Painting the Black

by Carl Deuker

When a hard ball is coming at you fast, and when it's dancing, too, every single nerve in your body is alert and ready. Your eyes are wide open, and the adrenaline is pumping. It's not a feeling you want to give up, any more than you want to get off a roller coaster. In his senior year of high school, late-bloomer Ryan Ward has just begun to feel the magic of the magic of catching a wicked slider, of throwing a runner out, of training hard and pushing limits. But when one of his teammates clearly pushes the limits too far, Ryan is face with a heartbreaking he must choose between his love for the game and his integrity.

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Baseball, Novels

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 28, 1997

Reviews

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Painting the Black" or: "Enabling Misogynist Jock Culture and Toxic Masculinity". I don't even know where to start.

First of all, apparently the girl in the story, high-achiever Monica, shouldn't have provoked the star of the baseball and football team, Josh, otherwise the near-rape wouldn't have happened.
Second, we learn from this book that what Josh did was kind of not ok, and it was good that Ryan finally (after felt years of cowardly dithering) told the police, but hey, Josh is a world-class athlete and hey, he said it was all just meant as a joke, so a few hours of community service will do, eh?!

What drove the last nail into the coffin for me was that "kind grandpa Kevin" made Ryan walk over to Josh's place in the last chapter to wish him good luck for his baseball career. Classic good ole boys move. Slow hand clap for the patriarchy.

Forget about the sexual assault for a minute (I wish I could): Josh is a egotistic psychopath, a terrible friend, a sexual predator, class A-sexist, power-wielding maniac that would have deserved to go down in flames (you know, in an actual good novel). Yes, the book was written before #metoo in 1997, but I'm sick of making excuses. This book won prizes for heaven's sake. It's written for teenagers.

But at least I understand the culture better now that enabled Trump. So there's that. Yay.


PS: Why two stars? The damn thing was actually written well, and fair is fair.

[Sujit Bajaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a baseball player named Ryan Ward, who was a senior at Seattle's Crown Hill high school. He did not play baseball for five years after having an ankle injury. Later, he has a neighbor named Josh Daniels move in across the street. Josh Daniels is a great sports player. He played football in the fall. Ryan starts to practice baseball with him because Josh is a great baseball, and he starts playing baseball again. Ryan builds strength and improves his skills from that. Then in the spring, Josh and Ryan both try out for the varsity baseball team and make it to the roster. Josh was a pitcher and Ryan was a back-up catcher. Ryan started for every game in which Josh pitched. Josh becomes a school hero and a student that goes to his school puts him in the school newspaper. Ryan witnesses the assault Josh does to that student by retaliating. Ryan thought about turning Josh in and chose not to because that would have gotten Josh suspended and cost his team a championship.

Quotes:
"If we'd made the state tournament, if they could have seen me against the best, I'd have a lock on it."(130)
This quote shows that Ryan wants to make the state tournament and show the state how good he is. Ryan likes baseball a lot after practicing it with Josh and getting really good at it. He wants his school to win the championship.

"Hard work and study do pay off."(132)

This quote tells us to do hard work and study because that can help you achieve things. Ryan's friend Monica worked really hard and studied and became a National Merit Scholar. That's a really great achievement.

[Cherylann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not typically a big fan of books that revolve around sports - probably because I'm not a big fan of professional/team sports. Painting the Black is different. The book really hinges on a decision that Ryan, the protagonist, needs to make. The backdrop for this decision is the game of baseball. It's as much a character driven novel as it is a sports novel. It was an interesting read (if I skipped the baseball stuff). I think it will help young adults look at how their decisions affect others and not just themselves

[Luke Buckendahl]

Painting the Black is a baseball book about Ryan who is the main character and is a senior in high school who hasn’t played baseball since eighth grade because he broke his ankle and never thought he would be good enough in high school until he meets the new kid who moved in Josh who is a very good pitcher and has a chance to go pro. He meets Ryan and asks if he wants to play catch he doesn’t think anything of it until they start throwing and he realizes Josh is throwing very fast. Josh asks who the catcher is and Ryan says he isn’t very good so Josh convinces him to try out for catcher and the two of them become great ball players with a lot of chemistry. Ryan was my favorite character because he had a good story. The type of story that is interesting for me to read about how he was an underdog but overcame everything, not playing the last three years and then trying out as a senior and becoming one of the best players. I was constantly wondering what would happen next even though some of it was predictable it still kept me interested. Baseball isn’t my favorite and I don’t follow it that much but I can still say this was a good book and I’m glad I read it. The relationship between Josh and Ryan was always interesting because Ryan was the perfect rule follower and he liked it that way but Josh liked to push the limits and see what he could get away with, it was always Ryan that had to pull him out of trouble but he cared a lot about Josh because he knew he had potential. Overall the story did feel real and I liked reading it. I love the author and his stories always keep me interested. I'm glad I can read his books because if I’m not reading about sports I usually start to get bored and hate reading.

[Alex Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carl Deuker’s Painting the Black follows the miraculous return of Ryan Ward’s baseball career. After being forced to leave the game of baseball for over six years due to a foolish injury earlier in his life, Ryan finds the physical ability and determination to make a return his senior year. After a lot of hard work his baseball career is off and running. Him and his, new to the district, friend Josh lead the varsity team to surpassing its expectations. Their popularity grows but leads Josh to making a bad decision. Ryan must then choose between dishonesty and helping the team or honesty and hurting the team. Throughout the story, Ryan is very well developed by the author, allowing the readers to really sympathize him and root for him and his recovery. While reading, you might expect to know exactly what’s happening, a great twist throws the readers off and adds good conflict.
The story reminds me much of Josh Berk’s Strike Three You’re Dead for the conflict between the protagonist’s integrity and success. I would not recommend this story to younger children for it presents some inappropriate concepts designed more for the eyes of an older audience. I love the concept for the Painting the Black revolving the emphasis of integrity and morality, however the story itself is pretty hard to get through. The main conflict does not occur until well into the second half of the story. The recovery portion is incredibly drawn out and really makes you wait for the action. Though this kind of building can be done well, Deuker drags this one out long enough to make reading the beginning a burden. This being said, I would not recommend Painting the Black other than passionate baseball fans looking for any possible baseball related story.

[Joy Kirr · Rating 5 out of 5]

My gap in reading last year was the sports genre, so I wanted to finish one this month, and I know Carl Deuker is good. This one's been on my list for many years, and I'm glad I picked it up. It sucks you in right away with the new guy moving in across the street. I love the meaning of the title - it can be a metaphor for what Josh (the pitcher) does and for what Ryan (the catcher) does. Truth - I skimmed the plays that were very detailed. I'd suggest this to high school boys, for sure.

[Trey Larkin]

ryan ward met josh daniels when he moved during the summer. ryan really enjoyed hanging out with josh at first because he was really good at baseball. ryan used to play baseball but broke his ankle and never went out after that. ryan discovered that he really enjoyed playing catcher and decided he would try out this year. he made the cut and ended up playing like one of their best players. but then the unthinkable happens with josh and ryan has to make the decsion of his life.

[Michael Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more than a baseball book. the sports scenes are compelling but the social undercurrents are just as strong.

[Louis Knecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I thought that the book Painting the Black was very good. It was very exciting and had very good story line. Overall, it was a great book and made me want to keep reading it to the very end.

Plot:
In this book there are a lot of interesting things that happened in the plot. The main character's name was Ryan. As a kid he was a great athlete and the star of every team. Where he lived he usually didn't have neighbors his same age. Every once in awhile someone would move in but they would usually leave. There was one kid that was Ryan's neighbor for a while. Ryan could beat him in every sport, everything, except climbing. So one day they went to a state park that had very tall trees. His friend climbed all the way up the tallest one, and would rub it in Ryan’s face. Then Ryan climbed all the way to the top and the other kid didn't like it so he left. Ryan screamed for help but he couldn't get down and no one could hear him. He fell down the tree almost dieing and severely breaking his ankle. He was never good at sports again. Until Josh moved in across the street the summer before their senior year. Josh was an absolutely amazing athlete, the best quarterback at football, and one of the best high school pitchers in the whole country. Ryan was Josh’s first friend whence he moved in, and they would play catch every day in the summer and Josh pushed Ryan into being a very good catcher. Ryan decided he would try out for baseball. He made the team and actually got to start on the games Josh pitched because no other catcher could catch Josh’s slider. They did very good and made it to the state tournament. There was one girl, named Monica, who was very smart and always had a way of pissing Josh off or making fun of him. Josh couldn't take it any longer so he decided he would scare her by wearing a mask and with some other guy, hold her down and rip off her clothes. Ryan hear the screaming and came and stopped it. It was very hard for him to do but eventually he told the police who did it. That got Josh kicked off the baseball team and then they lost the very next game and were out of the tournament.

Characterization:
Ryan was a great person. He worked very hard at everything he did and became very good in school and at baseball. Josh was an amazing athlete, but never really understood what is right from wrong. That got him into a lot of trouble.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to males of high school age who like baseball and good stories.
It was very good and very understandable and relate able.

[Kalob Kuehling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was called Painting the Black by Carl Deuker. I found this book in the Fowlerville High School Library. There are two main characters in Painting the Black. The first is Ryan; Ryan loves to play baseball but after his injury, he wasn’t able to play anymore. The second main character is Josh; Josh is a natural athlete and he likes to play baseball and football. Josh just moved into town and lives across the street from Ryan. They live in a small town and baseball season is coming.
For a brief summary, the book is about how Ryan wants to get back into baseball. After his injury, he had to re-learn how to do the basics. After his recovery he became depressed. That’s when Josh moved in! When Josh moved in, Ryan went to go meet him and his parents. Ryan eventually started to help Josh unpack. After a couple of hours of work, Josh asked if Ryan wanted to go and play catch. This became a regular thing… Every morning Ryan would go to Josh’s house and they both would walk over to the community center to play catch. After a couple of weeks, Ryan wanted to try out for the varsity baseball team. Eventually, Josh and Ryan made it onto the baseball team (as pitcher and catcher). They were such a good team that they made it into states and then a girl (Monica) started to mess with Josh. When he got made he decided to pull a prank on her. Ryan heard the commotion and went to find out what it was. Not liking what he found he had to make a choice whether to tell the police or to keep it a secret.
I really enjoyed this book… However, I didn’t think the book would end the way that it did. Monica was kind of a bully towards Josh. During a Championship game, Josh got fed up with Monica and decided to play a prank on her. There were Josh and one other guy; they both were wearing masks and they held Monica down and ripped her clothes off. Ryan heard the screaming and ran toward it. He noticed that it was Josh and some other guy (who he did not know). Ryan had a very difficult time deciding whether to tell the police or to keep it a secret. Either way, it wouldn’t end out good on his side. Eventually, Ryan decided to tell the police and Josh was kicked off of the team. Making them lose their next Championship game.
My opinion on the book is that it was a really good book however I did not like the ending! I believe that the prank was out of line. There wasn’t really a need for the prank. The author could have ended with a storyline that affected the entire team, either making them win or lose. I cannot think of a similar book however in the “me too” movement unfortunately many would be able to relate to this story. I would recommend this book to and baseball fans or anyone who would wish to see the justification of Josh’s actions.

[Jacob Mallozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Mallozzi
Mrs. Riggs
English II
06 March 2018
Painting the Black
What would you do if you had to keep going to push yourself but knowing it’s too much? This is a problem Ryan Ward has in the book Painting the Black. Carl Deuker tells a story about a high school player who will do whatever it takes to win even if it’s wrong. You should read the book Painting the Black because it will show you a kid’s true love for the game of baseball and his sense of integrity.
Firstly, the book makes you want to go outside and play a game of catch. In the beginning of the book, it talks about Ryan and his new neighbor Josh playing catch and you can almost feel the ball hitting the glove or the sound of the ball hitting the pocket and you get to know the two main protagonists. When the book talks about the practices you can feel the competitiveness of Josh and Ryan trying to one-up each other with each of their reps. During the season, you get that sense of pride of winning with every win they get.
In addition to feeling a love of the game, you get a sense of integrity from Ryan. In the book, Ryan catches Josh in a wolf mask trying to assault a girl who embarrassed him. When He finds out it’s Josh he gets put into a dilemma of choosing doing the right thing and turning him in or ignoring it and keeping Josh on the team. He does the right thing and turns in Josh even though they were about to go the State Tournament and Josh would have pitched in it. They lost the game but Ryan still felt good because he did the right thing in the end.
In conclusion, you should read Painting the Black because it makes you feel a love for the game of baseball and makes you want to go outside and play a game of catch with someone. The book also makes you get a feeling of doing the right thing when Ryan turns in Josh. Go out and get a copy of Painting the Black, it’s a good catch.






Works Cited
Jane Doe “https://books.google.com/books/about/...”

[Joaquin Bejarano · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Painting The Black by Carl Deuker is about more than sports, this book is about friendships, skill, hard work, inspiration, and dedication. To call this book only a sports book isn’t strong enough, calling this book only a sports book is an understatement. As an athlete this book had a very strong connection to me because some problems that Ryan goes through are problems that most athletes have faced like injuries, “it glanced off my mitt and caught the thumb of my flesh hand, tearing the nail clean off. In a flash I was hopping around, shaking my hand out. Blood was flying everywhere” (Deuker 160). After the injury Ryan continued to play and finished the game. Although this evidence may seem like Ryan just got injured this evidence goes beyond that, this evidence shows that getting up after an injury is not for just the love of playing the game but also for the sacrifice you must make for your team. Making a sacrifice for a game can not only change your reputation not only as a teammate but also as a person. My thoughts on this book are that this book is a great book, this book made me view the game of baseball differently, because this book helped me realize that baseball is not all on the pitcher but on the decision the catcher makes as well. I recommend this book for anyone who is planning to start playing a sport but think it is too late to start playing now, I recommend this book for people like that because Ryan didn’t start playing baseball until it was late. Evidence for this is when it says “He looked over his roster. ‘It says here you’re a senior, but you’ve never played before. How come?’”(Dueker 137). This shows why I highly recommend this book for anybody who likes sports or wants to start playing a sport, this sport teaches tactics that beginners of a sport would want to learn.

[Jairon Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Ward was a high school catcher that loved the game of baseball, he had to pick between baseball and his integrity. Ryan Ward is the main character in the book. Ryan played baseball and he was the catcher. Ryan had a new competitor named Josh, his family moved to town. Josh had assaulted a girl, but Ryan recognized Josh and stepped up to help the girl out. My favorite character was Ryan, because he was very dedicated to the sport of baseball and he helped out that girl from Josh.
I can kind of relate to this book, because I play baseball and I am very dedicated to the sport. I can’t relate too Ryan helping out the girl, but if I had the chance I would definitely help her out without question. I have had a lot of competition in the sports that I play. If I have a competitor on the same team I just show the coaches that I have a better attitude and that I always will have a positive mindset and nothing will stop me until I get what I want.
I liked the book a lot, because I have experienced some of the things that happened in the book. My favorite part was probably when he became really dedicated to make the varsity team. I think this is my favorite part, because I have been in his shoes especially in wrestling season. I had to work so hard for my varsity spot my sophomore year. I didn’t have a least favorite part of this book because I liked it so much. He could have added a lot more detail about how their baseball season went and described the games that they played.
I would recommend this book to anyone that loves baseball and a really good story. This is a really good book for anyone that has challenges in sports like other people making it hard for them to get a varsity spot. I really recommend this book to other people that play baseball.

[Ethan L]

Painting the black
The author of the book is Carl Deuker and the lexile of the book is 670. There is a senior named Ryan Ward and he is a catcher but he has not caught since 8th grade. There was a kid named Josh Daniels that moved in across the street and he was a good pitcher and nobody could catch his slider that he threw so he taught Ryan how to throw it and got him back into playing baseball. Ryan made the team at tryouts and during the season he caught just towards the end of the game for a little bit and showed that he could still catch. Later the season Ryan started playing football stopped talking to Ryan so Josh raped a girl in a mask so he didn’t know that it was him but Ryan knew that it was him. He didn’t tell people for a little while on who he was but then finally he told the truth and the whole baseball team hated Ryan for telling on josh.
I think the theme of the book was to never give up and tell the truth because when ryan told on josh about the rape everybody hated him on the team but he knew that was the right thing and he didn’t give up on baseball. I think the book is in a positive mood at the beginning because Josh and Ryan become friends and then towards the end they split up more. In the book Josh says “I raped for a joke…” I think that is why Ryan told on Josh and made him tell the truth because rapeing someone isn’t a joke.
I do recommend this book because it isn’t only a sports book but it tells about real life things that do happen to some people. I don’t think the book was believable at all because you think that Josh and Ryan are friends and then they split up because Ryan knew what Josh did.

[Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painting The Black Was A Classic Fictional Book, With Lots Of Cliffhangers, And Life Lessons. While It May Seem Like A Typical Sports Book, There Is More To This Book Then Just That. The Main Character (Ryan) Is Just Starting His Senior Year At Crown Hill High School, Ryan Used To Play Baseball Before Undergoing An Injury To Stop Him From Playing. With His Newly Moved In Football Superstar Neighbor (Josh), They Become Friends, And Travel To The Local Community Center, And Play Baseball Everyday. During The Football Season With Josh Being The Quarterback Of The Team, Their Friendship Starts To Get Ruined By One Of Crown Hills Newspaper Writers (Monica). Monica, And Her Crew Liked To Start Drama In The Paper To Get People Questioning About People. After Football Season, Josh Gets Suspension For Pulling On Another Newspaper Girls (Celeste) Pants. As The Book Progresses, Ryan Starts To Consider Trying Out For Crown Hills Baseball Team. After Lots Of Thinking Ryan Decides He Wants To Try Out. Josh And Ryan Both Go To Try Out For The Baseball Team. Both Of Them End Of Making The Team, Even More Drama Starts To Shake Up. Josh Begins To Start Acting Like Someone Else, Ryan Ends Up Helping Josh To Go Back To Being Himself. With Crown Hills Baseball Team Having An Undefeated Season, And Winning The State Championship. In The End, Ryan And Josh End Up Good, With No Drama At The End Of The Book. The Novel Had It's Up And Downs, But I Rated It 5 Stars Because Of Its Characters, And The Plot Development.

[Dakota Riedesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about Ryan Ward who lives in a suburb with a lot of old people around him. One night he hears a vehicle pull up to the house that has been abandoned for a year and people get out of the vehicle and start unloading the vehicle and taking stuff in the house. Josh was the only kid in the suburb that was around the same age as Ryan. Josh played football and baseball and Ryan didn’t play no sports and Josh asked Ryan to go play catch when they got done getting everything out of the vehicle. The first day Ryan and Josh played catch Josh explained to Ryan how he got a bunch of awards playing baseball at the other school he went to. Ryan and Josh would play catch everyday. Josh told Ryan he should try out for the high school baseball team so he did. Ryan wasn’t impressed with the way he played in tryouts. You’ll have to read the book to find out if he makes the team or not. My favorite part of the book was when Josh and Ryan would play catch and then Josh asked Ryan to catch him while Josh pitched and Josh threw a slider and Ryan missed it. The story just keeps you guessing you just wanna keep reading and not put the book down. My favorite character was Ryan because he was always doing something. If you like sports books your gonna love this book. I recommend this book to anybody even if you don’t like sports books.

[Griffin Westberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all this is a great book, I had a fun time read this book in class. Secondly I don't really like read books but this book was good and I enjoyed this book. This book is about a senior in highschool named Ryan Ward and he loves baseball and he has not played baseball since 8th grade because he broke his ankle and he thought it would never heal right again, and in the begining of the story and new neighbor moves in across the street named Josh, and Josh loves baseball and Josh is a very good baseball player.

Ryan Ward begins to start playing baseball with his new friend Josh and they both make the varsity team and they both are playing and doing good, Josh conviesce Ryan to catch and Ryan starts playing baseball and he catches for a his team with Josh pithing to him. Later in the story Ryan is faced with a heart break with the love of his game, and he has to make a choice for the rest of his life, and Ryan is stressed and Ryan is loving the game but later he is heartbroking.

The main theme iof this story is to get over challgles and keep fighting, because Ryan broke his ankle and thought he would never play and he tried very hard and he got to play baseball one more time before never playing again. I loved everything about this book and I highly recommend this book for people that like baseball or just sports in general and I think this book is very good.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Painting the black was a very good book for me to read. I love baseball, I am a catcher and my name is Ryan. so this book was right up my all. It was kind of ironic that the main character was very like me in a lot of ways. Ryan, the main character tried baseball when he was younger and ended up getting an injury causing him to quit baseball. Later on in his life a new kid moves in across the street from him and he happens to be the same age as him. The new kids name is josh and he was a star pitcher back from where he came from and tried to convince Ryan to start playing baseball again. Sadly right when they start getting in the habit, football season starts and josh starts to become more and more of a star in the school. Josh ends up having a great season and Ryan was at every game to watch. Then baseball season starts and Josh and Ryan are a great combo until something terrible happens . This poses Ryan with a hard decision. Tell the police what happened. Or keep it a secret and be a good friend. If your into sports and a bit of friendly conflict you will love this book.

[Aaron G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading the book painting the black. The book is about a guy named Ryan that hangs out with his best friend Josh to play baseball after he was out for two years after a foot injury. The book is by Carl Deuker and the book is not hard with a lexile level of 670L.
Ryan is injured from falling out of a tree and he broke his foot and he stopped playing sports for 2 years. That is until his neighbor Josh moves in, After Josh moves in he starts playing baseball with him and decides to try out for the baseball team as a catcher. Ryan gets the spot as a backup catcher on the team and can play when the other catcher can’t catch Josh’s Pitches. After he gets on the team he doesn’t want to stop playing.
I think anyone who likes baseball should read this book. I like baseball so that’s the reason I read this book and it wasn't confusing at all. My favorite part of this book was when Ryan finally decided to go back to playing baseball. The author made this book very good and everything was in the right order and interesting.

[Allie Bayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have so many things to say about this book and they’re all swirling around in my head in one big confused jumble. So…it’s written well enough. And it maybe had some potential? But oh my gosh somewhere something went really wrong in here. Josh. Josh is *horrendous*. And okay I think that’s part of the point? He a selfish, misogynistic, narcissistic ass but somehow he helps motivate poor Ryan to come into his own and live up to some of his potential. Great. Buuuuut then what he does is essentially deemed okay? The MLB doesn’t care and the police don’t actually care and the grandpa makes a point to have Ryan congratulate him and this badass girl Monica just…never returns to school. Like… what?!? I know a 2015 publication is not *that* outdated. But this felt outdated. I think maybe (hopefully) intention was good and the goals of Deuker here simply missed the mark a bit? (Also, a small thing compared to the larger theme issues, but the actual sports play-by-play was poorly paced. Too much, even for me.)

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painting The Black is one of the best books I have read yet. The main character Ryan Ward has nothing to do with his life. He lays low at school and doesn’t have very many friends.

One night in the middle of the night Ryan heard a moving truck pull in across the street and saw a boy his age moving in. The next morning Ryan decided to go across the street and introduce himself. Ryan and Josh( His new neighbor) became best friend, and Josh convinced Ryan to get back into baseball. Josh was a star player in both football and baseball he was the school jock. Josh and Monica the school “nerd” did not get along very well. Monica writes the school newspaper and writes an article that pushes Josh over the edge and causes him to do something that will change both of their lives. What happens next makes Ryan’s life very hard.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sports and drama in the same thing. I like how this book always keeps you on edge and there is rarely ever a dull moment. I disliked how the plot was common where the jock and nerd don’t get along.

[Jake]

Painting the Black: by Carl Deuker 9/13/21

This book is about a high school senior, Ryan Ward, who is into baseball. The problem is, he has a broken ankle. Ryan believes he will never play baseball as long as he lives. This all changes when Josh Daniels moves in across the street and teaches him that it doesn’t matter, you can achieve greatness. This book shows how anyone can achieve dreams. I know this because the text says on p.168 “And then, at the very bottom of the list, was my name. Ryan Ward.” This sentence shows how you can do great things no matter what. I give this book 5 stars because it is a well written, exciting book with a couple of unexpected twists. I love how the author does this!

[Ethan Driscoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great comeback story about a kid named Ryan Ward who has played baseball his whole life but hasn't played in 5 years due to an ankle injury from falling out of a tree. A guy named Josh Daniels moves in across the street from Ryan and is an elite athlete in both football and baseball. Josh gets Ryan back in baseball and Ryan starts working out and practicing for the upcoming baseball season. Ryan starts every game that Josh pitches because they have the chemistry from practicing all the time in the offseason. There was a time when Josh did something to a student and a girl puts him in the newspaper about it and Ryan thought about turning him in but it might've cost Josh the state championship for football.

[Ryan Taffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a high school student named Ryan Ward. For him, baseball means a lot more to him than just the game. A new kid moved into his neighborhood. His name was Josh Daniels. Ryan went over and met Josh and learned that he was the same age as him and also played baseball. They go over and play catch at the nearest park. Ryan quickly learns that Josh is athletically gifted. Ryan is thinking of trying out for the varsity baseball team that upcoming season. Both of the players begin working out in the leading months to the season. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is very interesting and I would recommend this to anyone who likes sports.

[Brandon Betthauser]

I liked that Ryan is a team player and would do anything to win a baseball game. He never got mad at one player when they messed up on a play, he would be the one to teach the player and encourage him after the play. I wished the author didn’t start the book just before the baseball season started, he should of had the try outs in the first couple chapters then worked along in the book. The author shouldn’t make Josh leave so early.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was really good. If you like baseball this is the book for you . It has a lot of suspense especially when the play their rivals O'Dea. The book always kept me in the edge of my seat. The book is very relatable to high school students trying out for a sport, or making big decisions in their life. The book also had a really god story line.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good solid read. It's YA, it'll appeal to football and baseball fans in particular. In classic Deuker fashion, the book is more than just a story about sports. There are life lessons that the characters wrestle with throughout the story. Three stars is not enough. I'd go closer 3.75. Will definitely book talk and recommend to students.

[Geno Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember I read this book in the 5th grade to earn more points for my AR score. This book taught me about the birds and the bees, because in order to understand the rape scene, I had to look it up to know what was happening to the girl. I always think about this book from time to time and how messed up that it was in my schools library. That’s one way to educate oneself on sex and abuse.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t Deckers best work, but it address serious issues that unfortunately some people find themselves in. It was typical of his work in being about a friendship between two teenage boys that forms through playing a sport.

[Jackson Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book at all. It was super boring and the characters were stupid.