Customer Reviews

Over the Wall

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over the Wall by John H. Ritter is the best young/adult novelI've read in years. As a 6th grade teacher (and the parent of a twelve-year-old) I find it increasingly difficult to find quality books. Books about shape-shifting alien technology, slime creatures, and silly young sorcerers seem to dominate the market. [...] Why not read a book that entertains and teaches something at the same time. Using the metaphorical backdrop of baseball, Ritter's book does just that. He combines fast-paced entertainment with an insightful look at the history of the Vietnam conflict. It's time our children learned more about this troubling time in our history. Better than any other author I know, he captures wonderfully what it is like to be a child...the fears, the excitement, the angst of being an adolescent. By the time the book ends (all too quickly I might add) the main character has become your friend. Maybe we need to learn even more about him in future books. You don't have to love baseball to enjoy this book...you just have to love good books.

By far, the similes with the most important roles in OVER THE WALL are the many walls. Tyler has many problems, but the main one is his father. In the first chapter, Tyler said, "It was like he was facing a big brick wall. . .and he couldn't see a thing." Then, in the second chapter, Tyler wants to hit a baseball "over the wall". If I took that at face value, I would think that all he wants is to do well in baseball, but there is a deeper meaning. As Tyler makes it clear, baseball is part of him. If he could get a baseball over the wall his dad is facing, it would be like reaching out to him, and hey, maybe the ball would even plonk him on the head and shake him out of the trance he's in. Also, the expression "Get over it" means to let it go, or move on and start fresh. If Tyler's dad were to "get over" that wall, he would be tired of pushing his family away from him, and he could refill that empty shell of his that Alyssa once filled. It is important that he sees what he is doing to his family so he can realize that he is losing them, in addition to Alyssa.

This book is making me think.

The book is about a13 year old boy named Tyler. He lives in California but in the summer he goes to New York to play baseball. When he is there he loses his temper a lot, one day the coach pulled him aside and told him to cut it out, stop being so mad! Then he went home and just froze and decideed that since they (his family) were going to washington monument to pay thier respects to thier family he would read a book on the vitetnam war.He decides to make a memorial for the Vietnamese people that died, and then it is all star day will he make the team or will tyler strike out on the opportunity to???

the main characters are Tyler, cousin Breena, Louie, his coach (coach) Trioli, his mom and dad, his uncle Phil,his aunt, and his dead sister Alyssa.

On a scale of 1-10 I would rate this book a ten because some of the stuff in this book I can relate to! I would recommend this book to boys and girls ages 9-16 because it really sounds like a book for that age group, and people below that age group probably wouldn't get it! The genre of the book is sports fiction. You should read this book, because it really explains a lot about peoples emotions, and it just grabs your attention from the beginning! If I could read this book again I would, because I am a huge baseball fan, If I knew I had to walk away from the game I would flip out like tyler did when the coach kicked him off the team!!! I mean I Eat sleep and live for baseball!

* Orono, Me 12

I started reading "Over the Wall" on a Saturday, and could hardly put it down until I finished it on Monday.

Like Jonh Ritter's first book, "Choosing up Sides," this is a well written and very entertaining story, for readers of all ages (I am 46 years old).

I especially identify with Tyler's struggle to replace anger with empathy, despite what other people think. I tend to react with anger, at least at first. Anger is the "easiest way out." Identifying with people and understanding their side is much more desirable, although much more difficult.

Also, I thank John for giving my fellow war protestors a memorial too.

John Ritter's second novel is an intricate web of baseball, war, and coming of age. Ritter's 14 year old hero, Tyler, almost lets anger destroy his sport. Through his development of self-control, he is able to come to terms with his family and with his country's involvement in the Viet Nam War. The story is seamlessly woven together with humor and insight into the development of adolescents. There are positive adult role models who help Tyler along the way, and even when Tyler does not realize it, the reader will. By the end we care about this young man and appreciate his reflection and growth. In this way, Tyler, too, becomes a role model for the many young readers who will be engaged by this novel. Older readers will appreciate the historical connections and younger readers will enjoy the fast paced story line. This is a great book for a read-aloud and contains enough discussion of the Viet Nam War era to make it a must for an interdisciplinary classroom.

I am eagerly anticipating Ritter's third book and welcome him to the ranks of exceptional writers for young adults.

As a middle school educator and language arts chairperson in San Diego, CA, I've had the pleasure of using both of John H. Ritter's novels as powerful reads that definitely affect adolescents (and adults) in positive ways. The protagonists in CHOOSING UP SIDES and OVER THE WALL are well-developed characters, each facing their own struggles as they approach the next stages of emotional and social growth. Ritter's unique plots, carefully crafted with authentic dialogue and well-researched conflicts, hook readers within the first few paragraphs and hold their attentions long after finishing the books--an important element when considering the needs of adolescents and their teachers.

Ritter's books are catalysts for introspection and growth. Without being "preachy" his stories encourage readers to consider the following questions: Who am I? In what do I believe? and What are my values? Every chapter affords reflective thinkers opportunities to engage in rich discussions based upon those questions.

My students and students of my colleagues have spent hours during this past academic year reading, writing, and discussing Ritter's books, which at first glance appear to be about baseball. Yes, it's one of Ritter's "hooks," but it works.

Your unique writing style is wonderfully illustrated in Chapter Four. You use many writer's crafts effectively, such as using minor characters, like Tyler's family, to establish the largest parts of the plot.

Another skill you have used successfully in this chapter is to compare and contrast the traits of the cousins' parents. For example, their fathers are shown to be nothing but a "brick wall", because one doesn't communicate and the other isn't there to talk to. One of the mothers isn't there physically, while the other mother is there but seems to be unconscious.

Tyler strives to become a better baseball player to compensate for his parents' mental absence and to rekindle their interest in his life. Tyler's strenous quest is expressed in Chapter Three with foreshadowing. This occurs when he disputes the umpire's bad call when he knows he was safe.

All of these writer's craft techniques: foreshadow- ing, comparing and contrasting between characters, and having the minor characters take control of the greatest part of the plot, are brilliantly expressed in Chapter Four.

Wow--what a powerful story. I know that young adult literature has some of the best writing around these days, but the scope of this book really surprised me. It has so many different levels, and that is a mark of a truly talented author. This is not only a book about the love of baseball, it's about getting past the walls of anger than constrict us as individuals and as a nation. I defy someone to not identify in some way with 14-year-old Tyler, whether you are a baseball fan or not. The book is a bit lengthy, but like a 2-hour movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, you'll hardly notice the pages turning. Nice job, Mr. Ritter.

Hi my name is Max Mordini and I just got done reading Over the wall. One thing I have to say is that John H. Ritter is the best author ever. I read The Boy Who Saved Baseball about 2 months ago and I loved that one so much that I went off and bought Over The Wall. Over The Wall is even better than the boy who saved baseball i just could not stop reading this book. Now I will tell you a brief summary of the book. It all starts off in California were a boy named Tyler Waltern lives.This summer Tyler is going to take a plane up to New York City and spend it there with his cousins and play baseball with Louie (his cousin). He arrives in New York and greets his cousins. Soon enough it was the day of there first baseball game. Tyler plays shortstop and is very good. The game is all tied up and Tyler is on second and he is the winning run. His teammate hit a clean single and Tyler thought he had a chance to be the hero and break for home so he did. He rounded third and was on his way home. He took a huge head first slide into home and he touched the plate just barely with his hand and was in front of the through. After he touched home he was tagged by the catcher Tyler was jumping and cheering Ive won the game he thought to himself but then he heard the umpire yell your out he never touched home. Tyler was astonished and he put up an argument right away. Eventually he was thrown out of the game and they lost. Then the same exact thing happened again in there 3rd game and out of anger tyler yelled I quit. He couldn't believe what he just said but he couldnt take it back now. After this Tyler is miserable and doesn't know what to do but he had to play so he went back to the ball fields and found the commissioner of the baseball league. He begged to be let back in. He said "Only if I can see that your behavior and sportsmanship have changed" and tyler was let back in the league. Believe it or not baseball is only one half of the book. Now I will tell you about the other half of the book (Vietnam War). Tyler's grandpa fought in the Vietnam war as a pilot and was shot down and killed. This is another reason that tyler went to New York, so he could see the wall with his grandpas name on it in Washington D.C. Before he went to see the wall he read a couple books about vietnam. After reading and looking at the books it made tyler think a little and it made him feel bad about the vietnamese people who died that weren't even in the war like little kids and grandparents. it also made him sad thinking about that there were 3 million people who died on the other side and there was no wall mentioning any of them so Tyler decides to make a monument for the vietmanese. This is my summary of the book and I hope you will read it. I would recommend this book to boys because you have to be a boy to understand and feel like your in the book ( this is why i loved it so much.) I would recomend the book to ages 10 through 14. It would be a good book for older kids to read during the summer for fun. Anyway This book was a great book and you should read it whenever you get the chance. Also this book was the first book I ever laughed at or got butterflies in my stomach when I was reading. The book is AWESOME!!!!!

this book was absolutely gr8. Not only was it about my favorite sport, baseball, but it was about going through peer pressure, which many people will experience later on in life.