Boy Underwater

Adam Baron's Boy Underwater is a funny and moving story for 10 year olds about a boy who has somehow never been swimming.

What happens

Cymbeline Igloo (yes, that really is his name) is nine. He's joint third-best footballer in Year 4, and he has never once set foot in a swimming pool. His mum always has an excuse. Rivers have crocodiles in them. She's allergic to sand. Pools are full of other people's hair.

So when his class starts swimming lessons, what does Cym do? He tells everyone he's EPIC at it. He can do butterfly. And moth!

Which is how he ends up in a race against Billy Lee, the class bully, with only a website and the bath to practise in. For trunks, he creeps into the boxroom at night and borrows a pair that belonged to his dad. His dad died when Cym was one, and the boxroom is where his things are kept.

The first lesson goes about as badly as you'd imagine. Then it gets quite a lot worse, when the trunks don't stay on.

Cym tells the whole story himself and he's hilarious. He talks straight to you, keeps apologising for telling things in the wrong order and has strong opinions about the Loch Ness monster. There's also Veronique, who smells of candyfloss and is FIVE whole grades ahead of him at piano.

But this isn't only a funny book. That night his mum can't stop crying, and it's as if she's saying sorry to someone who isn't in the room. In the morning she's gone, and Uncle Bill is sitting on the end of Cym's bed.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Early on, Cym's mum becomes very unwell and goes into hospital, and Cym is convinced it's his fault. His dad's death is part of his story from the first pages. There's also a scary moment when Cym sinks to the bottom of the pool before he's pulled out. It's all handled with lots of warmth, but a child with a poorly parent at home may find it hits very close.

For a reader who likes a big laugh and a lump in the throat in the same book, it's just right. Cym is the kind of narrator you'd happily follow anywhere.

What to read next

If they want another family story told by someone very funny, Someone Else's Shoes could be the one. Izzy wants to be a comedian, and her cousin Oliver and his dad have just moved in with her family after something very sad.