Boy Underwater
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Boy Underwater
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Narrated by:
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Rafe Spall
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By:
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Adam Baron
About this listen
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE AWARD
A heart-breaking, heart-warming novel for everyone of 10 and older – this book will probably make you cry, and will definitely make you laugh.
Cymbeline Igloo (yes, really!) has NEVER been swimming
Not ever. Not once.
But how hard can it be? He’s Googled front crawl and he’s found his dad’s old pair of trunks. He’s totally ready.
What he’s not ready for is the accident at the pool – or how it leads his mum to a sudden breakdown.
Now, with the help of friends old and new, Cymbeline must solve the mystery of why his mum never took him near water – and it will turn his whole life upside down…
‘A wonderful story, moving and funny’ – Ross Welford
©2018 Adam Baron (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘An absolute corker of a tale, whose delicate themes – mental health, missing loved ones – are handled with fluid grace’ Observer
‘This poignant novel is about love and loss, but, told from the viewpoint of a child too young to grasp all that grown-ups do, it is also funny. With evocative monochrome illustrations, it bears you up as soon as you plunge in’ Sunday Times, Children’s Book of the Week
‘Involving and wryly funny, full of tenderness, eccentricity and intriguing meditations on the function of art, this story of grief, depression and the different facets of identity is well-served by Benji Davies’s thoughtful illustrations’ Guardian
‘The witty humour and dialogue are the perfect foil to the unresolved grief and anxiety that underpin this impressive debut’ Daily Mail
‘Adam Baron has a light touch and brings humour to difficult subjects. So, why not come in? The water’s lovely’ The Times Children’s Book of the Week
‘Baron’s children’s debut is funny and easygoing, complemented by lively black-and-white illustrations from Davies’ Publishers Weekly
‘Adam Baron has successfully maintained a delicate balance between comedy and tragedy and there are scenes that will have children laughing aloud, as well as others that will leave many readers in tears’
Books for Keeps, Children’s Book of the Week
‘Boy Underwater is one of those rare books that manages to be both very funny and heartbreakingly sad’ LoveReading4Kids
What listeners say about Boy Underwater
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- FunkyMonkey
- 06-06-19
So modern and emotive
It's nice for kids to listen and appreciate the world at the moment, the story gives an emotive account of a child trying to find out about why things are in his life, with issues regarding mental health in family and also about personal struggle, the twist at the end brings it altogether.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nick
- 10-01-19
Powerful and humorous
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book, but I was almost instantly very impressed. There are lots of important issues discussed in a sensitive and interesting way with a fantastic sense of humour running throughout. Rafe Spall was a perfect narrator and really added a lot to the telling of this story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- christine fyfe
- 06-09-20
good listen
enjoyed book enjoyed humour . touched on some serious issues . but all in all funny
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrea Wilson
- 24-07-23
So good
Ok so basically I loved this book so much although I thought it was a bit sad great though
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-08-20
Read this review!
THAT WAS AMAZING!
The feeling of the author sucking you into this amazing book is soooo cool, I recomend this book to people who love swimming, friends and a pinch of magic! If you are hesitating to read this, go for it and see where it takes you... it made me cry a bit to be honnest, but that doesnt matter because shedding a tear is ok dont be scared about admiting it. This book is about a boy called Symboline who has never (not even once) been swimming and when his mother is taken away and he is sent to live with his aunt things dont get much better, if I had to describe this book in 3 words it would be, funny, emotional and finding out who you are!
Please read this book, thank you!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-04-25
the overall blend off heartbreak, humor and how well, as a child, you can relate and understand Cymbeline and his responses.
I loved the meaningfull choice of words. it could have been better if the author used different perspectives
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Tarps
- 21-01-20
AMAZING LOVE 💓 IT SO Much IT WAS GREAT BEST BOOK Ever 🥰😍
You can ad more stuff sim does over all it is AMAZING 😉🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩👍👌✌🏼so so good yay
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- crowlemac
- 20-05-21
Very emotional and some great humour.
I found this book hard going in the middle and wasn’t sure my son would stick with it. There is a lot of loss / events the boy has to work through. But the end really does pull it around to be a powerful piece of writing that is put across so well.
It has some great humour and wonderfully observed relationships.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mark miller
- 23-07-20
Great book
This book was great,
it keeps me thinking and guessing,
I definitely recommend this book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hillster
- 16-06-19
Very well narrated
A great story. A moving story. Good to listen with younger kids as some parts require discussion and explanation. Perfect companion on long car journeys!
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