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86th out of 239 books
—
1,794 voters
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.
Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? An...more
Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? An...more
Hardcover, 285 pages
Published
March 1st 2012
by Scholastic
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Moments. Those flashes of time that can feel like a lifetime or a blink of an eye. The boring, sad, painful, happy, and life altering moments somehow all add up to help make us who we are in life. Some memories and moments slip away right then and there, while others remain in our hearts and minds. The moment we decide to turn left instead of right, to keep or share a secret, ignore the pain, throw the ball, take the picture, and on and on…..A moment can change everything.
Curveball: The Year I...more
Curveball: The Year I...more
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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 g...more
Review originally posted on Ratherbereadingblog.com:
Summary: Peter’s dreams of being a big-time pitcher on the high school baseball team are cut short when an elbow injury stops him from playing baseball ever again. Even though he has photography to fall back on, he is still unable to come to grips with his new reality (and be honest with his best friend and teammate about it). Not to mention Gramps, his favorite relative (and the person who taught him to love photography), seems not to be himse...more
Summary: Peter’s dreams of being a big-time pitcher on the high school baseball team are cut short when an elbow injury stops him from playing baseball ever again. Even though he has photography to fall back on, he is still unable to come to grips with his new reality (and be honest with his best friend and teammate about it). Not to mention Gramps, his favorite relative (and the person who taught him to love photography), seems not to be himse...more
Pete loves baseball, and he works hard to be the best pitcher he can possibly be, preparing himself to start high school and begin serious ball with his best friend A.J. Pete keeps throwing even when his arm is hurting and injures himself so badly that surgery--and the end to his baseball career--is required. Peter can't even bear to tell A.J. that he won't be beside him for spring tryouts, but he manages to distract himself with a hobby born from his grandfather's profession: Photography.
That...more
That...more
I really liked Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, and while I always thought that boys and girls would like it equally, girls seemed to like it better. That's sort of how I feel about this book. It has a boy as a main character and the title really makes you think it's a guy read, but within the first few pages I had completely decided it was a girl read. That seems problematic to me, since the title just doesn't appeal to girls. In fact, the book isn't really about baseball at all, as the title i...more
For years Peter Friedman had one goal, to become a professional baseball player alongside his best friend AJ. The duo became a dynamic pair both on and off the field as they worked towards a common dream. Everything was going according to plan, until Peter suffers an elbow injury during the summer before freshman year. Suddenly his life begins to bend, as the doctor’s diagnosis inhibits him from ever playing baseball again. Peter keeps this information from AJ, worrying that their bond will beco...more
I absolutely adored this book. Jordan Sonnenblick is one of my very favorite authors nowadays, and this book is perfect proof as to why.
Peter Friedman is a fourteen year old high school freshman and FORMER star pitcher for his local little league and school baseball team. Because of a pitching injury, Peter's had to have serious arthroscopic surgery on his elbow... and will never pitch again. Seeking a hobby, Peter finds himself learning more about photography at the hands of his grandfather (a...more
Peter Friedman is a fourteen year old high school freshman and FORMER star pitcher for his local little league and school baseball team. Because of a pitching injury, Peter's had to have serious arthroscopic surgery on his elbow... and will never pitch again. Seeking a hobby, Peter finds himself learning more about photography at the hands of his grandfather (a...more
Jordan Sonnenblick has hit a homerun with his recently published novel, Curveball the Year I Lost my Grip. The title indicates the book is about baseball while the cover on the book seems to communicate it is about a girl and photography. While the book is about these subjects, it is about rediscovering yourself and much more.
Baseball standout Peter Friedman looks forward to making the varsity baseball team as a freshman. During the summer before entering high school, his dreams are crushed as h...more
Baseball standout Peter Friedman looks forward to making the varsity baseball team as a freshman. During the summer before entering high school, his dreams are crushed as h...more
Peter Friedman has been looking forward to his freshman year. He and his best friend, AJ, are going to take the JV baseball team by storm. They’re the best pitchers entering ninth grade, and they know it. But Peter has a secret. He’s been overextending to keep up with AJ, who had a major growth spurt and is now about 6 feet tall, and his elbow has been hurting all season. During the league championship, something snaps, and all of Peter’s plans for freshman year disappear in a whirlwind of surge...more
Dealing with the loss of the ability to pitch as well as the onset of Alheimers for his grandfather, Peter's freshman year is full of obstacles and challenges to overcome. But with a new love interest and a push to follow his grandfather's photography footsteps, Peter realizes that real life doesn't always have to be picture perfect.
This is the second book I have read by Sonnenblick, the first being "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie," and this work follows his familiar blend of humor and heartstr...more
This is the second book I have read by Sonnenblick, the first being "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie," and this work follows his familiar blend of humor and heartstr...more
After the last couple of fiction books I read were kind of ho-hum, I decided I needed a really GOOD book to get me motivated again. I knew I could count on my favorite author of all time, Jordan Sonnenblick, to deliver… and did he ever! “Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip” is just as funny, sad, and emotionally powerful as his first book, “Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie” (which I’d really like to re-read – it’s been too long!)
In “Curveball,” the main character, Peter, has two loves: baseball an...more
In “Curveball,” the main character, Peter, has two loves: baseball an...more
Jul 03, 2012
Beverly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
13-16 year olds
Recommended to Beverly by:
Kirkus Book Reviews
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 where...more
This is a high 3 stars. My rating probably suffered from comparison to Jordan Sonnenblick's first book, "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie," which I really enjoyed. "Curveball" is more typical of the genre. (Some spoilers ahead.)
The characters were not entirely believeable to me. For example, two characters get along reasonably well, began dating, and within a few days are fighting with each other. In my experience, at the beginning of a relationship, everyone is bending over backwards to get alo...more
The characters were not entirely believeable to me. For example, two characters get along reasonably well, began dating, and within a few days are fighting with each other. In my experience, at the beginning of a relationship, everyone is bending over backwards to get alo...more
At one point Peter tells his girlfriend Angelika that he's been having a horrendous year. It's true. A devastating elbow injury wrecked his arm and he will never be able to play baseball again, something Peter hasn't been able to bring himself to tell his best friend AJ. Then there's Peter's grandfather, who Peter sees slipping further into dementia but who makes Peter promise he won't tell his mother. It's all a bit overwhelming.
But, as Angelika points out to him, there have been some good thin...more
But, as Angelika points out to him, there have been some good thin...more
Everything in Peter Friendman's life seems to be changing and most of it for the worst. After building an All-Star reputation as a catcher/pitcher team with his best friend AJ, Peter blew out his elbow in a game. The injury was so bad that he will probably never be able to play again.
Over the summer, Peter spends a lot of his time with his grandfather, one of his favorite peopl ein the world. Photography has always tied them together, and they make the most of his time off to practice. The only...more
Over the summer, Peter spends a lot of his time with his grandfather, one of his favorite peopl ein the world. Photography has always tied them together, and they make the most of his time off to practice. The only...more
Really wavered between a 4 and 5 here. There are so many things to like about the book. I listened to the audio version, and Luke Daniel did a great job with the different characters. AJ is hilarious, even if a bit over the top. The relationship between Peter and his grandfather is well-documented, and very special. In addition, they undergo parallel disappointments: Grandpa loses his photography, and Peter loses baseball. My main quibble is with the delay in dealing with Grandpa's Alzheimer's....more
Plot Summary:
A young boy named Peter is an incredible pitcher for his 8th grade baseball team. At the beginning of the season he notices his elbow is aching, but he doesn't tell anyone about it. By the time the end of the season has come, Peter has ruined his elbow, and will never be able to play baseball again. This story is about how Peter finds a new passion, a new girlfriend, and deals with family issues.
Main Characters:
Peter Friedman: Peter is the main character of this story. He is an exce...more
A young boy named Peter is an incredible pitcher for his 8th grade baseball team. At the beginning of the season he notices his elbow is aching, but he doesn't tell anyone about it. By the time the end of the season has come, Peter has ruined his elbow, and will never be able to play baseball again. This story is about how Peter finds a new passion, a new girlfriend, and deals with family issues.
Main Characters:
Peter Friedman: Peter is the main character of this story. He is an exce...more
From the literary merit of this book alone, I probably would have given this 4 stars, but there is some undefined aspect of quality that this book has that many do not for me: I WANTED to read it. The writing, the characters, the several interrelated themes all worked for me.
Normally, I don't read other reviews before I write my own, but this time, I read a few. I must say, I didn't find Angelika unbelievable - it seems to me the high school kids I see make snap judgements like that all of the...more
Normally, I don't read other reviews before I write my own, but this time, I read a few. I must say, I didn't find Angelika unbelievable - it seems to me the high school kids I see make snap judgements like that all of the...more
I feel like Curveball was, in retrospect, not a book I should have read one day after my grandmother’s funeral.
Normally I might have found aspects of this book strained.
The attempt to connect everything in a great flowing circle (complete with eagles flying over mountains at sunset) fell sort of flat with me. Angelika’s mad leap to diagnose Grampa with dementia after a three-minute conversation with an almost-stranger seemed to exist solely to further the plot, rather than because it was a real...more
Normally I might have found aspects of this book strained.
The attempt to connect everything in a great flowing circle (complete with eagles flying over mountains at sunset) fell sort of flat with me. Angelika’s mad leap to diagnose Grampa with dementia after a three-minute conversation with an almost-stranger seemed to exist solely to further the plot, rather than because it was a real...more
Peter is an athlete, has been since he could pick up a ball. He and his pal AJ have been on teams forever. This fall they are going to storm the high school baseball season and catch the eye of scouts looking for talent.
The problem is that Pete has been hurting, he doesn't want to let AJ, or his team down so he says nothing and totally blows out his elbow - he will never pitch again. Pete doesn't want to tell AJ - AJ is counting on riding baseball out of town. One thing Pete has also done all hi...more
The problem is that Pete has been hurting, he doesn't want to let AJ, or his team down so he says nothing and totally blows out his elbow - he will never pitch again. Pete doesn't want to tell AJ - AJ is counting on riding baseball out of town. One thing Pete has also done all hi...more
Incoming freshman Peter Friedman had it all planned: he and his best friend AJ are going to make the high school baseball team and reap the rewards of athletic prowess--popularity and the attention of attractive females. But when the secret he has been keeping about his aching arm leads to a devastating injury, surgery, and a prohibition on ever throwing a ball again, all that changes. Suddenly, Pete must remake himself and find another focus to take the place of baseball. Luckily for him, his b...more
30 June 2011 CURVEBALL: THE YEAR I LOST MY GRIP by Jordan Sonnenblick, Scholastic Press, March 2012, 304p., ISBN:978-0-545-32069-6
"'And now, Fern, it's time to get ready for Sunday School. And tell Avery to get ready. And this afternoon you can tell me more about what goes on in Uncle Homer's farm. Aren't you spending quite a lot of time there? You go there almost every afternoon, don't you?'
"'I like it there,' replied Fern. She wiped her mouth and ran upstairs. After she left the room, Mrs. Ar...more
"'And now, Fern, it's time to get ready for Sunday School. And tell Avery to get ready. And this afternoon you can tell me more about what goes on in Uncle Homer's farm. Aren't you spending quite a lot of time there? You go there almost every afternoon, don't you?'
"'I like it there,' replied Fern. She wiped her mouth and ran upstairs. After she left the room, Mrs. Ar...more
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This is another chapter book that tells a story about a young boy, Peter Friedman, who must discover a new identity in 9th grade after a terrible accident on the baseball field. He was a star pitcher who may never pitch again, so he is forced to find something new. He grabs a liking to photography because of his grandpa and this pretty blonde girl that he meets on the first day of school. I really enjoyed this book because it deals with how adjustments and transitions can be hard. I could rememb...more
When Peter makes the pitch with his arm that continues to hurt more and more, he knows that it might be the last one he ever makes. And he's right. His injury is one he may never fully recover from, so he knows his chances of a high school career in baseball are over. He keeps it a secret from best friend and teammate AJ, though, not wanting to make him too concerned.
It's then that Peter's grandfather also hands over all of his camera equipment to Peter. They've been going out on shoots together...more
It's then that Peter's grandfather also hands over all of his camera equipment to Peter. They've been going out on shoots together...more
The book Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick is a realistic fiction book that explores how to use a camera. It also tells us how the main character Peter hurt his arm playing baseball and can't play again so he tries photography.
One of the strengths in the book is that the author showed how Peter got hurt and couldn't play anymore. This caused him to start photography. One example of this would be when Peter went to the hospital after he hurt his arm. They told Peter that h...more
One of the strengths in the book is that the author showed how Peter got hurt and couldn't play anymore. This caused him to start photography. One example of this would be when Peter went to the hospital after he hurt his arm. They told Peter that h...more
Nov 02, 2012
Alex Williams
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
All YA lovers.
Recommended to Alex by:
7703muhtasim Hossain
Great book. As usual, Jordan Sonnenblick manages to have his protagonist have to deal with problems like a grandfather with Alzheimer's disease, a hurt arm that will make him never pitch again, and manages to be funny at the same time. Just before Peter, the main character, starts his first year of high school, he hurts his arm and is not able to pitch on the baseball team anymore. But, over the years he has worked with his grandfather who is a photographer, and when his grandfather suddenly giv...more
Why I picked it up: I was interested by the description and I have heard good things about Jordan Sonnenblick but hadn’t read anything of his.
The book takes us through Peter’s freshman year of high school, though we start with a moment the spring before, when Peter injures his arm in a baseball game, thereby ending his days as a jock. In addition his arm rehabilitation, Peter’s grandfather is not doing well, and Peter has been sworn to secrecy, which doesn’t matter because his mom doesn’t believ...more
The book takes us through Peter’s freshman year of high school, though we start with a moment the spring before, when Peter injures his arm in a baseball game, thereby ending his days as a jock. In addition his arm rehabilitation, Peter’s grandfather is not doing well, and Peter has been sworn to secrecy, which doesn’t matter because his mom doesn’t believ...more
Peter is a star pitcher hoping to make the JV team as a freshman, but all those games that he played through the pain have left his elbow in a bad state. He doesn’t know what to do with his time after the career-ending surgery other than feel sorry for himself and think about his best friend AJ making the team. When he meets Angelika in his photography class, things start looking up. Peter is familiar with cameras and photography due to watching and assisting his grandfather, a very well-known w...more
Peter and his best friend AJ are the best baseball pitchers for their team. Their pitching skills are going to take them far. When Peter is pitching, AJ is catching then when AJ pitches then Peter is catching. They are quite a duo. That is until Peter messes up his arm and is told he can no longer pitch~EVER.
This does not seem to be Peter's year. Not only can he no longer pitch, but he is also starting his freshman year of high school. Also, there seems to be something disturbing going on with h...more
This does not seem to be Peter's year. Not only can he no longer pitch, but he is also starting his freshman year of high school. Also, there seems to be something disturbing going on with h...more
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I am the author of seven books for children and young adults, including Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. So if youʼre looking for info about some other guy named Jordan Sonnenblick, youʼve got the wrong website.
Anyway, I know a lot of people are looking for stuff they can use in reports for school, so Iʼll just get this out of the way right up front:
My favorite color is blue.
I have a wife and two...more
More about Jordan Sonnenblick...
Anyway, I know a lot of people are looking for stuff they can use in reports for school, so Iʼll just get this out of the way right up front:
My favorite color is blue.
I have a wife and two...more
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