Swim the Fly by Don Calame

From the Publisher

Three adolescent boys with a single goal: see a reallive naked girl. The result? Razor-sharp, rapid-fi re, and raunchy, of course. And beyond hilarious.

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart.

The New York Times - John Schwartz

In the war between the sexes on the young adult bookshelves, Swim the Fly occupies the low ground of offensive, knuckleheaded fun. Which is to say, boys will probably love it. This one did.

Publishers Weekly

Screenwriter Calame debuts as a novelist by perfectly channeling the adolescent male mindset. Matt, Cooper and Sean, swim teammates since third grade, hold the local record for the "largest collection of green fifth-place ribbons." In addition to hanging out poolside, each summer they choose a project. This year, Coop, 15, announces their objective will be to see a girl naked. Since none even has a girlfriend, deviant hijinks ensue, including some (dressing in drag to sneak into the girls' bathroom) that strain credibility. Meanwhile, narrator Matt sets an even more unattainable goal-volunteering to swim the grueling 100-yard butterfly to impress the team's star backstroker, "smokin' hot" Kelly West. (Coop points out the flaw in Matt's plan: "I'm sure Kelly finds the sight of a scrawny, pasty white dude flopping around in the water like a spastic salmon very hot.") The boys' pursuits make for a hilarious, if raunchy, what-I-did-last-summer narrative, supported by a cast of memorable adults, including a take-no-prisoners swim coach and Matt's grandfather, who is on a parallel romantic journey. This one will spread like athlete's foot in a locker room. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)

Children's Literature

The title refers to the challenge for which the main character, Matt, volunteers in order to impress a girl—to swim the butterfly in the upcoming summer championship race. The problem is that he does not know how to swim the fly; he is skinny, and the race takes place in only five weeks. Meanwhile, his two best friends have set this summer's annual challenge for the three of them—to see a live, naked girl. Replete with references to and euphemisms for farting, vomiting, erections, body parts, and fantasies, this humorous but frank book will appeal to many young adult males. The author does not limit his story to mere titillation, however. Sub-plots also deal with divorce, true friendship, truth telling, and the determination required to succeed. By the end, Matt not only reaches his goals (including seeing a nude female in the form of his middle-aged swim coach) but also defeats a bully, empathizes with his overbearing older brother, and realizes that the girl of his dreams is not the girl he originally lusted for but, rather, her serious-minded friend. Matt even helps his grandfather romance his newly widowed neighbor. Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson

VOYA

Matt Gratton is a determined youth. Along with his two best friends, Sean and Coop, he sets a summertime goal for the three of them. Each passing summer, the goals become increasingly more difficult. This year's goal is to see a real-live naked girl—in the flesh. Matt combines this goal with several others, most important, that of swimming the 100-yard butterfly in order to impress Kelly West, the new girl on the swim team who has just sprung "from her cocoon, looking like a supermodel." The trials and mishaps that the three boys endure and the final (naked) insight are at times hilarious. Matt, Sean, and Coop receive their comeuppance in the end when they accomplish their summertime goal and see the one person they would never want to see naked. Matt also "swims the fly," with some unexpected results and finds that sometimes, summertime goals change. Many moments in this title involve masturbation humor, poop jokes, and situations that will make the adult reader cringe in teen-boy-agony, but overall the sometimes-exaggerated scenes will play well with that targeted audience, a somewhat more difficult audience to reach. Matt is a likeable teen with a funny family (and an especially endearing grandfather), and his journey towards romance (and the finish line) is realistic. Booktalk this one and hand sell it to teens who are looking for a light and humorous summer read. Reviewer: Ria Newhouse

School Library Journal

Gr 8-10

Matt Gratton, 15, and his friends Sean and Coop challenge themselves with a summer goal to view a naked girl. Although a difficult aim for three nerdy guys, it is nothing compared to Matt's trying to impress Kelly, the girl of his dreams, by volunteering for the nearly impossible 100-yard butterfly at a local swim-team competition. To satisfy their goal, the boys dress up as females and try to sneak into the girls' locker room at the community center. The plan is foiled when Matt has a sudden, outlandish bowel movement. Another time, he sneaks into a country-club pool to practice and meets Ulf, a swim instructor who forces Matt to take his torturous class. Additional incidents stretch belief; others edge on disturbing. Sean and Coop try to peep at Kelly and her friend Valerie in a dressing room, and Coop slices the swim suit of the disliked major contender in the butterfly competition so it tears off in public and Matt ultimately wins. Vomiting and other raunchy episodes and comments throughout have mixed results. Nevertheless, the book holds interest, largely due to Matt's fumbling attempts, at last, at standing up for what's right, the well-portrayed twist that Valerie is the perfect match for him, and his grandfather's quirkiness. Teens looking for realistic guy humor will find amusement here, but a better choice is Steven Goldman's Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film About The Grapes of Wrath (Bloomsbury, 2008).-Diane P. Tuccillo, Fort Collins Regional Library District, CO

Kirkus Reviews

This viscerally funny story of one boy's attempt to impress his ladylove by finishing four laps of the dreaded butterfly stroke in a swim competition by summer's end is sure to please fans of Pete Hautman's Rash (2006) and Randy Powell's Three Clams and an Oyster (2002). Fifteen-year-old Matt has two summer goals: attract his crush Kelly's attention by learning to "swim the fly" and see a real girl naked. Matt and pals Cooper and Sean cook up several plots to catch a betty in the buff, but all attempts fail, usually due to an errant bodily emission (Matt's explosive BM in the girl's bathroom is one of the novel's most foully comic moments). Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Kelly's best friend Valerie is more likely to return Matt's affections. Can Matt swim the fly and get the girl in spite of his spaghetti arms and rebellious colon? Fully realized secondary characters, realistically raunchy dialogue and the scatological subject matter assure that this boisterous and unexpectedly sweet read will be a word-of-mouth hit. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Product Details

• Read an Excerpt

Read an Excerpt