I read “Catch That Pass” by Matt Christopher. “Catch That Pass,” was a book about Jim Nardi, who is a very good football player for the Vulcans, but he has a problem. He is afraid to take a hit. He is a linebacker and he loves hitting people, but when he intercepts a pass, he drops it because he was going to get hit. His brother Doug, the coach for the Vulcans, had the same problem when he was Jim’s age. Jim wants to be the best he can be, and he knows to do that he has to overcome his fear. Jim does get some help from his best friend, Chuckie, who is in a wheelchair and probably won’t ever walk again. Chuckie tells Jim that if he can live his life in a wheelchair, you can be tackled and it won’t hurt. Jim decides, for his friend, he was going to overcome his fear, and he did. He lead his team to a huge victory to take second in the league, after losing the first three games. Jim had two interceptions in the game and was tackled a couple times. He even broke a tackle for a touchdown.Jim Nardi is the main character in the book. His best friend Chuckie helps him overcome his fear to allow Jim to be a very good football player. Jim is described very well in the story. He would do anything to help anyone, and he knows he is afraid to get tackled and he even admits it. Jim is very quiet and doesn’t stand up for himself when Hood, the starting safety, yells at him for dropping the ball.Jim Nardi and his family live in a small town. The book takes place in the fall and its getting really cold. He knows everyone and everyone knows him, which is not always a good thing because they pick on him for being afraid. Most of the story takes place on the field, but part of it takes place in Jim’s garage where he was painting an airplane in the cold. Chuckie came in and scared Jim. Jim bumped the paint and it went into the heater and started a fire. Jim got the fire out, but he was burnt.The author’s message in this story is that everyone has a fear. If people don’t face their fear, it will always be there. If people face their fear, they can overcome it and will make things better for everyone involved. Fears are not easy to face, but in the long run it will make people much happier.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sports, but also anyone who has a fear and need some motivation to overcome that fear. This book would be good for any age group. It is very easy to understand and read.
