Boy Underwater

LoveReading4Kids Says

Winner of the Awesome Book Award 2020

June 2018 Debut of the Month | Boy Underwater is one of those rare books that manages to be both very funny and heartbreakingly sad. Being pulled to safety from the bottom of Lewisham Pool by classmate Veronique (losing his trunks in the process) is a terrible experience for Cymbeline Igloo, as it would be for any 9 year old, but it leads his mum to have a breakdown.

Cym has never understood her determination to keep him away from water, but now it’s only by uncovering the family secrets that he can give her the help she needs. Cymbeline carries the story brilliantly, confiding in readers all his confusion (the adult world really is incomprehensible), his concerns and his hopes, so that we live it as he does. What he finds out is horribly sad, but leads to a new beginning, and a kind of healing.

This beautifully told story is one to recommend to fans of Susin Nielsen, Ross Welford and Christopher Edge.

Reviewed by Andrea Reece
Andrea Reece has spent almost her entire working life in children’s books, first as publisher, latterly as consultant, project manager and critic.
More reviews by Andrea Reece

About Boy Underwater

Cymbeline (yes, really!) has never been swimming - not ever, not once - so he's a bit nervous at the prospect of his first school swimming lesson ever. But how hard could it be? He's Googled front crawl and he's found his dad's old pair of trunks.

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