One-Handed Catch

＂Dad had asked me to give him a hand, and that’s exactly what I was doing. I was fast becoming part of the fourteen-cent chopped meat special--which, I’m told, was not a big seller for the rest of the day.＂

What would it be like to go through life with only one hand? That’s exactly what eleven-year-old Norm finds out when he loses his left hand in an accident at his family’s store. It’s July 4, 1946. World War II has ended, and life is getting back to normal. But for Norm, the pressing question now is whether he will ever be able to play baseball again. And what about his dreams of becoming an artist? Norm can’t even figure out how to tie his shoes anymore. How will he ever learn how to pitch or catch or swing a bat with no left hand? It’s up to Norm to find the strength to get beyond this roadblock and move on with his life.

M.J. Auch is the award-winning author of Guitar Boy, Wing Nut and numerous other books for young readers. Books were a part of M.J.’s life from an early age; her mother was a second grade teacher who always made sure there were plenty of books in the house. M.J. now lives on a small farm in upstate NY with her husband and co-illustrator, Herm, and their two dogs, Sophie and Zeke.