Keystone Kids (Baseball Diamonds) [Paperback]

John R. Tunis (Author), Bruce Brooks (Introduction)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Baseball Diamonds

When two young brothers join the Brooklyn Dodgers, one becomes team manager and must battle dissension and prejudice to unite the team and convince the players to accept the new Jewish catcher. Introduction by Bruce Brooks.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Keystone Kidsdeals frankly and realistically with racial intolerance . . . Its theme of sportsmanship in the fuller sense rings clearly through its prose."--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

JOHN R. TUNIS (1889-1975) was considered one of the finest writers for young people during the 1940s and '50s. He wrote more than twenty books, many of them award winners. The timeless appeal of his novels has made them enduringly popular with readers of all ages.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 239 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt (March 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152423885
• ISBN-13: 978-0152423889
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,343,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John R. Tunis (1889-1975) was a novelist and sportswriter best remembered for his series of novels about the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and '50s. Born in Boston, Tunis graduated from Harvard University and then served in the Army during World War I. He began writing sports columns in 1925 and was soon contributing to dozens of publications, including the New Yorker, Reader's Digest, Esquire, and the Saturday Evening Post. A tennis player himself, Tunis broadcast the first Wimbledon match to air in the United States in 1934.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'KEYSTONE KIDS" DEALS WITH PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, February 2, 2000

By 

Bruce Baskin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keystone Kids (Baseball Diamonds) (Paperback)

It's hard to believe this book was written before Jackie Robinson made his debut with the real Dodgers in 1947, because "Keystone Kids" touches on many things that were dealt with when Robinson became the first black player in the majors. Bobby and Spike Russell are a pair of middle infielders brought up from the minors to the Dodgers during the WWII era. Both encounter the usual difficulties that rookies face in the Tunis series. The difference here is another rookie, Jewish catcher Jocko Klein, who has to endure prejudice from opponents and even his own teammates. While the title of the book suggests the Russell brothers as the main characters, Jocko is the real story here. To me, this book and "The Kid Comes Back" are the two most socially relevant of the Tunis series. Any parent wishing to instill a sense of conscience in their kids could do a whole lot worse than getting them "Keystone Kids."

4.0 out of 5 stars A unique entry in Tunis' Brooklyn cycle, August 13, 2006

By 

Crabby Appleton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keystone Kids (Odyssey Classic) (Paperback)

Maybe not the Tunis book you start with if you're interested in his Brooklyn Dodgers series, but quite possibly the one you should end with. Game action is not as taut as "World Series," but here you'll find the most insight on the characters as people -- including a virtuoso passage where Tunis shifts from the narrow world-view of the Russell boys to an almost godlike round-the-horn exposition of each Dodger's ancestry and historical origins. Only Tunis could reach such high notes in the genre, and you'll never be too old or too wise to read it again.

5.0 out of 5 stars The mass destruction of racial/ethnic prejudice, January 22, 2006

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Keystone Kids (Baseball Diamonds) (Paperback)

In my youth, I read hundreds of books of juvenile sports fiction. When in junior high, I started in the A's and read every book through the Z's on the subject in the Harding IMC. I repeated this in the Hiawatha public library and then read many more in the Kennedy High School library. This book is the second best one I have ever read, trailing only "Crazy Legs McBain" by Joe Archibald. What makes this book so special is that it also deals with the problem of prejudice in our society and how it destroys the perpetrators just as much if not more than those who are the targets.
Spike and Bob Russell are brothers and a shortstop/second base combination as good as there is in baseball. They are called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team that is struggling. In their early twenties, they must prove their worth, just like all other rookies. However, Spike is very astute, and when the team flounders the next season, he is named player-manager. It would appear that the team should challenge for the pennant, but there is a great deal of internal dissension. Not against Spike, but because he is using Jocko Klein as his catcher. Jocko is Jewish and is the target of a great deal of hostility, even from his teammates. This causes their play to suffer and even drives a wedge between Spike and Bob. It reaches the point where they are mired in the second division and seemingly have no hope of rising in the standings. Finally, Spike calls a team meeting and tells the team that Jocko is not a Jewish man, but the first string catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jocko then threatens to fight with the Dodger who is most against him and the other man backs down. Jocko then elevates his play on the field and his teammates fall in line behind him. Finally, when some fans will not let up in their heckling of Jocko, some Dodger players, led by Bob Russell, fight them off.
The first lesson from this book is that harboring and acting on racial or ethnic prejudice is a broad spectrum destructive force. However, there is a second and just as powerful lesson. If that prejudice can be overcome and you are willing to allow those you might slight to be on your team, it is possible to accomplish great things.