| Water Wings |  | Author: Morris Gleitzman
Publisher: Bolinda Audio Books
Category: Book
List Price: £15.94
Buy New: £6.89
You Save: £9.05 (57%)
New (3) from £6.89
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 2129762
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.1 x 5 x 0.4
ISBN: 1740931343
EAN: 9781740931342
ASIN: 1740931343
Publication Date: December 1, 2003
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: 2 CD set. Read by Mary-Anne Fahey. Mint Condition; We post daily by Royal Mail,from Uk location, Wrapped in bubble and inserted in jiffy bag ;Priority Airmail used Worldwide on International orders
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Pearl has her own secret hidden in the depths of the freezer. But it is the skeleton in Gran's closet that heralds the beginning of the real problems.... A perfect balance between humour and gloom in Water Wings impeccably captures the exquisitely painful emotions that surround one of the last taboo subjects--death. The story, if dealt with in any other way, would perhaps threaten to drown in a pool of misery, but Morris Gleitzman's irreverent use of none-too-subtle humour lifts the tale to a higher level, leaving the reader both moved and thoughtful in a way that many other more serious novels inevitably fail to do. The outrageously funny and divinely wicked Gleitzman, author of the devilishly comical and poignant Two Weeks with the Queen, will win over even more hearts and minds with this bittersweet comedy. --Susan Harrison
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| Customer Reviews:
 TWO CHILDREN KILL GRAN October 9, 2003
It started off so well: loads of very funny jokes, dead-pan delivery from our little hero Pearl. In the end it left an uneasy feeling in me.
I can't fault how well it is written. I only wish all children's books were this well written. It did make me cry and little Winston is so adorable.
Then towards the end of the book some more adult themes raised their head. I'm talking about euthanasia here, death, cancer, direct disobedience to parents as well as breaking and entering, granny-knapping from a hospital and aiding and abetting a 'suicide'.
I feel it got hijacked along the way by a secret agenda and I feel really disappointed with this as it was superbly written. Ultimately the central character, Pearl, doesn't really change apart from 'letting go' of Winston in a Viking burial(brilliant scene!). She gets her wish of a Gran but the person who really changes is Gran. The terrible relationship between Pearl and her Mother is never addressed. Pearl's mum and her boyfriend, Howard, are stereotypical adults.
But what I found a little sinister is Pearl mixing a concoction of 'stuff' to kill Gran off because she won't survive the cancer. The justification for this is Winston was put down so why can't we stop Gran's suffering. There's an agenda here and it's thinly veiled. The last scene to some will seem beautiful but in a children's book for 9-12 year olds it is, at the very least, problematic.
Mitch and Pearl help Gran, crippled with lung cancer, to swim out to the lake where her childhood sweetheart drowned. They let her go and aid her willing death. It's lovely to 'go' the way you want but with the help of two young children? I don' think so. At the end there is no postscript, so we can't see the implication of Pearl's actions. But one might imagine the headlines in the local newspaper the following day, 'Gran drowned by two children'. As I said it left me uneasy.
 A bittersweet tale that made me sob and laugh January 16, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book will also appeal to adults. My friends and I have read and re-read the story of Pearl and her soul-mate, Winston. It will tear at your heart strings, but never leave you in despair. The story is told through the eyes of a child, Pearl, and her desire for a Grandmother of her own. Achingly funny, you will find yourself laughing one minute, and crying buckets the next!
Hilarious & Very Sad August 31, 2000
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I gave this book to my 8 year old boy to read & found myself reading it too. You will laugh out loud and cry too. The subtle issues which touched on euphanasia and dying were lost on my 8 year old, but he found it very funny.
Read this book! August 23, 1999
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is one of the most intelligent, compassionate and moving stories which I have ever read. Very young children (and insensitive adults) will not, however, enjoy it.
Adopt a Grandmother, who will touch your heart forever. July 28, 1999
I read this book some time ago and it's still "with me". It touches on a difficult issue, with a simple depth of understanding and caring. I laughed and I cried and I didn't want the story to end. I think that older children/young adults would find it very thought provoking. A wonderfully moving story.
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