Richmond, Peter. Always a Catch. New York: Philomel Books, 2014.

Jack is getting a new start. While he is not 100% sure that he wants one, he is humoring his dad who thinks that having a son in prep school will look good on his own resume. Oakhurst Prep is a pretty conservative place for young Jack. Cell phone are prohibited; internet is limited to a couple of hours a day; and ipods are even discouraged. But since Jack is giving it a shot anyone, he decides to make some choices that he hopes might change his life and attitude for the better. To that end, he decides to go out for the football team. He has never played on an organized team for a school before. He has some natural talent, but he is small and has quite a learning curve. He also will face pressures to juice that he did not anticipate. He steps out of his musical box and joins a band. Ultimately his band challenges the school to hear music in a whole new way. And… there’s a girl. I love the way this relationship develops slowly over time. I am not sure that I am completely fair when I evaluate books when young men are the protagonist. I am often uncomfortable with what I guess is the reality of the life of a young man. Richmond does a great job of creating a “real” character, who skates right at the edge of my comfort level. I am so excited to have him to share with my male readers.

Mike Lupica and Tim Green are super popular with my younger guys, and I am always on the hunt for authors for the older ones to grow into. They like Chris Crutcher and Carl Deuker. I really think they are going to like this title by Peter Richmond as well. I love the wise choices that Jack ultimately makes, but the honest struggles along the way are certainly relatable. Definitely the situations make this suitable for senior high. The title will appeal to sports fans and music fans both. I love boarding school books and am happy to have one to share with the fellows. I guess this is Richmond’s first YA title. I am hoping for more.