Swim The Fly Review

Author: Don Calame
Release Date: April 14, 2009
Pages: 368 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: Bought

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 swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) in order to impress Kelly West, the hot new girl. So what if he can’t manage a single lap, let alone four? He’s got the whole summer to perfect his technique. What could possibly go wrong?

There was a lot of talk of YA not being teen-guy-friendly a few weeks ago, and those who say that have obviously never read Swim The Fly. This is a complete and total guy-book that--apparently--girls can enjoy too.

I may not seem like it on here, but I am the type of girl that is always up for a "that's what she said" joke. And there's a lot of those and similar jokes in Swim The Fly. The humor was pretty much right up my alley, and I was laughing the whole way through.

Matt is a teenage guy. He thinks about sex and boobs about 95% of the time. But I liked him. Calame made it pretty impossible not to like any of the characters, from his Matt's friends to his grandfather to his brother.

When I found Swim The Fly for 2 bucks, I didn't quite know what to expect but I really enjoyed what I found. Light, fast, and hilarious, Swim The Fly is the perfect guy-humor-book that is written in a way that (some) girls can enjoy it too. I cannot wait to dive into the sequel, Beat The Band.

Plot: Fun, and always moves at a steady pace

Characters: So fun.

Writing: Good.

Ending: Sadly, it seemed kind of unnatural and rushed.

Kind Friendly? There was swearing, mentions of sex, masturbating, and making out.
Should I read it? Yes! It was fast and really enjoyable.

Overall: