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The Boy Who Swam with PiranhasDavid Almond
The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas
by David Almond
Stanley's uncle turns the house into a fish-canning factory, so Stanley runs away to the fair and joins a man who swims with piranhas.
A story about children and a grown-up hero, strange and warm in tone. We would put it with children of 9–12, and at a reading age of about 10 for reading alone.
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Our take on this book
Stanley Potts's uncle has gone quietly mad, turning their home into a fish-canning obsession, so Stanley runs away to join a travelling fair, where a mysterious act invites him to swim with piranhas and he begins to find out who he really is. David Almond writes with his characteristic strange, luminous magic, and this is one of his most warm-hearted and accessible novels: funny and odd and touching, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, about a boy adrift finding his people among the fairground folk. There is mild peril and eccentricity aplenty, but the mood is one of wonder and hope rather than fear. For a nine- to twelve-year-old it is a lovely, quirky, uplifting read — a story about kindness, belonging and finding your way when home has come apart — and a gentler entry point to Almond than some of his more haunting books, with Jeffers's pictures adding to its considerable charm.
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