Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) (Paperback)

by Dan Gutman (Author) "YOU CAN'T HIT, STOSHACK"" BOBBY FULLER YELLED AT ME from the pitcher's mound..." (more)
Key Phrases: new batboy, baseball card store, Jackie Robinson, Dixie Walker, Ebbets Field (more...)

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 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380800845
• ISBN-13: 978-0380800841
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,227 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #23 in	Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Baseball > Fiction
  #29 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( G ) > Gutman, Dan
  #43 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > Fiction > 1900s

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 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 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.

4 of 4 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

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jackie & Me, April 8, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) (School & Library Binding)

For my book report I chose to read a book about Jackie Robinson. This book was entitled Jackie & Me, written by Dan Gutman.

In this books introduction, Joe Stoshack explains that he has a very special talent. When Joe holds a baseball card in his hands he can travel back in time. Later in the book, this talent becomes very useful when Joe has to write a history report on an African-American who made the world a better place. For his report, Joe decides to go back in time to meet Jackie Robinson. He wanted to meet Jackie because he loved sports and knew a great deal about baseball. Joe also wanted to understand what it felt like to be the first black man in professional baseball.

Joe leaves Louisville, Kentucky, and is transported back into Jackies time. He soon arrives in front of Macys in New York, on April 14th, 1947 and finds he has become black. Joe was soon introduced to Jackie. Joe was invited to sleep on Jackies couch because Joe helped a good friend of Jackies after he had been attacked with a broken bottle. Eventually, Joe is accidentally made a batboy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinsons team. At first, Joe was nervous and scared that he was a black kid. He was treated badly by the white boys. He soon learned how difficult it was to be a black person, and how badly it feels to be made fun of for being black.

Joe soon understands the pain and frustration Jackie felt being a black man among all white team-mates. Jackie was sent threatening letters, called bad names, and treated very rudely and unkindly. Jackie Robinson was brave and strong, he refused to fight back and he refused to quit. The other players didn't want to be Jackie's friend, and they often ignored him altogether. One day, Pee Wee Reese started joking with Jackie. During the baseball game, Reese put his arm around Jackie and the crowd gasped in shock because it was the first time a white player had shown affection for a black player.

[...]Joe wrote a very informative and sensitive report about Jackie Robinson. He explained all the discrimination and segregation that Jackie had to endure. Joe learned that Jackie was a talented, dignified, and an honorable ball player, who eventually became well liked, admired, and respected.