Choosing up sides | 
 enlarge | Author: John H. Ritter
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $5.98 (100%)
New (33) Used (48) from $0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 427227
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0698118405
EAN: 9780698118409
ASIN: 0698118405
Publication Date: April 1, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
Recipient of the 1999 International Reading Association's "Children's Book Award." Named an American Library Association "Best Book for Young Adults." Named a 1999 "Blue Ribbon Book" by The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 Religion Vs. Nature July 2, 2007
Luke's life has always been difficult. His father is a minister, and his job keeps Luke and his mother and little sister moving around often to different churches. He is always the new kid in his class, and that is sometimes hard. Even harder, though, is the fact that Luke has always been left-handed. His father believes that left-handedness is the sign of the devil, and he spent much time trying to force Luke to be right-handed. Luke tries also, but can't deny that it is much easier to do everything when he uses his left hand instead of his right.
One day shortly after moving to another new town, Luke comes across an informal baseball game, played by boys about his age. When a ball rolls to his feet, he picks it up and throws it back with his left hand. The rest of the boys are blown away by how good the throw is. Luke's father, though, feels almost the same about sports as he does about left-handedness. He would never consent to let Luke play baseball.
As his classmates keep pressuring him to join a team and his left-handed uncle also encourages him, Luke feels more and more tempted. Is it possible his father isn't always right?
I liked Luke's internal struggle to be something he couldn't be. I liked that he respected his parents enough to try to do what they wanted, but he was his own person enough to question them. I also liked Luke's uncle--he was a great character to balance out Luke's father.
I thought Annbeth's attraction to Luke and her pursuit of him didn't seem realistic, though. She seemed too aggressive for this time and for a girl who barely knew this boy. I also didn't like how the author resolved the conflict between Luke and his father at the end of the book. It seemed like the author took the easy way out.
 "Cornwall, NY Sixth Grader" March 9, 2007
"I am a sixth grader. I chose this book because the title interested me because of the topic of baseball and sports. Anyone who enjoys baseball will be interested in this book. When I started to read it, I realized that there was a lot more to the book than just sports. The main character, Luke, was a great pitcher who will teach anyone who reads the book a lot of lessons.
All Luke wanted to do was pitch, but his dad would not let him. He was the local preacher and he believed that baseball was the Devil's work. Luke was scared of what his dad would do if he found out that he loved baseball and wanted to play. A kid in Luke's class, named Skinny, was always trying to convince Luke to play baseball on the town team so they could make it to the State Championships, but the problem always went back to his dad the preacher.
Luke was a lefty and his dad also thought that being left-handed was the work of the Devil too. I found his thoughts about the Devil kind of strange! Luke's Uncle Micah, who became a big part of Luke's life, was also a lefty and he encouraged him to pitch with his left hand, because he knew it was important to him. My favorite part of the book was when Luke pitched his first game and struck someone close to him out. Everyone was cheering for him, even Annabeth, the girl he liked. Annabeth always told Luke he was lucky to have the chance to pitch because there was not a girl's league for her to play in.
Something tragic happens in Luke's life that changed his priorities and made him think differently about baseball. I liked this book and would recommend it because it teaches a good lesson about the importance of family and how sports may not always be the first thing to think about in your life. Luke figures out that things will work out and you can do whatever you want without forgetting about what is important in life." P.L.
 Best Book Ever !! December 10, 2006
I'll keep it short and sweet:
This book is GREAT, it makes you want to keep reading all day! In my opinion, it is the best book I ever read.
Jacob
Great Book From Start to Finish!! December 4, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
John Ritter's "Choosing Up Sides" is a beautifully written story of a boy trying to understand his father, all centered around the game of baseball. The cover enticed me to open the book and dive right into it. Then the story took over! The characters come to life on the pages. I found this story funny, entertaining, suspenseful, and amazing. This book will become a baseball classic for all time. I highly recommend this book.
Such A Good Book! November 27, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Jason's book review for amazon:
Love baseball?? This is such a great baseball book for the real baseball fan. Suspense, drama, humor, baseball, AND Babe Ruth! Need I say more? You will love it I promise.
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