it · review of another edition

this is a non fiction book the setting is rockvill and ulfs pool at this club where he swims. the main charracter is matt and his friends coop and sean i loved coop in this he was sooooo funny defintly my favorite character that and the grandpa. the plot is coop sean and matt want to see a real girl naked then matt wants to impress this girl kelly so he volenteers to swim the butterfly at the championship. the problem is that he dosent really know if he likes kelly and he cant swim the fly at al...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Minli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, inked-2011, made-me-laugh, boy-interest

This book is awesome. Hurray for Candlewick, who seems to be the home of many great new "guy" authors. Matt and his two friends Sean and Coop have a goal every summer since they were small--and this summer, now that they're fifteen, the goal is to see a girl naked.

Entertaining and fast-paced, Matt seems to be the less douchey, only slightly less hapless and least reluctant member of his trio when they carry out these schemes. On top of that, the swim team's only butterfly swimmer is out for the...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-white-pine-book-club-award-nom

Excuse me while I resist the urge to squeal because for the next few minutes, I'm going to sound like a fangirl here. But first, some background information: I read this as part of the White Pine Book Club in my school (it's currently in the running for the White Pine Book Award as a 2011 nominee). As part of Club privileges, members get to vote which of the 10 nominees is worthy of the Award--that is, after reading a minimum of 5 books. Members only get to vote once, so choices definitely need...more Excuse me while I resist the urge to squeal because for the next few minutes, I'm going to sound like a fangirl here. But first, some background information: I read this as part of the White Pine Book Club in my school (it's currently in the running for the White Pine Book Award as a 2011 nominee). As part of Club privileges, members get to vote which of the 10 nominees is worthy of the Award--that is, after reading a minimum of 5 books. Members only get to vote once, so choices definitely need to be well-thought out. Even though this was only my 4th book, I'm pretty sure I know which book I'm voting for.

It was perfect parts sweet, raunchy and hilarious--sure, it had that requisite dose of teen angst, which I admit, did bog down the pacing of the story a tad, but for the most part, it was done pretty well.

And ahh, the characterization was pitch-perfect--how can you not love these guys and their obvious immaturity? I loved Coop and his raunchy, breaching on offensive jokes--he was the perfect blend of immature and crude, almost offensive, breaching on genius while still remaining that awesome wise-cracking friend of yours. He was such an insane character. To be honest, it reminded me of me. Except in a guy's body. But maybe not as perverted.

I loved Matt. He was just that specially awkward funny guy in the group. I could just imagine him in real life--that gangly guy you see walking around with his shoulders hunched in front of him, a cloud hanging over his brow, that guy who you think would just be amazing to talk to, or whom you'd think would have the funniest jokes. I don't know, but I just loved him. And on top of all that loving, I had a bit more to spread around: I loved Grandpa Arlo, Valerie, Mrs. Gratton and awkward Sean too.

Sure, some of the jokes were bordering sexist--and Ulf was almost a caricature--but I thought that it was great that eventually, the guys do learn to respect the girls--all in their raucous, hilariously disgusting way. Hey, to each his own, right?

You could really see Don Calame's background in screenwriting show through in this book. The chapters are zippy, divided into hilarious little vignettes of just pure comedic gold (especially if you love the slapstick-oh-that's-what-she-said type of humour). Everyone had some sort of dimension to them--it wasn't like the characters were just props for the comedy, as you know how it can get in sitcom-type entertainment. They had flaws and they had strengths. Sure, it wasn't a deep study but it was just the right amount of getting-to-know needed for a comedic, coming-of-age tale.

To sum it all up: I thought it was marvelous. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a good time. ;)(less)

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Jan 21, 2010 Brian Rheinhardt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was so very funny. I read a passage of this book to a class of 10th graders, and one student started laughing so hard he almost had to leave the room. The class was so amused, I couldn't concentrate, and I started laughing. That has never happened to me before.

The premise is that three teenage boys have a dare each summer, and as the boys get older, the dares get more "mature" in nature. This summer, the dare is to see a naked girl, so the story focuses on their antics as they try to...more

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Jan 12, 2010 Aaron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Sep 25, 2009 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: older-teens, second-half-of-2009, young-adult-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Swim the Fly is, in a word, desperate. It's trying to capitalize on teenage boys penchant for gross-out humor and the success of recent raunchy comedies. And so we have a group of 15-year-old boys on a summer's long quest to see a "real, live girl naked." The portions of the book dealing with teenages boys hormonal obsessions with girls and nudity is spot on. But the dialogue feels false and out of touch. As do his mixture of made up pop culture references and outdated real ones. For instance, t...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Peep (Pop! Pop!) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: addicted-to-ya, audio-goodness, audiobooks, books-for-dudes, read-in-2012, liked

Not normally something I would listen to but I did like it. I know that had I been reading the book, I would have quit a long time ago. But since I was listening to the audiobook, and it was Nick Podehl, one of my favorite narrators, I liked it a lot. He does such a great job with the voices, and I even laughed out loud a few times. The man’s timing is perfect.

As for the story, I can’t say that it’s the story for me. Cooper wasn’t a likeable guy. I could see how he might be that way if he was p...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, lol

This book is hilarious! I am usually a bit wary of typical "boy books" since the crass potty jokes tend to make me roll my eyes and move on to the next thing, but not here. This book was entertaining, fast-paced, and very funny.

Matt and his friends have given each other a goal every summer. This year's goal is to see a real live naked woman. Not an easy feat for a bunch of 15 year old boys who don't even know how to talk to a girl, let alone see her naked. Obviously much hilarity ensues as the...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

am not nor have I ever been a teenage boy and I have to say I was unsure if I would find anything of interest to me in this book. I am happy to say that I did.

While filled with the toilet humor, naked girl talk and drinking that we all seem to think are the only things boys think about it was also filled with teamwork, believing in yourself and friendship.
Matt, Coop and Sean have been bestfriends forever. Together they are on the swim team and together every year they set a goal for themselves....more

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May 24, 2010 Tammy Dahle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My thoughts:
This story is laugh out loud funny! I don't remember laughing this much since I read Spud by John van de Ruit. This is the tale of three teenage boy's quest-to see a real-live naked girl. But Matt has a bigger problem than just the summer time challenge. In a moment of blind love he volunteers to swim the butterfly for his swim team to impress his crush. Although he's been on the swim team for a few years he's a mediocre swimmer at best. To say that he's in over his head is a huge un...more

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May 15, 2011 Jeffrey Chan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 13, 2010 Jonathon Arntson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-faves-in-order, 2010

It's interesting that "Swim the Fly" - a hilarious book about a fifteen year old guy and his friends aspiring to see a naked girl before the end of the summer - should make it into my top ten of all-time list. Oddly enough, it is the only book that is a comedy and one of the only with color on the cover.

Matt and his buds, Coop and Sean, set a goal each summer, they have since they were, like, eight. This summer it is to see a real, live nude girl. The first three hundred pages follow the calamit...more

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May 30, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, friendship, realistic-fiction, boys

I’d heard this book was pretty funny, although raunchy – both descriptions are very accurate! The story of 3 high school boys (slightly geeky) whose summer goal is to see a real, live naked girl reads like the script for a PG-13 (R?) movie and boys 8th grade and up will love it. The plot has lots of preposterous situations, which would usually annoy me, but the endearing voice of the narrator and the genuine humor allowed me to enjoy it all. I didn’t expect Matt, the main character, to evolve in...more

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May 25, 2011 Jessica (Jess Hearts Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I am very much a girly girl and that is definitely reflected in what I enjoy reading. My favourite genres have to be contemporary young adult fiction and chick-lit and so when Swim the Fly was pitched to me as “dude-lit” the male equivalent to the kind of books I love I HAD to read this book.

Swim the Fly will make even the most reluctant teenage reader compelled to read more. Don Calame spins a tale that is effortlessly funny and surprisingly heart warming. Laugh out loud hilarious I could not p...more I am very much a girly girl and that is definitely reflected in what I enjoy reading. My favourite genres have to be contemporary young adult fiction and chick-lit and so when Swim the Fly was pitched to me as “dude-lit” the male equivalent to the kind of books I love I HAD to read this book.

Swim the Fly will make even the most reluctant teenage reader compelled to read more. Don Calame spins a tale that is effortlessly funny and surprisingly heart warming. Laugh out loud hilarious I could not put this book down because I just had to know what crazy scheme Matt, Coop and Sean would come up with next on their summer quest to see a real live naked girl. The fantastic characters were definitely the biggest highlight of this book for me. Each character is so hilarious and hugely likeable right from main character Matt to secondary characters like the lovable Grandpa Arlo. I really became attached to the characters and even developed a teeny tiny book boy crush on sweet, dorky, Matt. Matt is a fantastic main character at the beginning of the book he’s so naive and young but as the book goes on he really grows. Matt’s definitely a character you can get behind and cheer on through embarrassing and at times impossible situations.

Despite Swim the Fly being a debut novel Don Calame already has a boisterous, mischievous, effortlessly funny writing style that will speak to teenage boys. Swim the Fly is a strong addition to the dude-lit genre that’s good enough to make king of dude-lit John Green’s toes curl with envy.

If you’re looking for a mood boosting, feel good read Swim the Fly is the book for you. I absolutely flew through this book because it was so effortlessly readable and most importantly enjoyable. This book cheered me up and took my mind off things and brought some sunshine to a gloomy day. This is the kind of book that I could happily read forever and I was so sad as I got closer to the end and even made a conscious effort to slow my reading down savouring every last page. I’m ecstatic that Don is carrying on the boy’s story in a second book Beat the Band told from my personal favourite character Coop’s point of view. I hope the boys have many more exciting adventures to come because I for one can’t get enough and spring 2012 seems oh so very far away.

Overall Swim the Fly is a very much needed breath of fresh air in Young Adult fiction. Perfect for the nerdy teen, fans of The Inbetweeners, Napoleon Dynamite, Adrian Mole and anybody who can remember those socially awkward, hormone ridden, acne filled years will love this book. If you’re looking for a book with warts and all characters, laugh out loud humour and not a supernatural creature in sight this is the book for you and comes with the highest of recommendations from me.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Pamela Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya-mg

I was recently given the opportunity to receive an advanced review copy of Swim the Fly. The blurb spoke of a YA novel for boys full of laughs and surprising heart. I found a lot more in this book; a complex message hidden beneath glib dialogue and teenage drama.

This book is a must for any lover of the genre. It is a sure hit for boys, with characters they will no doubt be able to relate to and situations familiar. For the female persuasion, the book is a unique chance to peer into the inner wor...more I was recently given the opportunity to receive an advanced review copy of Swim the Fly. The blurb spoke of a YA novel for boys full of laughs and surprising heart. I found a lot more in this book; a complex message hidden beneath glib dialogue and teenage drama.

This book is a must for any lover of the genre. It is a sure hit for boys, with characters they will no doubt be able to relate to and situations familiar. For the female persuasion, the book is a unique chance to peer into the inner workings of the teenage boy. And ladies, this is an invaluable opportunity.

The character of Matt is a sweet one, sincere if not a little misguided. With friends Coop and Sean, Matt goes through a summer of firsts. The first girl he gets seriously interested in, the first strains of a previously unstrained friendship, the realisations that sometimes the truth is the better way and of course, the determination to spot their first naked girl.

This book was reminiscent of American Pie. Horn-dog teenage boys and a sure-to-be catastrophic pact makes the story comic gold. I laughed out loud numerous times during this read, caught myself wrinkling my nose in disgust and inching closer to the pages as the male psyche had me intrigued.

It answered a lot of the age-old questions about boys: do they really think about sex THAT much? Are they really THAT disgusting? Do they really think THAT’S what it takes to get a girl? The answers are endless, but heed this warning well, not all the answers are ones we want!
What surprised me about this book was the big, beating heart at its centre. I was warned about the softer side, but being primarily a book about three teenagers determined to get their first glimpse of a naked girl, I figured, hot soft could it be? Turns out, pretty soft. There was no mush, but a softer side nonetheless. It isn’t shoved in your face, more like lies underneath the surface, gently whispering what you realise you actually knew all along.

No matter your age or sex, you will go on a journey of discovery with Matt as he figures out not everyo
ne will react the way you expect them to and how to look beyond what was in front of you all along.
The hair-brained and disastrous schemes will have you rolling around in your seat, the cringe-worthy moments making you feel so mortified it was as if it was happening to you. But the happy moments will light a little warm fire in your belly that not even a thug like Tony Grillo can put out.
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YA Reads for Teac...: Swim the Fly (Swim the Fly, #1) - Don Calame	3	12	Dec 29, 2012 05:58pm

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About Don Calame

Don Calame the author of SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND. He is also a professional screenwriter whose film projects include EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH and HOUNDED. Of his many prior occupations, he says his most satisfying was teaching elementary school for four years in Los Angeles, where he received the LAUSD District Intern Golden Apple Award and a Los Angeles Education Partnership Grant. He lives i...more

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Quotes from Swim the Fly

“Oh, by the way," Coop announces as he weaves his DeathBot ship through a barrage of space debris on his laptop screen. "In case you didn't know. It's national 'That's What She Said' Day."
I give him a thumbs-up. "I like it."
We're camping out in Sean's backyard tonight. It's another one of our traditions. One night, every summer, we buy a ton of junk food and energy drinks and set up Sean's six-person tent in the far corner of his yard.
We've got an extension cord running from the garage so that we can rough it in style, with computers and a TV and DVD player. There's a citronella candle burning in the middle of the tent to ward off mosquitoes and to mask the thick stink of mildew. Everyone's brought sleeping bags and pillows, but we aren't planning on logging too many Zs.
Sean enters the tent carrying his Xbox. "I don't think there are enough sockets for all of these."
I waggle my eyebrows at Coop. "That's what she said."
Coop busts up.
Sean stands there, looking confused. "I don't get it."
"That's what she says," Coop says, sending him and me into hysterics.
Sean sighs and puts the Xbox down. "I can see this is going to be a long night."
"That's what she said," me and Coop howl in chorus.
"Are you guys done yet?"
Coop is practically in tears. "That's what she said."
"Okay. I'll just keep my mouth shut," Sean grumbles.
"That's what she said." I can barely talk I'm laughing so hard.
"Enough. No more. My cheeks hurt," Coop says, rubbing his face.
I point at him. "That's what she said."
And with that, the three of us fall over in fits.
"Oh, man, now look what you made me do."
Coop motions to his computer. "That was my last DeathBot ship."
"That's what she said," Sean blurts out, laughing at his nonsensical joke.
Coop and I stare at him, and then silmultaniously, we hit Sean in the face with our pillows.” — 7 people liked it

“...The Things we do not want to speak abot are the very things we need to speak about most” — 7 people liked it

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Swim the Fly (Swim the Fly #1)

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