Three adolescent boys with a single goal: see a reallive naked girl. The result? Razor-sharp, rapid-fi re, and raunchy, of course. And beyond hilarious.
Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart
This is the second novel off of the Virginia Reader's Choice list I've read. Knowing this is a book we are going to be recommending to students, I will admit the summary made me a bit leery. However, after reading, I feel like it was well-placed on my Top Ten Books I Found Deceiving, for though the description makes it sound a bit crass, it was an extremely charming and thoughtful book.
The characters in this book were wonderfully cute and endearing. Matt is exactly the awkward and geeky high school boy I was friends with throughout school (it happens when you're in the marching band), so I could relate to his character. His inner monologue kept me laughing throughout the book! His friends Sean and Coop were also well-designed characters; while they didn't get the detailed treatment Matt did (obviously), they also had humorous voices and demonstrated characteristics of good friends. My personal favorite character was Ulf, the German body builder/survivalist that becomes Matt's swimming instructor. He served as a voice for the themes of the novel, but in a way that maintained the humor of the story. Plus, it was fun to see what sort of devilish torments he would devise for Matt to complete!
The plot is organized around Matt's journey through the summer to swim the 100 yard butterfly. I felt the summary of the book was a bit misleading on this point, as it sounds like the novel will center around he and his friends' attempts to see a naked girl. While a few chuckle-worthy moments originated from this quest, it is not even close to the focus of the plot. Instead, it is more a story of Matt's growth and perseverance as he discovers what is really important to him - with some hilarious capers along the way.
Content-wise, I really think it just depends on who is reading the book. I personally didn't find the book offensive - just funny. There is no strong language, and no explicit sex (or even detailed sexual references). Instead, this is more boy "potty humor." Lots of references to male genitalia (with some pretty creative phrasing!), masturbation, and even a scene involving laxatives (which had me laughing out loud). All of these contributed to the teenage boy voice of the story, and gave it some authenticity, which I appreciated. Admittedly, for a conservative audience, these would be off-putting. But, I felt the overall themes of the novel trumped any content concerns within.
Overall, I am glad I read this book. It was cute, light, and funny - the perfect summer read. For students who don't mind a little silliness (and some embarrassing moments!), this book is just right.
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