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.

"Over the Wall" by John H. Ritter was one of the greatest books I have ever read. It is about a boy named Tyler who has many conflicts with his family and his baseball team that he plays for. He has a mom and dad that he lives with in California, but the book takes place in New York where he visits his cousin Louie. He joins a baseball team there. Tyler has a very short temper which gets him in trouble quite a lot. At the end of the book he cleans up and tries out for the league All-Stars. Will he make them? Read the book to find out.

The opening lines of Chapter One in your novel, "People say time heals all wounds. . . .Time won't heal anything," can apply to many people's lives, as well as the history of mankind. In putting these lines into the story at an early point, you allow the reader to read their own life into the book, and therefore, understand the emotions of the characters better and more clearly.

I have also noticed the way the fathers in both of your novels, CHOOSING UP SIDES and OVER THE WALL seem to keep their families on their toes in some way or another. In CHOOSING UP SIDES, the father dominated the family by enforcing strict rules with old- fashioned punishments. Luke had to be very careful around him, so he was never quite comfortable. In OVER THE WALL, Tyler felt like his dad was making him "an outsider in his own home." He and his mother had to "talk easy," and "not do anything that might upset Dad." In fact, in both stories, Luke and Tyler seemed to have to hold in their true thoughts and feelings so as not to upset their fathers. Because the cause of this discomfort was different in CHOOSING UP SIDES, the resolution in OVER THE WALL will most likely also be different.

I can't wait to finish reading OVER THE WALL!

The book I read was called Choosing Up Sides. I thought the book was very good. I really liked the book because I play softball and it was about a boy who was a really good pitcher, but his dad wouldn't let him play. There were a few things I didn't like about the book though. One thing I didn't like was the dad in the story. He had too many rules and he was mean to Luke. I also didn't think it was right to change Luke from bing a natural left hander to a right hander. The main thing I didn't like was the way his dad would beat his right hand if he used it. But other then that it was a great book.

John Ritter hits a homerun with this novel. In a story for all ages Ritter brings to life young Luke Bledsoe, a 14 year old boy with his eyes on a pretty girl in his class, his right hand on a Bible held by his father, and his left hand on a baseball.
Sports can teach us many lessons in life. Through baseball, Ritter teaches his audience about the power of identity and influence.
At 14, Luke is at a stage in his life when his identity is beginning to be formed. Luke, and many others, start to discover things about himself that he didn't previously consider. The most important of these discoveries is that his dad's interpretation of the Bible didn't seem logical or consistent with Luke's interpretation. Luke struggles throughout the story with choosing sides: his father and mother or his uncle and girlfriend. Luke's final decision is not so much who he stands with as much as what he stands for. Despite his bold stance and his willingness to do what is right Luke suffers tragedy and looses the alliance that he has with one side after an ironic and intense ending.

"Choosing up Sides" is a young adult book for everyone, of every age. The universal need to be one's self, and to be accepted for it, lies at the heart of this story and is sensitively handled by the author. Ritter has numerus opportunities to take the easy way out, and passes each by, opting instead for the more complex, thoughtful and realistic turn of events. I am not a young adult, nor am I left-handed, but I am a human being, which I believe is the only criteria necessary to enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.