The very first thing I can remember is this: I am really, really mad at my mom for some reason. I'm sitting in the middle of the living room, arms crossed, pouting. At this stage, I am a world-champion pouter. There's an old guy - my grandfather - kneeling in front of me, trying to cheer me up.
Peter Friedman is going to be a high school freshman. He lives and breathes baseball. He and his best friend are the best players in the league. When Pete pitches, AJ catches; when AJ pitches, Pete catches. Pete knows that he'll be popular in high school because he's a baseball star. He has no worries...
But the summer after 8th grade, Pete keeps a secret. He has an ache in his left elbow. He doesn't a single person.
Pete is forced to have elbow surgery. He learns that he will never play baseball again.
Pete is forced to figure out what kind of person to be in high school since he can't be the star athlete. His grampa offers a suggestion.
"Pete, your mom and dad are both concerned about you. They wanted me to tell you that we're here for you if you need anything...Oh, and...well...you need to join a club."
Pete's grampa is a professional photographer, and ever since Pete was three years old, photography has been a private thing between he and his grampa. Pete relishes the time he's spent with his grampa learning about photography and how to take a perfect picture.
Pete's mom forced his to sign up for Introduction to Photography for his art elective. Pete isn't sure about this.
Then he meets Angelika Stone. And gets moved to Advanced Photographic Techniques. With Angelika Stone.
Curveball is an excellent read that shows how Pete learned to be ready for "the decisive moments" in life. I loved the humor and serious nature of the book.
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars
*Teenage humor about relationships, mild language
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