Babe and Me

Redo due to corrections

Summary

The book I read is called Babe and Me by Dan Gutman. This book is a story about a boy who through his old baseball cards can travel back in time to the date of the card. One of the cards he has is Babe Ruth in the 1932 World Series where “The Babe” is rumored to have called where he is to hit a home run in the fifth inning. Joe and his father go back in time and actually meet Babe Ruth and travel with him. In the course of the story Joe also meets Lou Gehrig before he is diagnosed with ALS, now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. During the story Joe becomes closer to his father as they reach their goal of seeing the game in person. Joe’s father comes up with money making schemes that never materialize for him, but one thing that does happen is that father and son spend time together and really get to know each other. In the end they travel back home and Joe hits a home run in his little league game. No one has ever hit the ball over the fence at Dunn Field before.

Impression

I liked the book and really felt I was with Joe and his father in 1932. Of course time travel is not possible, but it was a fun read. I liked the historical aspect of this story and the details Dan Gutman added to the story. It took place in the Great Depression, Governor Roosevelt was running for President and Hitler was just, unfortunately, voted leader of Germany. I felt it had many accurate historical details and made the story interesting to me. I would definitely recommend this book.

Review from Barnesandnoble.com

Publishers Weekly

A boy and his father zip back in time to discover whether Babe Ruth actually predicted his home run in Game Three of the 1932 World Series. "Gutman's account of Joey's strained relationship with his divorced father and his portrait of the intriguing, revered slugger against the backdrop of Depression-era New York are equally skillful," noted PW. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Claire Rosser - KLIATT

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, January 2000: In this time travel adventure, Joe goes with his father back to 1932, to the World Series when Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig won the series for the Yankees in a sweep. Joe wants to see for himself whether or not the Babe called the home run in the 5th inning of the 3rd game at Wrigley Field, Chicago, and a much-debated topic in baseball history. Joe's dad, who has been for the most part an absent and angry parent in the present, goes into the past with Joe with schemes to get rich. All the schemes come to nothing, and Joe's dad learns from seeing the real suffering in the Depression Era that his life in the present isn't really so bad. When the two return to the present, they find they are beginning anew with a much-improved relationship. Another theme is that the autumn of this World Series corresponds to the time of Roosevelt's election and Hitler's rise to power in Germany. Joe learns from his dad just how important the Holocaust was to his own history. This is easy fare for younger YAs, especially those who love baseball cards and baseball history. But there is enough, with the time travel details and the general history, to attract more readers than just hard-core baseball fans. (A Baseball Card Adventure). KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2000, HarperTrophy, 161p. illus.,

Lesson

I would not use this book for a lesson unless it is for historical information about Roosevelt, Hitler, or the Great Depression. I would recommend it to any student interested in history or baseball.