18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding baseball story - and so much more., September 29, 2006
This review is from: One-Handed Catch (Hardcover)
When sixth-grader Norm loses his hand in an accident in his father's general store, his friends tell him there's no way he'll ever be able to play baseball. In fact, it seems like everything about his life will be different. His father can't hide the pity and guilt he feels over Norm's accident. His best friend, Leon, offers a clumsy kind of support that leaves Norm feeling like a cripple. Only his mother believes he can still reach for his dreams.
It's 1946 and the shelves of Norm's family general store are beginning to fill with products once rationed during the war. Norm can't wait to catch a glimpse of the newest model automobiles. He just knows they'll be fantastic now that the war is over and auto makers can finally design exciting cars. When he's not working in his father's store, Norm plays baseball and draws sketches. He can't decide whether he wants to play baseball or be an artist. One thing he knows for sure is that he can't wait to stop working in his father's store and waiting on obnoxious customers like old Mrs. Baumgartner. He resents the way his little sister, Ellie, escapes sharing the chores.
When Norm gets his hand caught in a meat grinder, it's a shock for the readers as well as Norm! There aren't any graphic details, but we share Norm's shock, pain, and disbelief. In the days that follow, Norm copes with his loss through humor and denial. His feelings are believable and poignant. Through his eyes, we experience the reactions of his family and friends.
One of my favorite things about this story is its portrayal of friendships between boys. Norm's friend, Leon, is a kid we can believe in. He tries to help Norm, but his attempts sometimes end up making Norm feel worse. Norm reaches out to a new friend, neighbor Carl, and that leads to tensions between the three boys.
Ellie, Mom, Dad, and the townspeople are all great characters as well. Ellie surprises Norm by turning out to be more than just his pesky little sister. And Norm gains new appreciation for his mother's strength and his father's feelings.
It might seem as if the loss of his hand would dominate Norm's story, but this is a book about a great kid who encounters adversity and learns to live with and despite it. You could call this a book about baseball, because we share Norm's frustrations and triumphs as he learns to master the `one-handed catch' and prove that all you need to play a great game of baseball is determination, practice, and spirit.
But most of all this is a story about love: love of life, love between friends and family, and love of a challenge and the game of baseball. There's no false sentiment here, the feelings are rich and genuine.
Teachers will find this book makes a great read-aloud book. The historical setting enriches the story, giving us a glimpse of those years right after WWII which aren't written about as often as the war years themselves. The book lends itself to curriculum links: art, baseball and sports, history, and disability.
This is a great read, and is one of my favorite children's books for 2006, although adults will enjoy it too. When I finished reading it, I hated to close the pages. I felt like I'd spent a few hours in real small-town America and I hated to say goodbye to the characters.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for kids., November 18, 2006
This review is from: One-Handed Catch (Hardcover)
"One Handed Catch" seemed like a book that would make a great Christmas gift for my oldest grandchild. It's a story set in the post WWII era. Rationing is ending and life is beginning its return to normal. But after eleven-year-old Norm loses his hand his life will never be the same. Norm has to adjust to his changed life while his family, friends and school have to figure out how to relate to Norm.
Although planned as a gift for a grandchild I found myself picking up the book one rainy day just to read a few chapters while I was waiting to leave for an appointment. That day when I returned home I grabbed the book and finished it.
While the book is written for juveniles it is an engrossing book for adults also. For those old enough to have grown up in the 40s, 50s or even 60s the small town setting that Norm calls home will bring back memories; visits to the A&P, Burma Shave signs and shopping for shoes when you have a sales person actually waiting on you.
The book is populated with the kind of people we all know.
Norm's friend Leon whose blundering attempts sometimes make Norm feel better and sometimes worse. Norm's younger sister Ellie who manages to be nice to Norm for one day after his return from the hospital then things return to normal.
The scoutmaster, baseball coach and music teacher are all believable fully fleshed out characters in Norm's life.
One hero of the story is Norm's mother who has to force her son to learn how to live one-handed when what she probably wanted to do was take care of him and do everything for him.
This book would make a great gift for any child. But an especially appropriate gift for a child that is struggling in life. The humorous, poignant well-written story of how Norm deals with his accident will give inspiration to anyone. It is particularly inspiring since the story is the semi-biographical story of the author's husband who lost his hand in a similar childhood accident and went on to do anything he chose to do.
So do yourself a favor and buy the book early enough to read it before you wrap it for a gift. Not only will you enjoy it but also you will be able to discuss it once your child or grandchild has read it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome read!, October 6, 2008
This review is from: One-Handed Catch (Hardcover)
As a mom of a child with one hand, this book was insightful and enjoyable to read. After Norm loses his hand in an accident at his family's store (not a gruesome description given), the author goes out of her way to carefully describe how this one incident affects so many others. The characters' reactions to this change in Norm's life are enormously accurate and heart-felt (and sometimes comical). I could relate to every single character as they progressed through the stages of grief to acceptance without even knowing it. It's all done in an uplifting way...not sad or awkward. An awesome quick read for anyone...you'll love it!
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