Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Jordan Sonnenblick has this uncanny ability to take a serious subject, battle the dramatic situation with bittersweet class, and inject the funny that makes such a serious topic digestible. I don't know how he does it, but I keep coming back for more. So when Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip was released, I knew it was going to hit the ball out of the park (pun intended!).Peter always assumed he would enter 9th grade with his best friend AJ and their dynamic pitcher/catcher combo would land them on varsity. What he didn't expect that ignoring that clicking pain in his elbow would cause his elbow to actually fall apart and never go back together again. After much surgery and recovery time, Peter gets the life-altering news that his baseball career is over. Just over. He can't bring himself to tell AJ the truth, so he starts spending time with his grandfather over the summer. His grandfather has always been a photographer and has taught Peter a lot over the years. But with all the time he is spending with Grampa leads him to believe something isn't quite right.Grampa is forgetting things and spacing out a lot. Peter tries to talk to his mother about it, but she doesn't want to admit anything is wrong. When Grampa gives Peter all his camera, Peter shakes off the feeling that something is really wrong. Without baseball in his life, he needs a new focus and begins to enjoy his new elective: Photography. Of course it doesn't hurt that the only other freshman in the class is a girl Peter finds whole-heartedly intriguing named Angelika. Peter and Angelika begin photographing the sports teams for the school newspaper, but despite his great year at school, something is still tugging on Peter's conscience about his grandfather. But will anyone realize how bad it has gotten before it is too late?Oh, dear, dear Sonnenblick. I don't know how you do it. Life-altering injury combined with Alzheimer's Disease and light-hearted humor? Should be absurd or tactless, right? Well, it isn't. It's beautiful. It is bitter-sweet and realistic and beautiful. All hard situations in life are peppered with a little laughter where you just have to look at how crappy things have gotten and laugh. I remember going to a break out session in a conference about Finding the Funny with LD. In the session, the presenter explained how she got her epileptic brother a dog to lift his spirits after he lost his job and his wife left him. Know what happened next? Her brother's lab had a seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. She said she and her brother stood at the vet's office laughing. Because, really, what else can you do at that point? Is the epilepsy funny? Of course not, but the irony of the epileptic dog to make the epileptic brother feel better is so bitter you just have to laugh at the situation. This story always reminds me of Sonnenblick. He knows the fine balance between lightening up a sad situation with some witty remarks and situation irony and the tacky fun-poking at a serious topic. And with Sonnenblick, it is never tacky.He creates a story where Peter is suffering his own life-altering trauma, but in the midst of healing and moving on with his life, he must acknowledge that the man who has always been such a huge part of Peter's life has irrevocably changed. This seems like a double whammy, and by gods it is. This is also a beautifully handled story about a family fighting the knowledge that their father/grandfather is suffering from an incurable disease, a disease that always tends to be harder on the family than the victim itself. When Grampa starts to forget things and space out, nobody wants to admit aloud when they are pretty sure is happening. They ignore the signs or explain them away until they find themselves in a situation where their loved one could seriously hurt themselves. As a granddaughter and great-granddaughter, I have experienced this denial first hand. It isn't neglectful, it is actually steeped in unconditional love where you can't imagine the strong family member you know and love slipping away. Peter and his family are the embodiment of this struggle, and it was written beautifully.This is a book for a wide variety of students from early middle readers through high school students, because while the language is simple, the story has layers of depth that would appeal to a wide range of students. It is beautifully written, just as all Sonnenblick's books are. I also love how the inclusion of baseball might draw in a boy reader to enjoy a story that is so much more than just a sports story. But sometimes you just need the hook to get them in. And the characters are all wonderful, brilliantly developed, and easily relatable. You will finish this book and be as blown away as I was. Bravo, Mr. Sonnenblick. You have done it again!

Peter is a star pitcher in his junior high. He starts to feel pain at his shoulder. One day after day they saw his shoulder keeps hurting. At the last game of the series, he throws a fastball and falls down. When they went to the hospital doctor said he wouldn't be able to pitch again. At the first they of the high school he goes to photography class and meets a girl named Angelika Peter thinks she is cute. Angelika becomes his partner at class then he tells Angelika that his grandfather is a photographer and he has awesome equipment so he can use the machines for the project. One day him and his grandfather went to the mountain. He told Peter that he comes here every year for 30 years in June. Hiss goal is to take a picture of an eagle flying through the sunset. Then suddenly eagle appears and he does not do anything and just sit there. HE thought it was weird, but he did not do anything. Angelika becomes peters girlfriend meanwhile AJ keeps pushing peter to work so he can attend the baseball team Aj does not understand that Peter cannot pitch anymore. Angelika tells Aj about his arm AJ tells Peter I do not care if you cannot pitch anymore you are still my best friend. Peter finds out that his grandfather has an Alzheimer he makes Peter worry, but he tells not to tell mom or dad. He was sitting around with Angelika and then when he call his grand father he tells Peter that I do not know where I am and I am on a car. After this review why don’t you read and find out? I bet you this is a good story.

Curveball is another great read from Jordan Sonnenblick one of the very best YA authors. His understanding of adolescence is apparent in the authentic characters, realistic events and witty teenage sarcasm. Cruveball is the story of Pete, a typical shy, quiet suburban teen who leaves 8th grade as one of the best baseball players in the state and a better than decent basketball player. He is also best friends with AJ, the super athlete, super popular, super good-looking, center of attention wherever he goes, class leader. Pete is confident his athletic talents and friendship with AJ will help him make a smooth transition into the frightening world of high school - until Pete is told by his doctors he will never play ball again and he and AJ end up with no classes together. Luckily, Pete is also best friends with his grandfather, a famous photographer who taught Pete everything he knows about photography. When school starts, instead of following in AJ's shadow, Pete ends one of two freshman in advanced photography. The other freshman is the beautiful, funny, wise Angelika and much to Pete's dismay, she finds Pete's awkwardness adorable. In addition to trying figure out who he is if he can't be an athlete, Pete is trying to figure out how to deal with the dementia he sees destroying his grandfather. The dementia his mother and father deny is happening. Angelika and AJ help Pete through this befuddling year and help him discover the real Pete. Curveball will appeal to all readers including reluctant readers. I love Jordan Sonnenblick's strong themes of family and friendship. His characters are not one dimensional or stereotypical and the adults, while not perfect, are loving and supportive. YA readers will love that Pete, AJ and Angelika could be the students sitting next to them.

Well written, nice story. I didn't like the accent on the teacher, pretty annoying to read his dialog, but the rest was good.Story was a little predictable, didn't quite grab me like some other books in this genre.

The book took a far different route than what I was expecting - good, just different. A good YA read.