Review Detail

5.0 1

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Young Adult Fiction 1180

Another home run from Sonnenblick

April 19, 2012

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

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Characters

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Writing Style

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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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Peter is a hotshot baseball pitcher who works well with his lunkhead friend AJ until a serious elbow injury makes it impossible for him to pitch or play ball ever again. Peter's grandfather is a wedding photographer who has always encouraged Peter to take pictures, so Peter starts out the year in 9th grade taking Intro to Photography, but soon gets moved to the advanced class. Moving with him is Angelika, a smart mouthed but cute girl who shares his interests. When Peter's grandfather suddenly gives him all of his photography equipment, Peter is grateful but also worried about the mental lapses that his grandfather has been having. He and Angelika are made the coeditors of the yearbook sports photo division, so spend a lot of time together. AJ still thinks that Peter will end up pitching and tries to get him to get ready for try outs. He and Angelika become closer but also face some challenges. The grandfather's condition continues to deteriorate. All of these threads draw together for a very satisfying ending. San Lee from Zen and the Art of Faking It makes a few cameo appearances!

Good Points

I cannot do justice to this book. It is truly an awesome piece of fiction. I laughed hysterically, but I also cried in the end. NO ONE writes like Sonnenblick, although I wish that I could. The characters are complex but likable, the relationships true-to-life and poignant, and the scene where Peter inadvertently ends up with a hangover-- so, so funny. But with a lesson! I need five copies. Seriously.