Scan barcode
kathryn14's review against another edition
2.0
Nope, never again. At best it was ok, at worst stereotypically insulting.
The kids liked it better than myself but still ... They didn't clap at the end. Never a good sign.
4.5/10
The kids liked it better than myself but still ... They didn't clap at the end. Never a good sign.
4.5/10
lawbooks600's review against another edition
4.0
Representation: Side Asian character
Trigger warnings: PTSD, death of a brother, death of a child in a river, near-death experience
Read this review for context: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5757016257
6.5/10, the library I got this from didn't have this book physically however they did have an ebook copy so I picked that up instead and I didn't know if I would enjoy this considering I haven't read from this author before but it was a pretty good mystery about why the boy in this book couldn't swim however the ending spoke for itself. Where do I begin? This reminds me of another book similar to this but different also. It starts with the main character Cymbeline Igloo or Cymbeline for short and he admits at the starting pages that he has never been swimming. Ever. Initially I thought Cymbeline's mother made all sorts of excuses to prevent him until when in some point in the future he has to swim at his school, he thought it couldn't be that bad since he researched what freestyle is but man, it couldn't have played out worse.
Cymbeline arrives at the pool and for some reason he boasted he was a good swimmer and could even do the moth which isn't a thing, there was a guy called Marcus Breen and he pushed him in, fortunately another character Veronique Chang pulled him out, that must've been the most embarrassing point in his life. There was an event I didn't see coming and it's not at all how I thought it would play out when Cymbeline called someone for a flight to Australia and his mother delivering a rant and that's where her composure starts to unravel and soon enough I knew she was mentally ill but why, this is a central theme in this.
In the middle of all that Cymbeline is sent away to live with another relative and his cousins but even that doesn't go as well either and it was explicitly said Cymbeline's father died and no one knows why and that is just a fabrication as I saw later on. There was a moment where Cymbeline met Veronique and the conversation looked normal until she told Cymbeline that he could not swim despite me knowing that so she sets him off to find out why, as if he never found out. There was an inappropriate moment which I didn't like; didn't matter much though. The last few pages were a sight to see as Cymbeline's mother was standing in a river, Cymbeline saw his father and I knew the big question was finally going to be answered. The book cuts to Cymbeline swimming for the first time in his life and then it cuts to the reason, a while back Cymbeline once had a brother called Antony but he died and his mother didn't want him to go near water since it was so traumatising for her ever since. Wow. That was tragic. And that's about it, the ending was a low note.
Trigger warnings: PTSD, death of a brother, death of a child in a river, near-death experience
Read this review for context: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5757016257
6.5/10, the library I got this from didn't have this book physically however they did have an ebook copy so I picked that up instead and I didn't know if I would enjoy this considering I haven't read from this author before but it was a pretty good mystery about why the boy in this book couldn't swim however the ending spoke for itself. Where do I begin? This reminds me of another book similar to this but different also. It starts with the main character Cymbeline Igloo or Cymbeline for short and he admits at the starting pages that he has never been swimming. Ever. Initially I thought Cymbeline's mother made all sorts of excuses to prevent him until when in some point in the future he has to swim at his school, he thought it couldn't be that bad since he researched what freestyle is but man, it couldn't have played out worse.
Cymbeline arrives at the pool and for some reason he boasted he was a good swimmer and could even do the moth which isn't a thing, there was a guy called Marcus Breen and he pushed him in, fortunately another character Veronique Chang pulled him out, that must've been the most embarrassing point in his life. There was an event I didn't see coming and it's not at all how I thought it would play out when Cymbeline called someone for a flight to Australia and his mother delivering a rant and that's where her composure starts to unravel and soon enough I knew she was mentally ill but why, this is a central theme in this.
In the middle of all that Cymbeline is sent away to live with another relative and his cousins but even that doesn't go as well either and it was explicitly said Cymbeline's father died and no one knows why and that is just a fabrication as I saw later on. There was a moment where Cymbeline met Veronique and the conversation looked normal until she told Cymbeline that he could not swim despite me knowing that so she sets him off to find out why, as if he never found out. There was an inappropriate moment which I didn't like; didn't matter much though. The last few pages were a sight to see as Cymbeline's mother was standing in a river, Cymbeline saw his father and I knew the big question was finally going to be answered. The book cuts to Cymbeline swimming for the first time in his life and then it cuts to the reason, a while back Cymbeline once had a brother called Antony but he died and his mother didn't want him to go near water since it was so traumatising for her ever since. Wow. That was tragic. And that's about it, the ending was a low note.
missoliviareadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
A heart warming story with a twist in the tale that packs a punch!
luxxltyd's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief
noaregine's review against another edition
1.5
This is truly everything I dislike about British middle grade fiction
stories's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Wow.
9 (10 next week) year-old Cymbeline has never been swimming before. But he’s super sporty so lies about it to his class rival/bully. Which might not have been a big deal if he hadn’t been pushed into the pool on a school excursion.
Suddenly the shame of being pulled out by your crush, pantsless, in front of your whole class, is eclipsed. Mum’s in (a psychiatric) hospital, his best friend won’t talk to him, and no one will tell Cymbeline what’s going on.
Investigations, alongside said-crush ensue, with tragedy and hope intertwined in last-minute reveals.
Side notes of classism, parental physical abuse, alcoholism, depression, suicidality, refugees and more, buried beneath the innocent naivety of our narrator. This book doesn’t focus on the traumas of life, but they are deftly interwoven as part of the reality of the world.
Morals around friendship and forming connections between people, with a side of honesty (particularly about emotions or “deep dark” secrets).
Could work as a 5/6 class novel (not T1), or as a book club book. Language wise a straightforward read although be wary of the themes for kids: I suspect that suicide references at least would be apparent to them.
9 (10 next week) year-old Cymbeline has never been swimming before. But he’s super sporty so lies about it to his class rival/bully. Which might not have been a big deal if he hadn’t been pushed into the pool on a school excursion.
Suddenly the shame of being pulled out by your crush, pantsless, in front of your whole class, is eclipsed. Mum’s in (a psychiatric) hospital, his best friend won’t talk to him, and no one will tell Cymbeline what’s going on.
Investigations, alongside said-crush ensue, with tragedy and hope intertwined in last-minute reveals.
Side notes of classism, parental physical abuse, alcoholism, depression, suicidality, refugees and more, buried beneath the innocent naivety of our narrator. This book doesn’t focus on the traumas of life, but they are deftly interwoven as part of the reality of the world.
Morals around friendship and forming connections between people, with a side of honesty (particularly about emotions or “deep dark” secrets).
Could work as a 5/6 class novel (not T1), or as a book club book. Language wise a straightforward read although be wary of the themes for kids: I suspect that suicide references at least would be apparent to them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death
crwof's review against another edition
5.0
My gosh did we have some good laughs throughout this book - the main character is a hoot and quite clever in an unsuspecting way. Read this aloud to the whole family and we all looked forward to the next page and were super sad when we reached the end.
zoediane's review against another edition
3.0
A fabulous and powerful read. Covering themes like mental health, loss and bereavement for younger reads. I could not put this down!
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
2.0
This is an odd story, told from the view point of a nine-year-old. Half of the book is a mystery of why the boy was never taught to swim, and the other half is what is going on with his mother, and why she is having a mental breakdown.
It is a bit confusing, as to where this is all going, and the second half was interesting, but putting the book all together, to me, was a disappointing mess.
The conclusion made no sense. Mostly because, if the events that lead up to the conclusion had occurred in the real world, there would have been more circumstances. Especially with the super smart friend, Veronique, who helps figure out all the other clues.
The lightheartedness of the narrator is the only thing that brings this up to a two star, rather than a one star. And the cover is quite beautiful. I would say something was lost in translation, but it is British English, that the original was written in, so that is no excuse.
Perhaps this book was just not meant for me, and that's fine.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
It is a bit confusing, as to where this is all going, and the second half was interesting, but putting the book all together, to me, was a disappointing mess.
The conclusion made no sense. Mostly because, if the events that lead up to the conclusion had occurred in the real world, there would have been more circumstances. Especially with the super smart friend, Veronique, who helps figure out all the other clues.
The lightheartedness of the narrator is the only thing that brings this up to a two star, rather than a one star. And the cover is quite beautiful. I would say something was lost in translation, but it is British English, that the original was written in, so that is no excuse.
Perhaps this book was just not meant for me, and that's fine.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.