The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

A life-affirming voyage of self discovery – with a fabulously fishy twist – from master storyteller David Almond.A homely but equally zany taleFunny and unusal with wonderful charactersA beautiful storyOut of the ordinary comes the extraordinary, and visuals and text merge together to tell a truly magnificent fishy tale.Often funny, occasionally poignant, but always subtle and never naïve, this is a terrific read.There’s no mistaking the hallmark Almond tenderness and the willingness to work with the common things in life, which animate the book from start to finish and make it goodAtmospheric, poetic, beautifulFun, magical and enchanting. . . will appeal to readers of Roald DahlDahl-esque adventure. I thought I knew David Almond through his book Skellig. But this is more like the best work of Roald Dahl than standard teen fiction . . . Oliver Jeffers’ illustrations work as a brilliant accompaniment to this funny book Its message hits home: give a child belief in himself and there’s no limit to what he can achieve

Multi-award-winning author David Almond brings us a joyfully life-affirming and fabulously fishy tale about one boy's journey from anguish to joy.

Stanley Potts is just an ordinary boy, but when all the jobs in Fish Quay disappear his Uncle Ernie develops an extraordinary fascination with canning fish. Suddenly their home is filled with the sound of clanging machinery and the stench of mackerel, and Uncle Ernie's obsession reaches such heights that he would even can Stan's beloved goldfish! Stan, however, has his own destiny, which leads him – via a hook-a-duck stall – to Pancho Pirelli, the blue-caped madman who swims with piranhas. And as Stan delves into the waters, he finally discovers who he really can be.

David Almond is the acclaimed author of many award-winning novels for children such as Skellig, Kit's Wilderness and My Name Is Mina, and has more recently collaborated with artists Polly Dunbar, Dave McKean and Oliver Jeffers on fiction for younger readers. David's books sell all over the world, and in 2011 he was the recipient of the auspicious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in Hexham, Northumberland; for more info visit www.davidalmond.com

As a picture book creator Oliver Jeffers has been the recipient of some of children's books highest accolades, including the Nestle Gold Medal for Lost and Found and the Irish Picture Book of the Year for The Incredible Book Eating Boy. Other award-winning titles include The Way Back Home, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal. An animated film of Oliver's book Lost and Found won a BAFTA for Best Animation in 2009. Oliver was born in Belfast but now lives in New York City. This is his first book for Walker; for more information about his work, visit www.oliverjeffers.com