Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) [Paperback]

Dan Gutman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Baseball Card Adventures

Like every other kid in his class, Joe Stoscack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time. So for his report, Joe decides to go back to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, to find out what it was like to be the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Joe plans on writing a prize-winning report. But he doesn't plan on a trip that will for a short time change the color of his skin -- and forever change his view of history and his definition of

01-02 Golden Sower Award Masterlist (YA Cat.) and 00 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Book Award (Intermed. Cat.)

Like every other kid in his class, Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time. So for his report, Joe decides to go back to meet one of the greatest baseball players ever, Jackie Robinson, to find out what it was like to be the man who broke baseball's color barrier. Joe plans on writing a prize-winning report. But he doesn't plan on a trip that will for a short time change the color of his skin--and forever change his view of history and his definition of courage.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Fans of the author's Honus & Me (Avon, 1997) know that young Joe Stoshack has the ability to visit the past via baseball cards. As part of a project for Black History Month, he gets his mitt on a loaned Jackie Robinson card to visit 1947 New York City and the man who broke the major league baseball color line. Not only does Joe travel back in time over 50 years, stay at the Robinson's apartment, and become a bat boy for the Dodgers, but he is also transformed from a Polish American into an African American, introducing some interesting perspectives on race in the mid-20th century. The book is accurate in its baseball statistics, the geography and lingo of Brooklyn, and, unfortunately, in some of the harsh racial terms applied to African Americans in the 1940s. Fans of America's favorite pastime will particularly appreciate the detail and descriptions of some great games, including the 1947 World Series. An interesting addendum puts the story into further historical context and explains some of the liberties the author took writing the book. Full of action, this title will spark history discussions and be a good choice for book reports and leisure reading.
Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Dan Gutman has devised a wonderful mechanism for teaching social history while telling a great tale." -- -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Pounds home a powerful message about a great man in a kid-friendly way...great play-by-play action." -- -- Buffalo News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380800845
• ISBN-13: 978-0380800841
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > School & Sports > Fiction
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > Gutman, Dan
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Baseball

More About the Author

This is hard. I'm a pretty regular Jersey guy who spent fifteen years trying to write newspaper articles, magazine articles, screenplays, books for adults, and just about everything else before I discovered the one thing I'm good at--writing fiction for kids. I aim for kids who DON'T like to read, and hopefully the kids who DO like to read will enjoy my stuff too. For all the gory details about me, check out my web site.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Things I Loved About and Learned From This Book, July 24, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) (Paperback)

The book Jackie & Me puts historical fiction with fantasy to make a fantastic story. The story begins and ends in Louisville, KY in modern times. However, most of it takes place in Brooklyn, NY in 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Obviously, the historical fiction part of the book is in Brooklyn on the baseball field. The fantasy part of the book is where Joe, a 13 year old boy who loves sports, (and like many of us tries to get sports into schoolwork) time travels by holding a baseball card from the year he wants to visit. After going back in time, Joe meets Jackie, who teaches him self-control. However, he also meets a not so nice batboy named Ant, who shows Joe what it feels like to be discriminated against.

Overall, I wouldn't change a word in this book. There were several characters in this book like Ant, Dixie Walker, and the racist fans, who showed me how life was for Black people in 1947. Reading about these situations not only made me think about how horrible it was for Black people, but also how difficult it was for the White people who tried to be their friends like Pee Wee Reese. When I saw the picture of the real note that was given to Jackie telling him that he would be killed if he crossed the foul line in the next game, I wished I could travel back in time and fix what was going on. The part that was most surprising was when Joe changed into an African-American when he traveled back in time. That experience really helped Joe understand what it was like to be Black in the `40s. One last upside to the book is that I learned how to hit a curveball!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars finally, a book that my son can't put down, July 6, 2001

By 

Susan Carney (w.winfield, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) (Paperback)

This is it! Being a mother and a teacher, I have always wished my son would be more interested in reading. Finally I have found a book that Evan is enjoying so much that I have ordered another book from this series before he has finished this one. Bravo Dan Gutman!

Although I haven't read Jackie and me, I feel like I have. My son has been saying quite frequently, "Hey, listen to this." The book presents the unfair treatment of African Americans in a way that involves the reader. Evan has been told many times about slavery, segregation, and civil rights. He understood the information, but,until now I think he felt no empathy for those who were treated so unfairly.

If you have a child who enjoys baseball--get this book. Dan Gutman, thank you so much.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hit!, May 19, 2000

By 

twilliam (Williamsburg, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) (Paperback)

Following up on his successful Honus & Me, Gutman has brought back time traveling Joe Stoshack. This time, he goes back to 1947 to meet Jackie Robinson-and when he arrives, Joe is an African American kid. Gutman uses this plot technique to show the reader the kinds of prejudice Robinson endured. In turn, Robinson teaches Joe, through example, that no one can make you feel inferior without your permission. The story is simple yet rewarding, a good bet for a reluctant reader who loves baseball or collects sports cards.

The continuation of a series that is hitting .400