Swim the Fly

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends make a summer pact to see a girl in a bathing suit. Alongside this mission, Matt also commits to swimming the one-hundred-yard butterfly at the end-of-season swim championship. Matt pursues both goals with determination, despite having no experience with girls or butterfly swimming. His summer becomes filled with swim practice, scheming with his friends, and navigating interactions with his crush Kelly West. Between family dynamics, swim team pressures, and the complications of teenage social life, Matt faces multiple challenges as he works toward his objectives. His grandfather moves in with his family, adding another layer of complexity to his already busy summer. The novel explores themes of friendship, growing up, and the gap between teenage ambitions and reality. Through Matt's experiences, the story examines how goals evolve and what constitutes real achievement for a young person finding their way.

Readers describe this book as funny and relatable, particularly resonating with teenage boys. Reviews highlight the authentic male teenage perspective and humor around awkward coming-of-age moments. Likes: - Natural, believable dialogue between friends - Balance of humor and heart - Strong character development - Authentic portrayal of teen male friendship - Swimming competition storyline Dislikes: - Crude humor and sexual content makes some readers uncomfortable - Some found it too focused on physical attraction/dating - Parents note it may be inappropriate for younger teens Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (8,700+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (120+ ratings) Common Sense Media: 4/5 (teen reviewers) Review quote examples: "Perfect book for reluctant teen male readers" - School librarian on Goodreads "Made me laugh out loud multiple times" - Teen reviewer "Funny but crosses the line sometimes with sexual content" - Parent reviewer

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🏊‍♂️ Author Don Calame drew inspiration for the story from his own teenage experiences of trying to impress girls and setting outrageous summer goals with his friends. 📚 The book spawned two companion novels featuring the same characters: "Beat the Band" and "Call the Shots," creating a complete trilogy about Matt and his friends. 🎬 Before writing novels, Don Calame worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, which influenced his fast-paced, dialogue-driven writing style in "Swim the Fly." 🏆 "Swim the Fly" won the 2011 Nevada Young Readers' Award and was nominated for several other state reading awards. 🌊 The swimming elements in the book were influenced by Calame's own experience as a competitive swimmer in his youth, lending authenticity to the pool scenes and training sequences.