Waterstones Children's Book of the Month for June 2018
Bittersweet,heart-warming and laugh-aloud funny,Boy Underwater is a powerful story about family,friendship and the secrets that lie trapped beneath the surface.
To find the truth,sometimes you have to go deep...
Here's something you won't believe.
I,Cymbeline Igloo,have never been swimming.
It's the swimming bit you won't believe by the way,though if you don't believe my name either,it really is Cymbeline Igloo,and you have to believe that because it's written on my schoolbag and in my jumpers and on lots of other things like my passport.
Cymbeline Igloo (yes,really!) has NEVER been swimming.
Not ever. Not once. He's never been to the beach (allergies to sand apparently),he's never been to the rivers (full of crocodiles) and certainly never to the swimming pool.
But how hard can it be He's Googled front crawl and he's found his dad's old pair of trunks. He's totally ready.
What he's not ready for is the accident at the pool - or how it leads his mum to a sudden breakdown.
Now,with the help of friends old and new,Cymbeline must solve the mystery of why his mum never took him near the water. It's a trail that will lead him to discover secrets about his family and himself; secrets that will turn his whole life upside down...
A heart-breaking,heart-warming novel that will probably make you cry,and will definitely make you laugh,Boy Underwater combines sharp,witty writing with a gripping story of a child's moving unpicking of his past. Sensitively illustrated by picture book superstar Benji Davies,it's a novel that's unafraid to tackle the difficult - often unspoken - issues that can affect families.
Recommended for readers aged 11+
Publisher: HarperCollins PublishersISBN: 9780008267018Number of pages: 256Weight: 230 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'An absolute corker of a tale,whose delicate themes - mental health,missing loved ones - are handled with fluid grace'Observer
'This poignant novel is about love and loss,but,told from the viewpoint of a child too young to grasp all that grown-ups do,it is also funny. With evocative monochrome illustrations,it bears you up as soon as you plunge in'Sunday Times,Children's Book of the Week
'Involving and wryly funny,full of tenderness,eccentricity and intriguing meditations on the function of art,this story of grief,depression and the different facets of identity is well-served by Benji Davies's thoughtful illustrations'Guardian
'The witty humour and dialogue are the perfect foil to the unresolved grief and anxiety that underpin this impressive debut'Daily Mail
'Adam Baron has a light touch and brings humour to difficult subjects. So,why not come in The water's lovely'The Times Children's Book of the Week
'Baron's children's debut is funny and easygoing,complemented by lively black-and-white illustrations from Davies'Publishers Weekly
'Adam Baron has successfully maintained a delicate balance between comedy and tragedy and there are scenes that will have children laughing aloud,as well as others that will leave many readers in tears'Books for Keeps,Children's Book of the Week
'Boy Underwater is one of those rare books that manages to be both very funny and heartbreakingly sad'LoveReading4Kids
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