Swim the Fly

By: Don Calame

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

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?

©2010 Don Calame (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Raunchy (but mildly so) hilarity ensues.” ( People)

“Serves up jokes and gross-outs in the style of filmmakers like Judd Apatow.... Boys will probably love it. This one did.” ( The New York Times Book Review)

“Hilariously raucous scenes stuff its pages.” ( Los Angeles Times)

Fun listen

What made the experience of listening to Swim the Fly the most enjoyable?

This is such a funny book! All of the characters are enjoyable, and the narration of the different characters makes it even better. It is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and you can empathise with all the situations that teenage boys get into.

What other book might you compare Swim the Fly to and why?

'Carter Finally Gets It' by Brent Crawford, which is also narrated by Nick Podehl. This is also a book about teenage boys in high school, and the troubles (and fun) as they lurch through various problems and develop life skills as they go.

What about Nick Podehl’s performance did you like?

Nick really brings the characters to life. He is fantastic at narrating teenage boys, and I love his accent for Ulf (spelling may be wrong - hard to know how a name is spelled when you only hear it!). He really throws himself into the narration with passion and flair

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not that I recall - all the stand-out moments were humourous.

Any additional comments?

The book is really funny, but Nick Podehl's narration brings it to life and makes it even better. It is just what I imagine it would be like to be in the head of a teenage boy

Great book, Even better series

Amazing book, one of my favorite series since high school. The book and series is literally ripped out of teenage boys' heads and put onto page. The books are crude and vulgar, just as teenage boys are, and yet still you will find heartfelt moments as pure as an angel's heart

Decent story. Excellent narrator.

What did you like best about Swim the Fly? What did you like least?

I thought the narration was very well done. There were some very funny moments. Overall though, having been a teenage boy not too long ago, I found the premise to be a little too implausible. It was entertaining, but the fact that several of the situations were a little too unlikely to happen in real life interfered with me enjoying it more.

What about Nick Podehl’s performance did you like?

He is a great narrator who does youth/teenage characters especially well. His voice made the story a little more believable that it might otherwise have been.