The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond

I read this book in one sitting - partly because I had no children to interrupt me, but mostly because it is a cracking great read.

The story can be read on two levels... it is essentially about a young lad (Stan) who runs away with the circus and ends up swimming with piranhas as a main attraction.  And that is quite entertaining enough in itself.  But older readers will see much of what happens as a metaphor for life: for example, when Stan stands above the piranha pool, plucking up the courage to dive in, we can ask ourselves if we have the courage to make a change in our own life?

As with any good story, there is a baddy (or 5) to contend with.  The baddies in this story are almost Shakespearian in the way they provide comic relief, as they are just so ridiculous.  (They remind me of Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing.) They are part of an organisation called DAFT (Department for the Abolishun of Fishy Things) and they have a very poor grasp of the English language, which is rather entertaining, although some of the puns may go over younger readers' heads.

I also love the way that David Almond uses his own voice in parts to narrate the story, creating a kind of movie-like effect of zooming in and out of scenes.  My favourite quote from one of these moments is "we could go anywhere with words and our imaginations."  Fabulous.