The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas

A boy escapes home to seek his own way in the world in a whimsical outing by the award-winning David Almond, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers.

Stanley Potts’s uncle Ernie has developed an over-the-top fascination with canning fish in the house, and life at 69 Fish Quay Lane has turned barmy. But there’s darkness in the madness, and when Uncle Ernie’s obsession takes an unexpectedly cruel turn, Stan has no choice but to leave. As he journeys away from the life he’s always known, he mingles with a carnival full of eccentric characters and meets the legendary Pancho Pirelli, the man who swims in a tank full of perilous piranhas. Will Stan be bold enough to dive in the churning waters himself and choose his own destiny?

David Almond is the winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the most prestigious award in international children’s literature. He is known worldwide as the multi-award-winning author of Skellig, Clay, and many other novels, stories, and plays. With Candlewick, he is the author of My Dad’s a Birdman and The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon, both illustrated by Polly Dunbar, as well as The Savage, Slog’s Dad, and Mouse Bird Snake Wolf, all illustrated by Dave McKean. David Almond lives in England.

Oliver Jeffers is the author-illustrator of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, which was named a Bisto Book of the Year Honor book, as well as Lost and Found, the recipient of a Nestlé Children’s Book Prize Gold Medal, among several other picture books. He was born in Australia, grew up in Northern Ireland, and now lives in New York City.