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Under the Baseball Moon
Andy Ramos, a freestyle skateboarding trumpeter, has dreams as big as a baseball moon. Born into a family of musicians, Andy wants to take his unique fusion of Latin jazz, rock, and hip-hop straight to the top. But when he crosses paths with Glory Martinez, a softball pitcher who has Olympic-sized dreams of her own, the mysterious fusion of their athletic and musical skills changes everything. Or is that because of the elegant but eerie man in black? Under the Baseball Moon is a stylistic blend of music, softball, and friends that will capture the hearts and souls of readers who march—or skateboard—to a different drum.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2006
22 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
John H. Ritter
8 books19 followers Novelist John H. Ritter (born October 31, 1951, in San Pedro, California) grew up in the summer-dry hills east of San Diego. "I grew up in a baseball family," says John. "But we were also a family of musicians and mathematicians, house painters and poets. My dad was a sports writer in Ashtabula, Ohio, who moved the family out west, just before I was born, to become Sports Editor for The San Diego Union."
Growing up in a sparse, mountainous region also helped stretch John's imagination. "Out in that country," he says, "there was a real sense of the spirits who walked the land in the centuries before. And being so cut off from other kids, I roamed the hills a lot, following hawks and eagles, climbing boulders, sitting in Indian caves. Rattlesnakes never bothered us much. But I felt the spirits everywhere. I think my mom, who was part Blackfoot Indian, had a lot to do with that."
When John was only four, however, his mother died of breast cancer, leaving his father to raise four small children on his own. John still recalls his mother and her songs. "One thing I remember about my mom is that she sang to us constantly, making up a song for each of her four children that fit our personalities perfectly. So from her, I got a sense of how to capture a
person's spirit in a lyrical phrase."
Over time, his musical interests continued to grow and in high school, the social commentary of folksinger Bob Dylan inspired him to write his own songs, hoping to pursue a musical career. He was, however, a “wild student,” he admits to English professor Chris Crowe in an interview for The ALAN Review, and was torn between his love of baseball and writing, calling himself both “a high achiever and a rabble rouser,” noting, for example, that in 1969 he was voted Senior Class President and the Senior Class Clown. Teachers did, however, recognize his writing talent, although his work was so often read out loud in class that he also admits to growing complacent and somewhat lazy about having to improve his skills.
At the University of California, San Diego, John studied communications while playing for the UCSD baseball team, all-the-while continuing to write Dylan-style songs. But by his sophomore year, he recalls, “I was anxious to get on with my life. And for the vision I had in mind, college didn’t have much to offer me. I knew I had to walk the streets, touch life, embrace life, gain experience.” So like his literary heroes before him, i.e., Dylan, Jack Kerouac, and Mark Twain, John quit school, taking a job as a painter’s apprentice, and set about traveling the country. He learned to live so cheaply that he could earn enough in three or four months to allow him to travel and write for the rest of the year. He did that for several years, until he married his wife, Cheryl, whom he had met in college, and they had a baby daughter. With a family to support, John needed to work nine months a year, painting houses, but the rest of his time went into writing, an artistic lifestyle he later spotlighted in his song-laden socio-political novel, Under the Baseball Moon.
In 1994, after publishing several short stories, John received the Judy Blume Award and a cash grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for a novel in progress. In 1996, he submitted his manuscript through the Curtis Brown Agency to Philomel Books where it became the first acquisition of junior editor, Michael Green. Since then, Green has risen to become Editorial Director and Publisher of Philomel Books and has edited all six of John’s novels.
In 1999, John’s first novel, Choosing Up Sides, won the International Reading Association Children’s Book Award for Older Readers and was designated an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. This hard-hitting work of ... [To see more of this bio, go to John's website or his Wikipedia entry.]
Growing up in a sparse, mountainous region also helped stretch John's imagination. "Out in that country," he says, "there was a real sense of the spirits who walked the land in the centuries before. And being so cut off from other kids, I roamed the hills a lot, following hawks and eagles, climbing boulders, sitting in Indian caves. Rattlesnakes never bothered us much. But I felt the spirits everywhere. I think my mom, who was part Blackfoot Indian, had a lot to do with that."
When John was only four, however, his mother died of breast cancer, leaving his father to raise four small children on his own. John still recalls his mother and her songs. "One thing I remember about my mom is that she sang to us constantly, making up a song for each of her four children that fit our personalities perfectly. So from her, I got a sense of how to capture a
person's spirit in a lyrical phrase."
Over time, his musical interests continued to grow and in high school, the social commentary of folksinger Bob Dylan inspired him to write his own songs, hoping to pursue a musical career. He was, however, a “wild student,” he admits to English professor Chris Crowe in an interview for The ALAN Review, and was torn between his love of baseball and writing, calling himself both “a high achiever and a rabble rouser,” noting, for example, that in 1969 he was voted Senior Class President and the Senior Class Clown. Teachers did, however, recognize his writing talent, although his work was so often read out loud in class that he also admits to growing complacent and somewhat lazy about having to improve his skills.
At the University of California, San Diego, John studied communications while playing for the UCSD baseball team, all-the-while continuing to write Dylan-style songs. But by his sophomore year, he recalls, “I was anxious to get on with my life. And for the vision I had in mind, college didn’t have much to offer me. I knew I had to walk the streets, touch life, embrace life, gain experience.” So like his literary heroes before him, i.e., Dylan, Jack Kerouac, and Mark Twain, John quit school, taking a job as a painter’s apprentice, and set about traveling the country. He learned to live so cheaply that he could earn enough in three or four months to allow him to travel and write for the rest of the year. He did that for several years, until he married his wife, Cheryl, whom he had met in college, and they had a baby daughter. With a family to support, John needed to work nine months a year, painting houses, but the rest of his time went into writing, an artistic lifestyle he later spotlighted in his song-laden socio-political novel, Under the Baseball Moon.
In 1994, after publishing several short stories, John received the Judy Blume Award and a cash grant from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for a novel in progress. In 1996, he submitted his manuscript through the Curtis Brown Agency to Philomel Books where it became the first acquisition of junior editor, Michael Green. Since then, Green has risen to become Editorial Director and Publisher of Philomel Books and has edited all six of John’s novels.
In 1999, John’s first novel, Choosing Up Sides, won the International Reading Association Children’s Book Award for Older Readers and was designated an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. This hard-hitting work of ... [To see more of this bio, go to John's website or his Wikipedia entry.]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 9, 2016
I've read this book a couple of times. Even though it's written for young adults and I am an adult, I've always felt that I don't fully understand everything about the story. UNDER THE BASEBALL MOON is about a kid who plays the trumpet and rides his skateboard and has a very weird, very complicated friendship with a girl who loves baseball. There's a bit of a love story... there's some soul-selling to the devil... and there's some magic. The end of the book continues to baffle me, but the majority of the book is quite enjoyable.
August 13, 2010
One of the best sports books I have ever read - possible because it has dual male/female protagonists and its the boy that's into music (trumpet) and the girl that's into sports (softball).
September 17, 2016
This was one of my favourite reads as teen. Loved it.
October 1, 2017
I really liked this book! It's a fantastic mix of two of my favorite things: softball and music, with a bit of Spanish woven into the story.
July 7, 2022
Wacky, sometimes delightfully and sometimes frustratingly.
February 10, 2024
It’s a great tribute to women’s sports and musicians with two characters trying to each make a name for each other in respective worlds. Allowing each to support the other to lift the other. The only challenge I have for the book is the notion that an individual can play an instrument during game play. Generally, “artificial” noise makers are not allowed during game play and only during break times… but it’s a book and can bend the realistic rules of reality.
For those who have read Star Girl…..Gloria gives Star Girl vibes.
For those who have read Star Girl…..Gloria gives Star Girl vibes.
November 6, 2019
Overall the book was good but when I first started reading it I thought it would have been more about baseball and only the 1st couple pages were. The author did a good job of creating a story that could appeal to musicians and softball phanatics.
January 31, 2019
Didn't want it to end. A great book.
October 25, 2023
The book was pretty good, it didn't end the way I expected it to, but I still enjoyed reading the book, and it kept me interested the entire time.
September 10, 2024
Good book. Good YA
September 22, 2009
2007 Nutmeg nominee author gives older readers something to think about in his tribute to two of his greatest loves – baseball and jazz. In this book readers are taken to a beach side town located on the California coast where a mixture of people, cultures, and economic statuses co-exist. Here, we meet Andy Ramos – a young man who has his eyes set on stardom and wants nothing more than his jazz band to be noticed or better yet signed. Determined to follow in his grandfather and father’s footsteps he spends everyday practicing his trumpet in hope of becoming the next big thing.
It is at this point that he runs into an old friend by the name of Glory who is a talented softball pitcher and dreams of making it to the Olympics. The two quickly realize the more time they spend together the more their feelings and individual talents grow. Soon, the two are seen everywhere – Andy playing at Glory’s games and Glory cheering Andy on at his gigs. BUT, their love and increased abilities have created a co-dependency, desperately needing one another in order to succeed and on the night of Andy’s big gig and Glory’s big game they must decide whose dreams mean the most?
Ritter’s book speaks not only to the complications of first love and the importance of creating a balance but also what it means to reach your dreams. Readers that enjoy Ritter’s traditional sports books may be taken back from the fact that a lot of the play by play action is not there. At the same time this traditional excitement is found in Andy’s music as readers are tuned not only into his passion but are also mesmerized by the music he is able to create.
It is at this point that he runs into an old friend by the name of Glory who is a talented softball pitcher and dreams of making it to the Olympics. The two quickly realize the more time they spend together the more their feelings and individual talents grow. Soon, the two are seen everywhere – Andy playing at Glory’s games and Glory cheering Andy on at his gigs. BUT, their love and increased abilities have created a co-dependency, desperately needing one another in order to succeed and on the night of Andy’s big gig and Glory’s big game they must decide whose dreams mean the most?
Ritter’s book speaks not only to the complications of first love and the importance of creating a balance but also what it means to reach your dreams. Readers that enjoy Ritter’s traditional sports books may be taken back from the fact that a lot of the play by play action is not there. At the same time this traditional excitement is found in Andy’s music as readers are tuned not only into his passion but are also mesmerized by the music he is able to create.
October 3, 2014
Under The Baseball Moon is about a guy named Andy Ramos, a very good trumpet player. He lives in O.B. CA. He had a friend named Glory that moved away and he discovers out that she moved back. He also discovers that his in love with her. She likes him too. They become really close. Glory is a pitcher, her friend Kayla a catcher has a team called the RaveRiders.Glory wants to be on that team, she makes the team. Glory finds out that she pitches awesome when Andy plays the trumpet. Andy's band is called FuChar Skool, they play a gig. They had a lot playing then they have the opportunity to play a big gig at the same time of Glory's championship softball game. He ends up leaving his gig and goes to Glory's softball game, the RaveRiders win because Glory hit the winning team.
I think that the book is the perfect for me because it has three of my favorite themes, music, romance and softball. It is 283 pages and that is the perfect amount for me. I usually don't like reading but this book I really liked reading. I would recommend this to anybody who likes romance, music and softball or baseball.
I think that the book is the perfect for me because it has three of my favorite themes, music, romance and softball. It is 283 pages and that is the perfect amount for me. I usually don't like reading but this book I really liked reading. I would recommend this to anybody who likes romance, music and softball or baseball.
October 18, 2012
THis book was AWESOME! It was a fusion of my favorite genres: mystery, music, and drama. This book is about Andy and his band, FuChar Skool getting an unexpected permanent visit from Andy's childhood friend/psycologist patient, Glory. I say friend/psycolgy patient because the woman is CRAZY, and Andy was the only person who could calm her down when she goes off. She moved away from Ocean Beach a while ago, but now she's back. This is the perfect time for crazy glory to move back because Andy and his band are trying to get a demo ready for the music producers. Glory claims to have changed her ways of craziness, and now is trying to pursue her dream of being a professional softball player. The two of them, with the help from FuChar Skool, work together to pursue their dreams. With my mind of a musician, I give this book five stars, and I recommend it to anyone with a love for Baseball, music, and love.
November 20, 2009
Favorite Lines / Kym Sheehan
“Cut off your roots Andres, and pretty soon you are nothing but a hollow tree…there is nothing worse than being a hollow tree. Because music, mijo, comes from what’s inside” (4).
“The only power I ever had was what you were willing to give up” (p. 277).
“…she’d been just a little girl with a wild imagination and a single mom in a tough situation, and sometimes she got really scared. And at those times, she did the best she could”. (p. 107).
John Ritter is an amazing writer who writes on one level for teens about baseball and the stories that go with that, but also carries a series of underlying stories within the stories. Baseball Moon has baseball, jazz, ethnic music, a deal with the devil, vietnam, the war in Iraq and so much more. A wonderous read on any level!
“Cut off your roots Andres, and pretty soon you are nothing but a hollow tree…there is nothing worse than being a hollow tree. Because music, mijo, comes from what’s inside” (4).
“The only power I ever had was what you were willing to give up” (p. 277).
“…she’d been just a little girl with a wild imagination and a single mom in a tough situation, and sometimes she got really scared. And at those times, she did the best she could”. (p. 107).
John Ritter is an amazing writer who writes on one level for teens about baseball and the stories that go with that, but also carries a series of underlying stories within the stories. Baseball Moon has baseball, jazz, ethnic music, a deal with the devil, vietnam, the war in Iraq and so much more. A wonderous read on any level!
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October 21, 2010Under the Baseball Moon is a great book because of it's plot. It is about a 15 year old named Andy who wants to become a famous jazz musician. He is meeting his dream, until he meets a girl named Glory who used to go to his school, but moved away and came back. She used to be goth, but now her dream is to become a world famous softball pitcher. They later learn that Andy's music influences Glory's play in a positive way. They soon become the talk of the town, until Andy blows it on a radio show and Glory did something to her arm. Afterwards, Andy signs a contract with a big music manager to launch his career, and he regrets it. He mends events so that he can concentrate on his music rather than making Glory better at softball. In the end they go to see Glory play softball 3 years in the future at UC Berkely and Andy sign a recording contract with his band and Glory's mom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2016
The setting takes place in Ocean Beach. The subject here is music, and the person is a 16 year old skateboarding trumpeter named Andy Ramos, who's in love with a softball pitcher. Becoming a world class trumpeter is just what Andy has in mind as he begins the summer, intent on devoting each day to the launch of his musical career. Then Glory Martinez, his childhood nemesis, returns to Ocean Beach, now a gorgeous teen with a wicked curveball and outsize dreams of her own.
The two quickly discover that each brings out the best in the other's performance, which becomes problematic when various concert dates conflict with tournament schedules. An eerie stranger in black also appears who knows a great deal about Andy's dreams, talks in riddles and makes promises too good for Andy to pass up.
The two quickly discover that each brings out the best in the other's performance, which becomes problematic when various concert dates conflict with tournament schedules. An eerie stranger in black also appears who knows a great deal about Andy's dreams, talks in riddles and makes promises too good for Andy to pass up.
December 4, 2010
This book is amazing because it tells you whether to keep your routine or not you should keep your routine or just mess everything up if you don't keep the routine.The story is about this guy named Andy and he wants to be a professional trumpet player. He sees this girl named Glory and they talk a lot and then he asked to play the trumpet for her when she plays because she loves the sound of the music. Now the whole story is about how Andy has to play for her when she is pitching because she plays well and if he doesn't play when she is there she won't do really good. The end of the book she wins a whole ballgame for her club. I learned that when you are trying to help a friend to succeed, you have to give all your support to help your friend and that is what friends are for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2010
The teenage, Latino, trumpet-playing version of the Robert Johnson myth, which I have an incredible soft spot for. Not really about baseball, more about the relationship between Andres, the trumpet player mentioned above, and his girlfriend, the softball pitcher and their ability to inspire each other through their preferred activities (trumpet-playing and pitching). Some of the characters are caricatures, making them somewhat unrealistic, but overall, I really enjoyed the book
May 14, 2013
I read this book in 7th or 8th grade and loved it! I liked how it was sort of a love story, but still unlike anything i'd ever read. The boy plays trumpet in a band, and the girl plays softball. Soon they learn that they perform really well with the other there. The main characters were so unique, and their passions for music/softball really got me interested.
February 19, 2014
While the book itself is great for an avant sports fan, i found myself to kind of get lost with the whole storyline. It did however get me to become interested in more of what John H. Ritter has to offer. The imagery that he provided showed how experienced he was in the sport of softball itself. Which i pretty much have some experience with.
October 17, 2016
Andy loves jazz and he plays his trumpet every where he goes and when ever he can. After a long time he reunites with one of his good friends, he eventually catches feelings and so does the girl. They become closer and closer over the days. They both go on a journey to get the girl on the best softball team and Andy to get a gig playing the trumpet. Read the book to see if they can do it.
January 1, 2010
Not about baseball one bit, but about a trumpet player and his inspiration. Through tough times this high school trumpeter, Andy, meets an olympic softball pitcher,and is determined to be with her for the rest of his life. Concerts, softball, and friendship sum up this book.
July 20, 2013
"Lyrical" is the wrong word for this, as it makes the book sound slow-paced. It's not, but the playful language paints such vivid pictures and so often reminds you of song lyrics, that lyrical will have to do. A wonderful book, full of heart and sass and music.
January 3, 2016
This book was really good, I enjoyed it and I could really picture what was happening but at the end it kind of felt a little repetitive and I think the book should've ended before than it actually ended.
July 2, 2008
WoW! Music from the heart and soul of Andy woven into a friend's baseball tryout! Very engaging.
January 19, 2009
I really like the writing in this book. To me it seems lyrical and mystical. I do wonder how the story will end....
June 27, 2009
CA-Guy into jazz plays trumpet & girl into softball learn what it truly means to care for another person. I love this book! Details struggles students go through and the outcome of caring.
December 17, 2010
This was a really cool book.
October 12, 2010
Didn't finish it - I couldn't relate to any of the characters. It's more about music than baseball or softball.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews