Why I picked it up
Sonnenblick. Why else? He never disappoints. Even though the topics, covers, and titles never seen to be something I would like, I ALWAYS fall in love with the story. I have learned not to question, just to begin reading and let the magic happen.
Why I finished it
Sonnenblick. He did not disappoint. The characters are powerful and the story line captivating. I loved Peter, who is the typical teen boy with a consistently inconsistent daily teen life. He is coping with disappointment and challenges that are thrown his way, including a love interest. The novel is not solely about baseball, it is about finding identity and coming of age. Truly one of Sonnenblick’s masterpieces.
Who I would give it to
This book is great for young adults who love to read, as well as for those who have a hard time finding a book that will interest them. Definitely a great choice for young men who love sports! It might even lean more towards teenage boys than girls.
Integration ideas
Visualizing
This book has three distinct sections, each begun with a beautiful description of photographs. The descriptions are perfect for practicing visualization. Read each section aloud to the students while they close their eyes and picture the scene. Afterwards, students can draw what they heard. Additionally, students should record words and phrases from the text that helped them see, hear, smell, taste, or feel certain elements. Students could also recreate the still picture based on the description by arranging themselves to create a tableau.
Descriptive Writing/ Writers’ Notebook
Students should bring in a photograph of their own. After charting out what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel, they should write their own description of the picture. This description should provide the reader with a vivid and exact visualization of what the picture was without seeing the picture.
Leave a Reply