پسری که با پیراناها شنا کرد

by David Almond, ریحانه جعفری (translator)

The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Humor, Family

270 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 4, 2012

About the author

David Almond is a British children's writer who has penned several novels, each one to critical acclaim. He was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia. When he was young, he found his love of writing when some short stories of his were published in a local magazine. He started out as an author of adult fiction before finding his niche writing literature for young adults.

His first children's novel, Skellig (1998), set in Newcastle, won the Whitbread Children's Novel of the Year Award and also the Carnegie Medal. His subsequent novels are: Kit's Wilderness (1999), Heaven Eyes (2000), Secret Heart (2001), The Fire Eaters (2003) and Clay (2005). His first play aimed at adolescents, Wild Girl, Wild Boy, toured in 2001 and was published in 2002.

His works are highly philosophical and thus appeal to children and adults alike. Recurring themes throughout include the complex relationships between apparent opposites (such as life and death, reality and fiction, past and future); forms of education; growing up and adapting to change; the nature of 'the self'. He has been greatly influenced by the works of the English Romantic poet William Blake.

He is an author often suggested on National Curriculum reading lists in the United Kingdom and has attracted the attention of academics who specialise in the study of children's literature.

Almond currently lives with his family in Northumberland, England.

Awards: Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (2010).

Reviews

[Vojtěch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohromné překvapení! Kniha o nalézání sebe sama, splnění svých snů či o nacházení životních hodnot. Nějak se mi to trefilo do nálady.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Would you like my lads to see who is tooting' their hooter and put it to a halt?" asks Clarence P. Clapp regarding a car that is honking its horn at an "ossifer." Clarence is the king of malapropisms, mispronunciations, and misspellings in this goofy story by David Almond. While it nods it head at the great Russian writer, Fyodor Dostoyevsky using some literary techniques found in his works and even naming one of the characters after him, it is Almond's own creation with childlike and satirical human behavior. My brain kept trying to pull out fragments of Dostoyevsky's novel, "The Brothers Karamzov," that I read decades ago. I repeat, decades. I have a fuzzy recall of Dostoyevsky using malapropisms and having an intrusive narrator that enhances the theme of truth just like Almond has an omniscient narrator that enhances the theme of choosing your own destiny to the point that the reader chooses the villain's ending, but I might be wrong. The unfinished ending that tells the reader to choose the villain's resolution might frustrate some readers and I've read a few reviews on Goodreads that express this exact disappointment, but personally, I thought it was funny and figured, of course, the daft Clapp who is full of crap would jump in with the piranhas. I'd eat him if I was a piranha. But what will students think of all the metaphorical silliness? That's the question I'm not sure how to answer. It might be just a bit too weird for them. Or they'll laugh their heads off.

Stanley Potts has quit school to help his uncle Ernie with his new business venture of canning fish. When his aunt gives Stanley money for his birthday and the day off he goes to the carnival and buys some goldfish that sets off a series of events leading to him running away from home. He works for the carnival goldfish stall run by the man, Dostoyevsky, and his daughter, Nitasha, where Stanley changes them into regarding the goldfish as something special and seeing the world as having possibilities. He gives them hope, which in turn, gives them joy. When Pancho Pirelli, the famous man who swims with the piranhas decides to take Stanley on as an apprentice, Stanley decides to forge his own identity and do what brings him happiness.

The many points of view give different messages and themes such as growing up, taking risks, dealing with nasty people, becoming independent, getting a first job, finding your identity, reinventing yourself, finding your special talent, finding something that makes you happy, creating your own history, and discovering the possibilities in life - to name a few. The silly, nonsensical Clarence P. Clapp is great satire on the theme that extreme behavior even when representing good or the law, as in Clapp's occupation, can be bad. Extremist views can justify actions that cross the line of justice to persecution and Clapp seems to show this at the end. He's destroyed Ernie's business but continues to zealously attack Stanley Potts and his family. He's so convinced of his righteousness that he will swim with the piranhas because he thinks he understands them versus representing their ruthless feeding side more than anything else. Perhaps Stanley will save Clapp as he has saved so many people in the story.

At first I thought Gypsy Rose was going to follow the cliched, stereotypical path of the greedy gypsy, but she not only foreshadows Stanley's future, she philosophically tells him to pursue his heart's desires, forgive those who make mistakes, and to not be afraid. She uses a beam of moonlight as a means of payment and what started out as a minor character I wasn't sure about was one that became interesting as the story progressed. Come to think of it, I didn't like Dostoyevsky at first either. Many characters come across as cartoonish at first and get more interesting as the plot unfolds.

This book is very artistic and as a librarian with decades of reading literature, I appreciate what David Almond does in this tale. I don't know if young readers will delight in it. Is it too weird? Is the character too unapproachable? I admire Almond's piece of work and the risk he takes creating something quite different from the norm. There are many factors that prevent authors in general from pushing boundaries whether in children's literature or elsewhere. I had a conversation with my dad, an architect, who talked about how difficult it was for him to take risks with building designs because of potential client loss. To teach the value of making mistakes is not a part of the cultural norm. And what if the mistake costs oodles of money? Is this book a mistake, you ask? I don't think so. The nice thing about Almond is he has a strong following and can take risks. Okay. Enough musings. Oliver Jeffers illustrations and their understated simplicity complement the text quite well and add to the humor. Children's literature needs these type of books, but this one might need explaining by teachers to young readers. Decide for yourself. Obviously, I can't.

[Laura S · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO as part of my Fiction For Children Module for Creative Writing at Uni, I read this book 'The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas. I did not know what to expect, except a boy swimming with piranhas. This book is mostly aimed at young children, I would say from the age range of 8-12. I have to admit though I quite enjoyed this book despite being aimed at younger readers. I give it just under 4 stars, because I believe this book is really good at being what it is but because it's not ordinarily the type of book I would go for or enjoy as much.

So the book, the plot centers around a young boy called Stan Potts, his parents died when he was younger and he lives with his Aunt Annie and Uncle Ernie. Uncle Ernie, I would say is a bit 'potty', excuse the pun there. He was made redundant from his fishing career and the harbor was shut down. Many of the employees were left in a bit of a stump. But Uncle Ernie tried to turn his life around, whilst turning his house pretty much upside down. He created a fish canning factory inside his house creating fish such as Pott's Pilchards. There was only the 3 of them working there, so in the end, Stan dropped out of school and they all spend everyday and hour working at the machinery.

Now everything starts to change on Stan's birthday, Aunt Annie makes some rules so that Stan can go enjoy his birthday. He gets given ten pounds and goes to a fair that is on. There he has candyfloss and enjoys the carnival. However it is important to remember he has lived a very sheltered life so everything is new to him, it has been very long since he has even left his Aunt and Uncle's house. He gets his fortune read by Gypsy Rose who says she will be seeing him again and finds a Hook-A-Duck stall, where he feels sorry for the goldfish in bags so tries to get them all. He manages to and takes them home. Something occurs however which leaves Stan running away from home and joining the circus.
We see Stan go on a journey, meeting different people and changing throughout the story.

I thought this book was very well written, David Almond creates a loveable easy to read book that is very endearing. What compliments this book so well is the beautiful illustrations by Oliver Jeffers. Both Almond and Jeffers are well known more in terms of picture books so having these two create a more older book is very beautiful.

I loved the childish humour within and the relationships between the character. Now I would not say they were entirely 3D and you may see this review as to praising towards this book, but considering the target age and the aim of it, I have considered it is not necessarily aimed for people like me to read. This I have taken into account when raiting and reviewing.

Now to a few extracts I really enjoyed so warning may be SPOILERS...

But, reader, lets leave this trio for a moment in their caravan. Let's have something like our own dream. Lets rise through the caravan roof and over this strange field filled with sideshows and rides and peculiar practices and magical moments and fires and chops and spuds and scorpions and fish and tents...Lets travel through the night and move closer to that place. How can we do this? You may well ask. But it's easy, isn't it? All it takes is a few words put into sentences, and a bit of imagination. We could go anywhere with words and our imaginations. We could leave this story altogether, in fact, and find some other story in some other part of the world, and start telling that one. But no. Maybe later. It's best not to leave our story scattered into fragments...

Now I don't really know what happens, the tone of the book starts to change a little now. However, I loved some of the things David Almond wrote! All it takes is a few words put into sentences, and a bit of imagination. We could go anywhere with words and our imaginations I just loved the way the readers are addressed, reminding me here a little of Jane Eyre ~('Reader, I married him')~
Also considering the reader is likely to be a 8-12 year old (not saying it has to be)the book in a way is teaching children how to write their own stories whilst they are following one themselves and I found that a really nice way to portray writing as well. This style crops up more nearer the end as well, one part I thought was intriguing was :

It's up to you. If you were writing this story, what would you make happen? Does he jump? And if he jumps, what happens next? ... Whatever you decide, this is just a story. Clarence P. Clapp only exists in the pages of this book and in that mysterious place, your imagination.

Now a lot of people think this is a cop out, and maybe it is. But I thought this was a very intriguing device in the book. Allowing the readers to make up their own mind and allowing them to understand story making but also reality versus fiction. Then again breaking apart a child's fantasy quite young can be seen as abominable but there is many depending factors on whether doing this was a good choice. I mean it allows the children to be able to make decisions themselves, they are not talked down to, they are allowed to decide whether punishment is really suitable for this really pathetic more humourous villain.

I am not sure about it in the book, but I am not going to lie and say I hated it when I found the different style enjoyable. The last chapter follows at first a similar pattern and I found it really nice different way to writing.

One other thing I would like to comment on is something I noticed in someone else's review, they commented upon how the bad grammar of the DAFT team was not suitable for children who were trying to learn to write and read. I understand where that reviewer was coming from but I would also like to throw a point in about characterisation. Bad Grammar a characteristic of bad people perhaps? I don't know. I will leave you to think upon that like the author leaves us to think upon the ending of Clarence :)

I hope you enjoyed my review, I would recommend this book to the age range its suited to or for anyone who wants to look into writing children fiction or anyone who wants to feel enchanted by being a bit of a kid again :)

[Wybredna Maruda]

O chłopcu, który pływał z piraniami. Tym razem spotykamy Stana, który pomaga wujkowi w prowadzenia fabryki z konserwami. pewnego dnia trafia do wesołego miasteczka, ratuje przed śmiercią złotą rybkę i od tego dnia jego życie się zmienia i wkraczają do niego piranie. Ta opowieść spodobała mi się nieco bardziej ze względu na szybszą akcję. Jednak tu także znajdziemy przemyślenia, do których zostaną zmobilizowani nawet starsi odbiorcy: zaczniemy myśleć o naszej odwadze lub jej braku, o tym, co robimy w swoim życiu, a z czego zrezygnowaliśmy, bo obawialiśmy się niechcianych konsekwencji. Ta powiastka jest jednocześnie napisana nieco prostszym językiem, bardziej przystosowanym do młodszych czytelników.

Całość:
http://secret-books.blogspot.com/2016...

[Tereza Eliášová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knížka, v které se dozvíte, že každý z nás má svou vnitřní piraňu.
A je jen na vás, jestli ji necháte, aby vás sežrala, nebo se jí postavíte a zaplavete si s ní.

Trochu bláznivý příběh o překonávání vlastního strachu (Co myslíte, fakt si Stanley Potts, hlavní hrdina, zaplave s piraňami?), kde vedle masožravých rybek, pouti a cikánky, co věští ze svitu měsíce, najdete vypečené panáčky a pinsektora Minysterstva pro anyhilaci trablů a lapálií (dále jen MATLA), který řeší leklé ostudňácké průšvihy...
Přečtěte si to, je to přesnácky boží! :)

[Andreia Nossa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livro infantil simples, com uma história muito fofa, que alem de ter uma capa linda tem umas ilustrações igualmente simples!
É uma história que apesar de modesta traz-nos mensagens interessantes sobre o processo de amadurecimento que alguém pode ter quando se dá a si mesmo oportunidade de viver novas experiencias, conhecer outras realidades e pessoas diferentes, sem que isso faça com que a sua essência mude, mas agregando a si e aos outros mais conhecimento e exemplos de vida de forma a que se melhore sempre! É uma leitura agradável, caricata e breve que nos faz passar um bom momento!

[J. Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical tale of growing up, courage, and other very fishy stuff. Stanley Potts has a special destiny, something beyond his uncle’s fish canning business and beyond the traveling hook-a-duck stall,
something is calling to him but does he have the courage to face it?
Hilarious and laced with silver moon rays of hope, this book will touch your heart.

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of unfortunate events leads young Stanley Potts to run away from home and join a traveling fair. He works at the hook-a-duck stall and eventually becomes an apprentice to the swarthy speedo'd man who swims with piranhas, soon swimming with the toothy fishies himself.

Like a bulging tin of tuna, The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas is packed with personality, hardship, and perseverance. Stan is a lonely young boy with a loving aunt (Annie. Annie Potts!) and an uncle whose ghastly obsession provokes him to run away. The fair features a fortune teller, a man who might be a boar, mysterious tents, and more. There are also some absurd bad guys whose dialog is hilarious and best read in your most cockney accent. The book is punctuated with delightful illustrations from Oliver Jeffers that add panache to an already zesty writing style. Also, I need to own a hardcover copy of this book. The book itself -- the jacket and the hardcover underneath -- are stunning.

The book gets a little meta for my tastes at the end. The author isn't content to just speak to the reader ("Reader," he says, an irritating tic in many of the recent books I've read), but the whole story becomes, well, a story. "This is a story and these are fictional characters..." he practically says. As this is a tale about a boy who runs away to join a fair, and not a story about writing, that narrative conceit feels like a copout. But the book also talks about legends and making up biographical background, so I'll cut it some slack.

Also, Almond lets the reader choose the character's fate, much as Stan attempts to choose the fate of the runty goldfish at the hook-a-duck stall and the grown men at the fair alter runty Stan's fate. Maybe they were once runts themselves.

[FaithfulReviewer (Jacqueline) · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most boring books I've ever read. Very disappointing and not even the ending saved it! I had to put this book aside a good 3 or 4 times and come back to it later. It took me 4 months in total. I really had to force myself to actually finish it, but I really don't like not finishing books, even if I don't like them. I really persevered with this book to get to the end, so I can't even begin to tell you how utterly cheated I felt when the ending didn't even redeem it. So thankful that I have now got to the end though. On reading everyone else's reviews, I can't believe how people either loathe it like me or think it's the best thing since sliced bread. Every little nuance in this book grated on me...the mis-spelt (on purpose) dialogue, the half formed characters, the ridiculous situations...on more occasions than I care to remember I found myself thinking 'that's just ridiculous...' and 'that's not safe...' etc etc. Can't possibly recommend this book to anyone.

[Tatyana Naumova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Отличная метафора про внутреннюю пиранью; но вообще Алмонда стоит читать за неистребимый оптимизм

[Ernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy who Swam with Piranhas
by David Almond
ISBN- 978 1 4063 2076 3
Walker Books, 20112, 246pp hard covers
David Almond is the Fellini of childrens literature with his delight in the ancient traditions of the fair and the circus. As usual, he sets his delightful blend of realism and fantasy in his home town Newcastle on Tyne amid the industrial wasteland of closed shipyards and unemployment. Our hero Stanley Potts, an orphan is brought up by Aunt Annie and Uncle Ernie who is an unemployed shipwright who saves his family by creating a Heath Robinson machine that takes over his house to can pilchards. Aunt Annie threatens strike action to get Stan a birthday day off and ten pounds to have a good time at the fair which has just arrived in town. Stan is entranced by the ‘hook a duck’ stall run by Mr Dostoyevsky but anxious to save the goldfish that are kept in plastic bags as the prizes, they being ‘little runts’ like Stan.
Meanwhile the forces of authority, the DAFT squad (Dept for the Abolishun of Fishy Things) and Constable Clarence P Clapp who love their jobs, have recognised ‘the face of evil’ and seek to bring order into this chaos while Dostoyevsky maintains that ‘every one of us needs a drop of madness’.
Almond has great fun with the dated language like ‘bonkers’ and ‘blooming’ and ‘atishoo of lies’ in close collaboration with illustrator Oliver Jeffers, reminiscent of the partnership of Roald Dahl and Edward Ardizzone. Hyperbole, misspellings, repetition, and dated clichés abound. It’s ‘a nutter disgrace’.
Stan works at the hook a duck stall but doesn’t return home and stays with Mr Dostoyevsky, befriending Natisha and Gypsy Rose and Pancho Pirelli, the piscatorial genius who swims in a tank with piranhas. Pancho convinces Stan that he ‘has the magic’ to be his successor, because, like Houdini he can believe in his dreams, overcome fear and become a showman. After training, Uncle Ernie, Aunt Annie, the DAFT crew and Constable Clapp arrive for Stan’s first performance and, as the narrator explains, it’s up to us, the readers to decide what happens. Highly recommended for students in years 4-8 and all teenagers and adults who love the highest quality of story telling.
Ernie Tucker

[Sally Flint · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boy who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond.

I re-read this today, not having realised that I had read it three years ago. I was really impressed with it and thought that the plethora of new celebrity writers could do far worse than read this and take some tips from it. With a hint of magical realism it is touching, funny and heartwarming, making excellent use of direct address to the audience. I had thought it was going to be my 50th book fro this year, but now that I've realised I read it before, I'm not sure if it can count anymore!

Original review from 2014 below!

This is the story of a boy called Stanley Potts whose mum and dad, have died; he is brought up by his auntie and uncle. Uncle goes a bit nuts and makes them spend all the time canning fish from home to own an income once the shipyard factory has closed. Stanley runs away when his uncle takes goldfish, he has won at the fair, in cans. He joins the fair he had visited, first of all on the hook the duck stall and then on the swimming with piranhas stand. His auntie and uncle come to find him and all is well. It has a magical feel - a cross between Roald Dahl and David Walliams. Almost surreal. The reader is invited in to decide the fate of some bad guys and all the time it is presented almost as a tale to be told. It is all quite unbelievable yet also very firmly entrenched in reality. It is readable on various levels. I wondered whether Almond is commenting on the state of the economy with the shipyards, or the state of education with the poor grammar of the bad lads, law and enforcement with the narrow minded policemen. It is a clever book and offers hope for the future should the reader wish to take it. I think the readership will probably be about 10 or 11, but the bigger questions are appropriate for any age group

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book as on my first placement the class were doing a topic on theme parks and fairgrounds. The story is about a lonely boy who runs away to the fairground and is a comedy written in a cheerfully throwaway style, which is big on laughs and fun.

David Almond has produced a circus ride of a story, with thrills and spills and all the fun of the fair. There are glittery prizes to be had, and big fat morals printed in coloured letters ("the little troubled runts are often the ones that turn out to be best of all"), as well as quiet moments in the silvery moonlight. Generally the pace is hectic and the action bold.

There's no lingering over refinements such as motives or ramifications and the storytelling voice is big-hearted with a decided preference for cheap and cheerful clichés. The characters are cartoonish (such as Gypsy Rose, the dastardly villain Clarence P Clapp of DAFT, or the policeman whose talk is full of "I know lads like you" and "Go on, get going"). They talk funny, and show a marked tendency to farce: the thugs of DAFT are much more Keystone Kops than Child Catcher. Like the fairground setting or the run-away-with-the-circus storyline, they're kitsch, completely unpretentious and fun to play with. The end of the story is full of loose ends and this enables to the reader to finish it themselves. Great for prediction writing in that children could finish the story themselves in a writing activity.


Lots of resources of TES website for spelling and grammar.

[Carolina Cruz (Aries_en_libros) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es la primera vez que no conecto tanto con un libro infantil, la primera parte me parece muy introductoria y que en general alarga mucho la trama.

Tiene detalles muy lindo pero por alguna razón me quedo con la impresión de que el autor no supo que hacer con la historia. Igual siempre es enriquecedor leer este tipo de libros que aunque directamente no entran en mi rango de edad siempre regalan alguna reflexión o un recordatorio de lo importante en la vida que se nos olvida por ser adultos.

[Knižný (Valéria Scholtzová) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zaujímavé postavy ale absolútne nudný dej a ani to ponaučenie, alebo hlavná myšlienka mi nejak nedávali zmysel. Hviezdička za postavy, hlavne Andrej Danko like tajní agenti a druhá hviezdička za ilustrácie.

[María Greene F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Malazo el libro. Aunque tiene sus aciertos (el amor no existe de una sola manera, todos tenemos la capacidad de redimirnos, al final lo más importante es la familia, no sólo es importante quién uno es sino que también como se vende), la verdad es que no me gustó. Me pareció cruel el trato a los animales, aburrido en varios capítulos, forzado en su concepto de alegría, y demasiado difuso para ser un libro infantil/juvenil. El diseño, eso sí, es maravilloso.

Lo leí solo porque estaba buscando un lápiz en la pieza de mi sobrino, y se me apareció allí encima de la mesa, contante, sonante, con hojas suavecitas y dedicatoria escrita a mano de parte de unos amigos suyos (probablemente de los papás de sus amigos, jejeje, considerando que tiene apenas nueve años). Es casi imposible para mí resistirme a algo tan delicado y hermoso como un libro con dedicatoria, aun cuando no haya sido escrita para mi persona, así que lo tomé prestadito. Me canturreó como una sirena, y no hubo alternativa alguna.

Pero al final no valió la pena. Y no lo recomendaría. Hay ochorrocientos mil cosas mejores en el género, empezando por la saga local de Papelucho. Aunque la obsesión por lo políticamente correcto últimamente tiene vetado al pobre Papelucho, que admitamos que a veces dice cosas cuestionables (pero como el 95% de la literatura).

Las dedicatorias sí las recomiendo. Ellas embellecen cualquier cosa. Escriban siempre muchas dedicatorias. Pueden hacer que los impávidos terminen leyendo toda clase de barbaridades. Jajaja (bromita).

[Julie lit pour les autres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un délicieux roman destiné aux jeunes de 10 ns et plus. Et un roman d'initiation en plus!

On a en Stan un garçon débrouillard, réfléchi et sincère. Il met l'épaule à la roue quand son oncle transforme la maison en conserverie suite à la perte de son emploi. C'est quand ce dernier fera un geste dramatique qui brisera le coeur du garçon, que Stan se résignera à quitter la maison pour se joindre à une foire itinérante. Ce qui est intéressant, c'est qu'il ne le fait pas de gaieté de coeur. Il part à regret. Il n'y a pas de vengeance dans le coeur de ce garçon : il y a une passion naissante.

Il rencontrera une galerie de personnages étonnants et intéressants, qui voient en lui quelque chose d'extraordinaire. Mais que fait-on quand on ne croit pas être extraordinaire, justement? Comment se préparer à faire quelque chose d'extraordinaire quand on est convaincu d'être profondément ordinaire? Poétique, riche et humoristique, - le narrateur brise allègrement le quatrième mur et c'est toujours délicieux -, ce roman offre de nombreuses pistes de réflexion potentielles. On ne pousse pas la leçon de vie dans la gorge du lecteur: ce sont de petites touches ici et là qui nous amènent à faire une pause et à réfléchir.

Et vous, à quoi ressemble votre piranha intérieur?

[Mathilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

C’est une bien jolie histoire qui nous fait voyager dans le pays imaginaire !
L’histoire est chargée de poésie, sans queue ni tête qui m’a fait penser à l’univers du Big Fish de Tim Burton, mais pour les enfants.

J’ai beaucoup apprécié ces petits interludes de l’auteur qui nous interpelle en début de chapitre à quelques occasions, accentuant cette impression d’être dans un film, nous prenons avec lui de la hauteur vis à vis de l’histoire.

Une aventure fantaisiste qui donne le lecteur à réfléchir sur le fait de grandir et de trouver sa place dans la vie malgré les aléas de la vie.

Mention spéciale pour l’illustration de la couverture réalisée par Oliver Jeffers que je trouve vraiment à l’image du livre.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stanley Potts lives with his aunt and uncle and has a pretty good life until his uncle loses his job, goes a bit batty, and decides to turn their house into a canning factory. After Uncle Ernie makes a very poor decision that results in a traumatic incident for Stanley, Stanley runs away from home to join a traveling carnival. He meets all sorts of interesting characters and starts an unlikely career as The Boy Who Swims with the Piranhas.

I love this quirky-but-lovely book. Stanley is such a great character: complex in his quiet confidence and empathetic manners. And the other characters are strange and rich and wonderful, too. Almond is a great storyteller, and I highly recommend this one.

[Emma Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book with a Year 5 class I was covering for 2 weeks. It's a fun read but not one I'll be rushing to read with other classes.

I know it's a children's book, but even taking that into account a few of the characters and motivations and plotlines felt a little shallow.

That being said, it has quite a lot to teach children about how books are written, which feels very intentional. Almond occasionally takes breaks from the story to discuss how stories come about, how they can change and move around the world as they exist in our imagination. I quite liked that element from a teaching perspective, though it did feel a little clunky at times.

[Gem Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a joint read with my youngest son. He is autistic and has a huge interest in all marine life so he couldn't wait to read this book every night. He adored the humour and if I'm honest so did I. It was exciting and really good fun to read. Stanley Potts was an easy to love hero and Clarence P Clapp a great villain.

[Ceciliux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia que nos cuenta que los sueños se consiguen cuando vamos por ellos y que la familia, la que tienes y la que vas construyendo con tus amigos o la gente que te rodea, es fundamental en la vida.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars. The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas is about a boy called Stanley. He lives with his uncle who has a crazy obsession with canning fish. He escapes and meets Pancho Pirelli who teaches him how to swim with piranhas.

[Books Lucy King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, inspiring, magical story about the boy who swam with Piranhas. I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way author narrated the story. Great for kids and for adults, too.

[Smit Zaveri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This man is insane. Absolutely Barmy and Bonkers and Nutters himself. Such a wonderful book.

[Kieron Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Imaginative. Honest.

[Arghavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

دارم فکر می‌کنم شاید از بین نوشته‌های دیوید آلموند، فقط اسکلیگ به طرز استثنایی‌ای خیلی خوب بوده.
دوتا دیوید آلموند دیگه هم امانت گرفته‌م البته. اونا رو هم بخونم ببینم چی می‌شه.

[Korn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only word that can be describe. Wow.

[Isabell Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little book! It reminded me of a mix of Trenton Lee Stewart and Kate DiCamillo’s writing. So much sweetness and growth packed into one little book, and I seriously have no idea where the author came up with the creative idea for the story in general! The DAFT team was my favorite—I was literally laughing out loud. Overall, a very uplifting, happy springtime read.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like Wes Anderson for kids. Ill-advised canning factories, thugs who can't spell, boy befriending carnival fish, boy escaping with mysterious circus, going on mini-quests, and finally, meeting his destiny inside a fishtank. It's a fun one with lots of oddities.