The Big Swim - Paperback

by Cary Fagan (Author)

When Ethan arrives at summer camp for the first time, he has just three modest goals. First, to survive. Second, not to be hated. Third, not to be the worst at anything. But these goals turn out to be relatively easy to achieve. Instead, his real challenge comes in the form of a new cabin mate. Zachary arrives at camp late, surrounded by a cloud of rumors, and Ethan finds himself intrigued and somehow envious of the new arrival. Zach doesn't seem to care what anybody thinks of him. He doesn't even seem upset when he is forced to miss the Big Swim, the legendary camp event where a select few try to swim across the lake and back.

Then Zach attracts the attention of Amber Levine -- the girl with an easy smile and a freckle on one knee -- at the same time that Amber attracts the attention of Ethan. And life gets even more complicated when Zach decides to try the Big Swim on his own, and he manages to convince Amber and Ethan to help him. Original and smartly observed, this story will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been to summer camp.

Author Biography

Cary Fagan is an award-winning author of books for children and adults. He has won the City of Toronto Book Award, the Jewish Book Committee Prize for Fiction and a Mr. Christie Silver Medal, and he has been shortlisted for the Norma Fleck Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. He is also the author of Mr. Karp's Last Glass, The Book of Big Brothers and Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas, a sequel to Mordecai Richler's classic. He lives in Toronto, ON.