Another one of those books that I enjoyed more than I anticipated. Tim's personality was both believable and enjoyable, and his situation was familiar yet unique. All-in-all, a very good story(especially because it managed to talk about baseball without annoying or confusing me). ( )

WILL LEITCH, I LOVE YOU. that's all, really. ( )

This book is a life you would want to live. You will want to be this care-free.
4Q, 5P; Cover Art: Okay.
This book is best suited for highschoolers.
It was selected as a random pick.
Grade (of reviewer): 9th
QB-AHS-NC

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

There is a trend among young adult literature to stage the proceedings in big cities, well-known towns of glitter and glam such as Manhattan, Chicago, and Los Angeles. And although there are books out there that feature the small towns of America, they usually feature made up burgs and use euphemisms to get small-town life across. This is not the case with CATCH, and for that I can be grateful. I can be even more grateful that the author set his story in Mattoon, Illinois, a place that actually exists, is where Mr. Leitch grew up, and that is located only about two hours from both where I myself grew up and where I now reside.

Mattoon is a city, not a town, and is larger than my own hometown and yet smaller than the place I now call home. But when I opened up my copy of CATCH and immersed myself in the life and times of Tim Temples, I was immediately brought back to my own adolescent years. The Hardees parking lot where the high-school kids gather could be the same Hardees lot that I knew intimately from weekend cruising. The Lender's Bagels plant could be the reincarnation of the Quaker Oats plant that once resided in a neighboring town during my youth. Jacob Kuhns, the small-bit actor who is the most famous person ever to come from Mattoon in CATCH, and Tim's dad, who played Minor League baseball for a St. Louis Cardinal's affiliate in his younger days, could be dead-ringers for the celebrities of my own small hometown.

Tim's brother, Doug, attends the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, a college I myself once considered attending. Jessica, the good-girl of Mattoon, could be any number of girls I went to school with. Could be, in fact, me. The "Buck Fush" bumper sticker can actually be seen, to this day, on the rusted out pick-up trucks I still see when I go back to my hometown for a visit. The yearly Bagelfest, with it's parade through downtown, mimics the ones I saw as a child.

In a word, CATCH brings to life small-town America in a way that no other book has ever done. Although it's the story of Tim Temples, of the summer between high-school graduation and probable college admittance, it's a lot more than that. It's the story of what it's like to grow up with everyone in town knowing your name; of the cops understanding that you're not a bad kid for having an open container of alcohol in your moving vehicle; of people expecting you to follow in the footsteps of a semi-famous father and brother that you know you'll never have the ability--or desire--to fill.

This isn't growing up in New York City, or L.A., or the gigantic metropolis that is Chicago. This is real life, real America, the ups and downs of growing up, of falling in love, and of wanting to be the kind of person you can be proud of. This is the story of a guy who wants to break out, not necessarily of small-town America, but of small-town thinking. This is Tim's story, and my story, and the story of hundreds of thousands of teenagers throughout Midwest America.

You can't go wrong reading CATCH, and Mr. Leitch can never go wrong by accepting who he is, where he came from, and who he's become--which is the author of one hell of a great book. ( )

This is my SSR book for Q4. I have
read 304 pages.
This book is about an adolescent named Tim Temples who has the challenge of deciding what he wants to do with his life after high school. In his home town of Mattoon, Illinois, Tim is a big-shot. He is popular around the whole town due to his father's fame from being a professional baseball player. His older brother faced the same decision as him--whether he should stay local and be "the man" still, or go o a big name college in order to start all over again and be known as merely another college student. His biggest dilemma ius whether or not he wants to be "small," in terms of popularity, or if he wants to still be "big." I really enjoyed how the author decided to make Tim a typical high scool jock. It was easily relatable to because Tim seems to face the same problems and pressure (peer) that I, and many of my friends, have to face, including drugs, alcohol, and the decision of where to go to college. One thing I did not like about this book was Helena's character. I feel like the author made Helena seem a little too easy, and a bit (excuse my language) like a hoe (simile). I did not like this especially because we eventually find Helena opening up to Tim half-way through the book and realize that she is nothing like a hoe, but now that I think about it, maybe that is the sort irony of Helena's character. I finished this book because it was also easily relatable to. I was able to feel the emotion especially when Tim talked about deciding on colleges. He always mentioned how he was tired of people asking him, "Where are you going to college?" I understand how he feels; the idea of not knowing where to go for college for most of your senior year is a stressful idea. Thankfully, both he and I have decided. ( )

I read this a while ago and forgot about it, which surprised me because I really did find it compelling and real. Plus, it takes place in Mattoon, IL. ( )

Catch takes places in the summer before Tim Temples goes away to college. There's a lot going on: his loser brother Doug is home from college, his father is caught up in civic events and his best friends (The Horsemen) are already slipping away. But it's a new job — and a woman (Helena), a much older woman — he meets there that spin his life around. There's funny stuff (his pal Denny's four rules for keeping a woman happy) and there's tough stuff (a confrontation between Tim and his brother taking place during a not-so-friendly game of catch). The voice is so right, the sense of place so perfect, as Leitch details the dullness that is Mattoon, Illinois and even the timeless theme seems so fresh. This is the Rats Saw God of 2006, and that's a hell of a big catch. Review originally appeared in Novelist. ( )

Tim's pretty much gotten everything he's ever wanted. His dad is the town's baseball hero and he's enjoyed the benefits of that celebrity for 18 years. When he graduates from high school, he wonders if it's worth it to leave all that behind for college where no one knows him. He spends the summer working at a local factory, where he meets Helena and wonders if small town life is really for him. I enjoyed this book. I didn't always like Tim, but could relate to his story. Anyone getting ready to leave for college might identify with Tim's dilemma. ( )

Tim, a local Illinoios small town hero, must end up making his choice at college or being a small town hero. ( )