Product Description

Tyler's temper is out of control. If he isn't careful, he'll blow his chances of making the All-Star team and being noticed by a scout. But Tyler's coach, a Vietnam War veteran, has seen anger destroy enough people. He knows that if Tyler is ever going to fulfill his dreams, he'll have to learn to fight his battles with his glove, his bat, and his love for the game. Not with his fists. But it all comes down to Tyler. Does he care enough about his future to work through the past?

"A grand slam." (The ALAN Review)

"An ambitious mark that predents a compelling, multilayered story." (School Library Journal)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31394 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780698119314
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
"The author tackles tough subjects relating to violence in sports, religious hypocrisy and the Vietnam War while creating layers of metaphors that neatly unfold as the story progresses," said PW. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-The wall in the title partly refers to the wall that the book's narrator, 13-year-old Tyler Waltern, wants to smack a baseball over. It also refers to other walls, such as the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC, and other more illusive barriers between people. As the novel opens, Tyler finds himself spending the summer with his aunt, uncle, and cousins. The attraction of New York City is the chance to play serious baseball over the summer while also escaping from his moody, troubled father, who has been a virtual recluse since the accidental death of Tyler's sister nine years earlier. The boy's own worst enemy, on the playing field and in life, is his own explosive temper and combative disposition. Helping Tyler through his problems are his firm but understanding coach and his wise-beyond-her-years younger cousin. This is a complex novel, with the events of the past haunting the lives of several of the major characters. By the end, Tyler has gained a level of self-awareness by unraveling some of the tangled stories in his family's past and understanding the intricacies lying beneath the surface of life. Sports are just a part of this ambitious work that presents a compelling, multilayered story.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ten years after his father accidentally runs over and kills his baby sister, 14-year-old Tyler leaves his shattered family to live with relatives in New York and play on a baseball league in Central Park. Although he has athletic talent and passion enough to make the all-stars, he's a tempest whose flare-ups undermine his every success. His coach, a Vietnam veteran who knows the destructive effects of unchecked anger, attempts to help Tyler, but the boy soon realizes that only he can heal the wounds that have darkened his opinion of the world. Early in the novel Tyler is overwhelmed by bitterness, but thanks to guidance from his coach, he begins to understand himself and reconnect with his guilt-burdened father. Although sports fiction fans will find only occasional play-by-play action in this novel, they will be more than compensated by a fully fleshed-out story about compassion and absolution. Roger Leslie

Customer Reviews

Over the Wall
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.

A Twelve-Year-Old Thinker
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.

Ritter hits one Over the Wall
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.