1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gutman, Dan. 2000. JACKIE & ME. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 0380800845
2. PLOT SUMMARY
13 year old Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Joe’s advantage in writing this report is that he is able to travel back in time just by holding a baseball card of a particular year. Joe decides to visit one of his heroes; Jackie Robinson. Joe gets a first-hand glimpse of the man who broke the color barrier in baseball and the struggles that accompany this landmark occasion.
3. IMPRESSIONS
Dan Gutman's writing flows so nicely. The action is fast-paced, with no long and drawn out commentaries. We see the events of the story through Joe's eyes and, as such, avoid the clutter that often accompanies an adult's mind. In fact, the book moves along so nicely that it ends way too soon. I was ready for more. I suppose that is a sign of an excellent read.
This book takes place in Brooklyn…the Brooklyn of today and the Brooklyn of fifty years ago as Joe travels back in time to meet and stay with Jackie in his apartment. Joe gets a job as the bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers…a team that was later moved to California… and enters Ebbits Field…a stadium that has since been torn down. He witnesses the game and bigotry first-hand as he helps Jackie realize his place in history. Through Joe’s eyes, the reader gets a rare glimpse into the 1947 World Series. Photographs are placed throughout that offer historical and factual shots.
One of the more interesting parts of the book is that Joe not only travels back in time, he is also transformed from a Polish American into an African American. Through this shocking change in appearance, Joe finds himself an object of racism, introducing some interesting perspectives on race in the mid-20th century. This is so much more than a book about baseball…it is a book about life! Read it. You’ll be glad you did.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "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."
http://reviews.schoollibraryjournal.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0380976854&pub=sl
* Starred review in EDUCATION WORLD: "Gutman's humor and vivid writing will appeal to girls as well as boys. And there are some wonderful surprises in store for readers. (Without giving away all the details, time-traveling Joe meets a member of his modern-day community when that person was a youngster his own age in 1947!) Jackie and Me would make a great chapter book to use as a classroom read aloud. Read a chapter a day, and you'll have students begging you to read more. When the reading is done, many students will run to the library eager to learn more about an American hero and his times."
http://www.education-world.com/a_books/books087.shtml
Gutman, Dan. 2000. JACKIE & ME. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN 0380800845
2. PLOT SUMMARY
13 year old Joe Stoshack has to write a report on an African American who's made an important contribution to society. Joe’s advantage in writing this report is that he is able to travel back in time just by holding a baseball card of a particular year. Joe decides to visit one of his heroes; Jackie Robinson. Joe gets a first-hand glimpse of the man who broke the color barrier in baseball and the struggles that accompany this landmark occasion.
3. IMPRESSIONS
Dan Gutman's writing flows so nicely. The action is fast-paced, with no long and drawn out commentaries. We see the events of the story through Joe's eyes and, as such, avoid the clutter that often accompanies an adult's mind. In fact, the book moves along so nicely that it ends way too soon. I was ready for more. I suppose that is a sign of an excellent read.
This book takes place in Brooklyn…the Brooklyn of today and the Brooklyn of fifty years ago as Joe travels back in time to meet and stay with Jackie in his apartment. Joe gets a job as the bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers…a team that was later moved to California… and enters Ebbits Field…a stadium that has since been torn down. He witnesses the game and bigotry first-hand as he helps Jackie realize his place in history. Through Joe’s eyes, the reader gets a rare glimpse into the 1947 World Series. Photographs are placed throughout that offer historical and factual shots.
One of the more interesting parts of the book is that Joe not only travels back in time, he is also transformed from a Polish American into an African American. Through this shocking change in appearance, Joe finds himself an object of racism, introducing some interesting perspectives on race in the mid-20th century. This is so much more than a book about baseball…it is a book about life! Read it. You’ll be glad you did.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "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."
http://reviews.schoollibraryjournal.com/bd.aspx?isbn=0380976854&pub=sl
* Starred review in EDUCATION WORLD: "Gutman's humor and vivid writing will appeal to girls as well as boys. And there are some wonderful surprises in store for readers. (Without giving away all the details, time-traveling Joe meets a member of his modern-day community when that person was a youngster his own age in 1947!) Jackie and Me would make a great chapter book to use as a classroom read aloud. Read a chapter a day, and you'll have students begging you to read more. When the reading is done, many students will run to the library eager to learn more about an American hero and his times."
http://www.education-world.com/a_books/books087.shtml
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