Lynn: I know it’s not nice to tease but we are going to talk about this laugh-out loud funny book even though it won’t publish till April. I think it is extremely hard to write humor but this first novel makes it look easy. Fifteen-year-old Matt and his two buddies have a tradition of setting a summer goal. This year’s is to see a real-live naked girl. Add barbell disasters, laxative and fart jokes, a nudist colony and three bumbling buddies who steal your heart and you have a book tailor made for teen-age boys. There is lots of crude snort-worthy humor here but there is also a sweetness to this story that will win over the most hard-hearted reader. It is definitely worth waiting for! My thanks to the generous folks at Candlewick for letting us have an early peek.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cindy: Matt's efforts to get in shape enough to just finish the 100 yard butterfly for his team will have your sides hurting as much as his--but yours will be from laughing. And I just love Gramps. Truly. Every boy needs a gramps like him. Not only did we get an early peek at this hilarious title, but the arc features Lynn's and my first book blurbs, along with friend, Ed Spicer (www.spicyreads.org) Two of our teen readers also have their comments in the arc. Here's what they had to say:
Nick A., age 16: "The book is incredibly funny, but I can still relate to those awkward moments....Had it not been for school and food, I would have read it straight through."
Leah M., age 14: "The main characters'...appalling cluelessness when it comes to girls will be sure to elicit a sympathetic cringe from the male population and a raucous laugh from everyone else. This book sped by with all the ease and grace of a truly amazing read, and considerably faster than most manage to swim the fly."
Finally, our teens were able to join us in providing feedback about the cover art. We love the final look--represents the contents very well and should be eye catching on the bookstore and library shelves for its target audience.
2 comments:
This sounds like a great read. What caught my eye was that the type is styled like Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy series ... just for a different audience.
This book is extremely dangerous to read after exams. After finishing my exams early I was reading "Swim the Fly" and found myself filling the silence in the room with laughter. Of course I had to try to stifle my giggles. I would recommend this book to anyone, just don't read it in a setting that is meant to be kept quiet.
Post a Comment