Customer Reviews

One-Handed Catch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

"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.

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!

One Handed Catch is a marvelous turn-paging baseball book of all time. When you read this book you will be so into it you will not want to put it down until you finish the whole book.
One Handed Catch is about a twelve-year-old boy named Norm. One day at his family's butcher shop a terrible accident happens. While Norm was grinding meat for his father the grinding machine suddenly stops. He sticks his hand in there and the machine suddenly starts up again. His hand gets chopped off. Now he has to deal with only one hand for the rest of his life. Norm is a very athletic who loves to play baseball.

Mary Jane Auch's husband went through the experience when he was a kid. My father went through somewhat similar thing that happened to Norm. She teaches us that we have to deal with stuff that happened to us. Even though we can't do as many things as other people can do.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I am one of those readers who doesn't pick up a book too often but when I do, and it's a great book, I can't put it down. Well... this book was one of those.
It's a great book. I highly recommend it for people of any age.
Wonderful writing. A highly uplifting story.

It is an inspiring story and written well enough but includes an unnecessary paragraph spoiling Christmas. Why would you include this when you don't know what your audience believes.

My seventh Texas Bluebonnet nominee this year and my seventh Texas Bluebonnet nominee that is realistic fiction, with sad, sad characters living sad, sad lives. I thought Bluebonnets were supposed to be a nice cross-section of genres....One-Handed Catch is my favorite Bluebonnet, nevertheless. Norm wants to be either an artist or a baseball player, but his hopes are dashed when he cuts off his hand in a meat-grinder accident. Norm's mother doesn't let his handicap serve as a crutch, however, and Norm learns to do everything he once did easily with two hands using his one hand. Norm struggled not only with relearning tasks, but he also had to deal with people's stares and rude comments. I liked Norm's gumption. A good story.

Great book for kids who DO NOT believe. I was lucky - my son asked me to read to him one night. I was able to see the next few paragraphs would have crushed his belief and skiped them. Why would the author include this? It has nothing to do with the story.

This book was very inspiring and motivating because the main character loses his hand but ends up playing baseball against all odds. Norm is a great character because he never gives up. If you like sports you'll love this book.

If you like exciting sports books you'll love One-Handed Catch by M.J Auch. It's realistic fiction and it takes place after WW2. The main characters are Norm, Ellie, Leon and Carl. The main problem is Norm lost his hand on a meat grinder. An adventure the main characters had was making the baseball team. My favorite character was Leon because he was funny, zany, and determined.

Norm reminded me of my brother because he also plays baseball. I had a same experience as Norm when our relief pitcher fractured his arm. My text-to-self connection with Norm is we both play baseball.

My favorite part of the book was when Norm loses his hand. I would not change anything in this book. I think this book is for boys and girls who love baseball.