From Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip The next several photos are taken all in a row, click-click-click.Each is zoomed in more tightly than the one before it. The pitcher is in his windup, one arm cocked behind his head, his glove hand swinging down, across his body, toward the catcher. Then the throwing arm is whipping itsway forward in stop-time as his compact body is launched forward by the thrust of his back leg against the pitching rubber. There's a shot that freezes the action just as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. His arm is coming straight down, and his entire body is tumbling forward. If you look past all of the moving limbs, you might be able to tell that something has gone wrong. The pitcher's face is now stretched in a grimace of agony. In the next shot, the pitcher has fallen halfway out of the frame so that you can only see his head, his shoulders, a blur of infield, outfield, the blue sky. The photographer adjusts in a split second, swinging the camera downward just enough to center his subject in the frame one more time. Now the pitcher has tumbled to his knees, and his glove hand is pressed against the elbow of his throwing arm. Click. There's one more photo, and this one is blurred, as though the photographer is moving as the shutter opens: the boy falling forward. You can tell his face is going to hit the dirt at the foot of the pitcher's mound. You can tell it's probably going to hurt. The photographer is my grandfather. The pitcher is me. Excerpted from Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Publishers Weekly Review
| When a major injury ends the pitching prospects of baseball hotshot Peter Friedman, the high school freshman has to redefine the direction of his life. And when he finds himself in possession of camera gear worth thousands of dollars-courtesy of his increasingly senile grandfather-he begins to grow closer to Angelika, the cute girl in his photography class. In this audio edition of Sonnenblick's coming-of-age novel, Luke Daniels provides skillful narration, producing convincing voices for Peter Friedman, the various members of his family, his social clique, and an array of other characters. Additionally, Daniels creates a genuine rapport between Peter and his best friend A.J. Daniels is best when narrating the book's moments of crisis; particularly memorable is the scene in which a panicked Peter has to locate his afflicted grandfather, who is driving aimlessly through a snowstorm. Daniels's performance is vibrant, alive, and memorable. Ages 12-up. A Scholastic hardcover. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 6-9-When an elbow injury abruptly ends Peter Friedman's promising high school baseball career before it even starts, everything he always assumed about his life, his identity, and his future crumbles. Even though Pete knows he'll never pitch again, he's afraid to admit the truth. What's more, Alzheimer's Disease is claiming his beloved grandfather-and grandpa's made Pete promise to keep his mental failings a secret. Not a great start to freshman year. Pete's passion for photography and budding friendship with classmate Angelika (who might want to be more than just friends) might help him sort things out. But before Pete can truly move forward with life, he must be honest about his situation-to his friends, to his family, and, most importantly, to himself. Jordan Sonnenblick strikes a perfect balance between heartwarming and humorous in his latest novel (Scholastic, 2012). Tender moments between characters are believable and never melodramatic. Painfully awkward situations, while sometimes cringe-worthy, often spill into the realm of laugh-out-loud funny. Luke Daniels's reading is stellar! Through his expert narration, already well-crafted characters live and breathe. Dialogue sparkles with wit, humor, and heart. This shining example of YA literature will make an excellent addition to collections.-Alissa LeMerise, Oxford Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| *Starred Review* Ignoring the shooting elbow pains that have plagued him all summer, star pitcher Pete Friedman throws everything he's got into one final fastball to close out the league championship in the summer before freshman year. He doesn't get the out, and worse, he has wrecked his arm and whatever identity he had to look forward to as a high-school athlete. But in true closed-door-opened-window fashion, Pete's camera skills (inherited from his grandpa) offer the chance to stay close to sports as a sideline photographer and to get close to the cute girl in his photography class. But the real tension in his life comes from the fact that the tack-sharp grandfather he has always looked up to is slipping from mildly forgetful into dangerous bouts of dementia that Pete's parents seem to want to ignore. Sonnenblick (After Ever After, 2010) again shows an adept ability to tackle big-deal life issues, treat them seriously and believably, and filter them into a high-spirited, even fun story. He also sprinkles in technical photography details that kids handy with F-stops and lens specs will dig, but won't leave others out in the cold. A bittersweet look at freezing moments in time, and how Alzheimer's can scour even the younger generations in a family.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist |
Horn Book Review
| After an injury ends star-pitcher Pete's baseball career, he enters freshman year uncertain about his future. At school he focuses on photography (and classmate Angelika). Meanwhile, Pete's family won't admit there's something wrong with his grampa. While the novel is a little camera lingoheavy, Sonnenblick excels at communicating teen angst and incorporates the Alzheimer's subplot in an emotionally moving way. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Kirkus Review
| Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |
