Over the Wall
People say time heals all wounds. I used to think so. Now I know better.
Time won’t heal anything.
Time is nothing but a stack of yesterdays. Nothing but a stack of full moons waiting for a new one. Or a stack of memories waiting for a better one.
So begins Over the Wall, a dramatic and moving novel set in modern day New York City.
Over the Wall
Anger is a bombshell exploding and Tyler’s temper is out of control. But Tyler’s coach, a Vietnam War veteran from New York City, has seen anger destroy enough people. He knows that if Tyler, a California baseball star visiting his NYC cousins, 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.
Over the Wall continues John’s use of baseball as a metaphor for life. “Like baseball,” he says, “life often comes down to individual, split-second decisions. You get lots of opportunities to test yourself, to display courage, and make mistakes. But you get better by building on what you’ve learned from those choices.”
Order Over the Wall:
Winner of the Parents’ Guide to Children’s Media Award
Named to the New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” list
Named to the Texas Lone Star List for 2001
Praise for Over the Wall…
“Suspenseful…outstanding…There is so much here to recommend…This is a profound book, unusual for YA fiction.”
— Claire Rosser, Editor of KLIATT
“John H. Ritter 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…. A powerful lesson in compassion.”
— Publishers Weekly
“A profoundly poignant story around complex developmental and historical issues…Readers are left questioning societal mores and values, rules and politics, and their own moral development… “
— The ALAN Review
“John H. Ritter has written a powerful story with well-developed characters, realistic dialogue, and strong plot. …another fantastic novel!”
— Beverly Chin, Univ. of Montana, past president of NCTE