Age Group: 9 - 12 Years, 12+ Years

Description: Cymbeline Igloo—yes, that’s really his name—has never been swimming, not even once. When his school announces swimming lessons, he’s determined not to be left out, even though something about swimming seems to upset his mum deeply. After googling how to swim and borrowing his dad’s old trunks, he arrives at the pool… only for everything to go terribly wrong. The accident that follows sends Cym’s life spiraling into mystery, as his mother suddenly breaks down and disappears from his everyday world. With the help of a few loyal friends, he begins to uncover family secrets long buried beneath silence—truths that explain his mother’s fear of water and reshape everything he thought he knew about love and loss. By turns heartbreaking and hilarious, Boy Under Water is a profoundly emotional story about courage, friendship, and healing—about learning to swim through life’s deepest waters with hope and humor.