Thrown a Curve (18 page)

“In
Thrown a Curve,
Sara Griffiths has created believable characters who are sure to be well-received by a young adult audience. It’s a novel in which she deals with many areas of conflict that young adults face, providing them with strategies for resolution, not just coping. An enjoyable read,
Thrown a Curve
is a great selection for young adult reading and discussion groups.”—Diane Fanucci, Library Media Specialist And Student Literature Circle Advisor, Vineland High School South

“An uplifting, highly readable, and inspirational story with believable characters and authentic middle school dialogue. Taylor’s relationship with her family, her peers, and her guidance counselor draws the reader right in. I was hooked from the first page!

Thrown a Curve
is every adolescent’s story of struggling with self-esteem and self-confidence, and of overcoming obstacles.” —Fran Cristalli, Middle School Guidance Counselor

“A compelling young adult novel that allows readers of all levels to connect with the protagonist. Author Sara Griffiths truly understands the trials and tribulations of young adult life.”—Daniel Savarese, Language Arts Teacher

“
Thrown a Curve
is a great story that captures the angst of teen life, dating, family, and just being a girl trying to find yourself and where you fit in. Author Sara Griffiths does an outstanding job of capturing all these elements, and building a main character you truly care about. Taylor is a character every girl/woman can identify with, whether living that period of life now or as a woman looking back on that time. Taylor’s innocence, paired with the complexity of her emotions, truly mirrors what the teenage years are all about.” —Leah Delserro, Teacher

“As she demonstrates in her accomplished debut novel
Thrown a Curve,
author Sara Griffiths definitely has a handle on the ups and downs of the middle school youngster. Every young teen will be able to identify with at least one, if not all, of her characters. The book flows smoothly. The spacing of the lines of text is comfortable for students to read, especially for those who look at a book’s total number of pages and how close the lines of text are before they pick a book or start to read it. The novel will be a welcome addition to the young adult literature available to middle school students.” —Bonnie DiBlasio, Middle School Teacher for 27 Years

“I very much enjoyed
Thrown a Curve,
which I read in one sitting. It is a serious
and
funny look at what teenagers deal with every day—things parents find far too easy to forget. The novel throws you right back into the up-and-down roller coaster of teenage life—the emotions, cliques, friendships, first kisses, and first loves. A lot of young girls will identify with Taylor as she tries to figure out herself and her relationships. Being good at a sport, which is a big part of
Taylor’s life in this novel, helped me feel good about myself in real life. Finding what you’re good at is not always easy, but once you do it, you can have the confidence to face even your most self-critical days.” —Jennifer Dore-Terhaar, World Rowing Champion and Two-Time Olympian (1996 and 2000)