Swim the Fly by Don Calame

Reviewed by Zoey H.
Grade 9

Ever had a summer goal? Maybe it was to find your summer fling or read the whole Harry Potter series. Well for Matt, Sean and Cooper their annual goal is to see a real, live naked girl in person. Not an easy task for guys who have never asked a girl out and are the laughing stock of the Rockwell swim team.

It’s the beginning of the summer, and three best friends Matt, Sean and Cooper are deciding on their annual summer goal. This year’s goal is to see a real live naked girl in person. Matt, Sean and Cooper head off to swim practice and meet the newest member of the team, Kelly West. She quickly leaves a lasting impression on Matt. To get her to notice him, Matt decides to volunteer to swim the 100-yard butterfly stroke--the hardest stroke known to man. After disastrous attempts to see a naked girl involving laxatives, makeup and non-alcoholic beer, things aren’t looking so bright for the guys. Will this be the first year the boys don’t accomplish their summer goal?

The characters in Swim the Fly are hilarious and easy to relate to. The character I found the most interesting was Cooper. He’s the type of person that won’t stop at anything to get something done and always has a plan. Cooper is clever when it comes to getting around rules. This quality came into light when he faked throwing up in the pool to get Matt out of the swim meet.

Swim the Fly is a great read for summer! I would recommend it for anyone who wants an easy read and a good laugh. Under all the laughs and joking there is a good message in this book. With a little determination and will power you can accomplish anything.

Final Four by Paul Volponi

Reviewed by Danilo C.
Grade 8

The seconds are counting down in the Final Four matchup, a college basketball playoff tournament, between the heavily favored Michigan State Spartans and the underdog Trojans from Troy University. As the game’s most exhilarating moments wind down on the game clock, the reader is taken between two different settings--the game, and the lives of four key players on the court leading up to the big game.

Malcolm McBride, Michigan State’s star point guard, is a self-centered kid from the projects of Detroit ready to make millions in the NBA as soon as he can. Roko Bacic, Troy’s fearless point guard, is playing for the pride of his family in his corrupt home country of Croatia. Crispin Rice, Troy’s passionate center, is dealing with the stress of being engaged and the whole world knowing about it. Lastly, Michael Jordan, Michigan State’s shooting guard, usually warms the bench but because of injuries to the rest of the team was thrust into the big game and has never really been able to live up to his name.

The way the author writes the book is interesting because I’ve never seen this style of writing before. He writes about the game as it is happening as well as incorporating flashbacks for each player that tells the reader how each of the characters grew up. I also enjoyed how realistic the book was. You could tell the author was very knowledgeable about sports by the way he wrote the book.

If you call yourself a basketball fan, The Final Four is definitely a book for you. This book had hardly any boring parts throughout the entire novel. The different fast-paced moments as well as interesting anecdotes about each character made me want to keep reading the book. This book was a page turner for me, and I guarantee that it will be for any other sports fan.