Catch [Paperback]

Will Leitch (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 2005

Everything comes easy for Tim Temples. He’s got a sweet summer job, lots of love from the ladies, and parties with his high school buddies. Why does he need to go to college?

Then Tim falls hard for Helena—a worldly and mysterious twenty-two year-old. Their relationship opens his eyes to life outside the small town of Mattoon, Illinois. Now Tim has to choose: Will he settle for being a small town hero, or will he leave it all behind to follow his dreams?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–During the summer between his high school graduation and leaving for state college, Tim Temples works and drinks hard and discovers that he is not alone at the center of his own universe. In the course of about 15 weeks, he watches his older brother–a former baseball star like their father–degenerate socially and physically for no obvious (to Tim) reason. It's during this same time that he is smitten for the first time in his young womanizing life. Helena is more than five years his senior, hard-bitten by life and her own sarcastic attitude, and only Tim believes that the affair has lasting potential. Daytimes are spent working in a food packaging plant, hauling boxes, and noticing that his old high school friends are quickly fading into the old men who staff the plant year round. Only belatedly does Tim realize that he is different from most of his friends, most of his family, most of the town. He's leaving to be a college guy, in a world just down the highway but very far away in terms of prospects. Leitch draws readers to Tim slowly and places him within a cast of characters who are finely etched, realistic, and memorably quirky. Teens will recognize people they know among these characters, some admirable, most deeply flawed, all genuine. This is a keenly felt and absorbing read about this bittersweet rite of passage.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. The summer before college can be a stressful one, especially if you have a physically demanding, brainless summer job and you are in love with an older woman. Tim Temples has just these problems--as well as a reputation as a ladies' man that he can't live down and a golden-boy brother, who has just returned home without explanation. Catch could have been a formulaic, light YA novel, but in Leitch's hands, it becomes an authentic narrative of growing up in small-town America as the son and brother of well-known athletes--well known, at least, in Mattoon, Illinois. Tim is also a golden boy, and he suddenly finds himself evaluating his life, his future, and the reality of loving someone who may not return his feelings. Leitch draws his characters with depth and charm, creating mostly multidimensional individuals. Readers may wish for a better-articulated character in Tim's brother, Doug; his appearance is fraught with a mystery that is never divulged. But this substantive title will entice both male and female YA readers with its thoughtful, authentic, and romantic young man's voice. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 286 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill; First Printing edition (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595140697
• ISBN-13: 978-1595140692
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,215,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled I caught Catch! December 7, 2005

By Canyan Ranch

Format:Paperback

What a moving, utterly memorable read!

This book entirely exceeded my expectations. Having little to no interest in baseball or the midwest, I still found myself completely riveted from beginning to end. The author has an excellent ear for dialogue and a seamless, natural style. Rich in evocative detail and clever nuance--though never in an obvious, overdone way--I would highly recommend CATCH to anyone of any age!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So good, it gives me chills February 22, 2006

By Jame Marit

Format:Paperback

CATCH was the best book I've read in a long, long time. At least, the best book I wasn't forced to read.

The author made me understand what it's like living in small town America. He also touched on topics that were more familiar to me--maybe too familiar. Like, what it's like to leave everything you know to take a chance on things that are different, confusing, and maybe better than anything you knew before.

I felt Tim's happiness when love came his way, and his pain when things didn't work out the way he wanted.

All in all, Tim, the main character, has a good heart, and in the story, he discovers that. Readers do, too.

Pick CATCH up and go hang out with Tim Temples and his friends on their way from high school to college--and on Tim's way from selfishness to a sense of the world around him. It's a great ride, and you won't be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read! December 30, 2005

By Edwin Simon

Format:Paperback

I just finished reading CATCH and I was utterly moved. The characters are unique and involving and it perfectly captures that moment between high school and college, youth and maturity. Pick it up!