The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

By David Almond

Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Multi-award-winning author David Almond brings us a joyfully life-affirming and fabulously fishy tale about one boy's journey from anguish to joy.

Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy, but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish. Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of clanging machinery and the stench of mackerel, and Uncle Ernie's obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan's beloved goldfish! Stan, however, has his own destiny, which leads him – via a hook-a-duck stall – to Pancho Pirelli, the blue-caped madman who swims with piranhas. And as Stan delves into the waters, he finally discovers who he really can be.

Categories: Fiction

For readers aged: 9+

Publication details:
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406337464
Published: 05 Sep 2013
Price: £7.99

Size: 198 x 129 mm
Pages: 256

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Customer reviews

Reviews

'A life-affirming voyage of self discovery – with a fabulously fishy twist – from master storyteller David Almond.' The Bookseller

'A homely but equally zany tale' The Telegraph

'Funny and unusal with wonderful characters' The Bookseller

'A beautiful story' Reader’s Digest

'Out of the ordinary comes the extraordinary, and visuals and text merge together to tell a truly magnificent fishy tale.' INIS Magazine

'Often funny, occasionally poignant, but always subtle and never naïve, this is a terrific read.' INIS Magazine

'There’s no mistaking the hallmark Almond tenderness and the willingness to work with the common things in life, which animate the book from start to finish and make it good' Guardian

'Atmospheric, poetic, beautiful' Irish Times

'Fun, magical and enchanting. . . will appeal to readers of Roald Dahl' My Book Corner

'Dahl-esque adventure. I thought I knew David Almond through his book Skellig. But this is more like the best work of Roald Dahl than standard teen fiction . . . Oliver Jeffers’ illustrations work as a brilliant accompaniment to this funny book ' The Teacher

'Its message hits home: give a child belief in himself and there’s no limit to what he can achieve' The Daily Mail

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