Honus and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure (original 1998; edition 1999)

As a young reader I never selected sports books because I wasn't interested in sports. After reading this book I can say I wish I hadn't made that judgement as child. This book intrigued me and I learned about a topic I've never studied, baseball. I also liked the moral delimma Joe struggled with throughout the story. He struggled with deciding if he should let the woman know he found an expensive baseball card in her attic. I loved this book because it included time travel, historical fiction and dramatic moments. My heart stopped when the other baseball player ripped up all the Honus baseball cards Joe was given. I also really liked the themes throughout the story. It would be a fun read aloud. ( )

While cleaning out his neighbor's attic, Joe finds an incredibly rare Honus Wagner baseball card. What makes it even more rare is that Joe can travel through time and interact with Honus when he is holding the card. Thus begins the biggest adventure of Joe's baseball loving life! As he joins Honus for the 1909 World Series, he learns more about baseball and more about life.

Such a fun read for a baseball fan! Not only was there tons of baseball trivia and information, the story was fast paced and exciting. I think that the players who are more well known (ie. Jackie Robinson) would be a great way to introduce this series to boys who love baseball even though this is the first one. ( )

The story was about a young boy who wanted to get some money for a new pair of shoes, so he decided to clean up his next door neighbor attic for money. While he was cleaning the attic he found a baseball card that had Honus name on it. The card was magical. Honus and him went on adventures and at the end of the story the little boy found out that Honus use to date his next door neighbor. This is a story about moral values and honesty children should have. This is a great book for fourth graders. ( )

Plot - Joe Stoshack reluctantly agrees to help an elderly neighbor clean out her attic when he finds a rare and valuable baseball card of Honus Wagner. He discovers later that night that he can travel through tim or bring Wagner to his time simply by holding the card and wishing. Je marvels at getting to meet one of his heroes...and the things Honus can teach him about baseball!

Wjy I picked it up - It was another on the list my committee is selecting from for the one book, one county reading program.

Why I kept reading - Honestly, it was only because I had to. I often have trouble suspending my disbelief in books about time travel and this one asked a bit much of me. Outside of that though, I thought the author did a good job bringing Honus's time period to life through his descriptive narration. Gutman also told his story through true-to-life characters that helped bring the story to life for me.

I recommend this book to those who like sports fiction or who remember baseball as it was in the early days of the sport. Just remember to suspend your disbelief...a lot. ( )

good book for people who like baseball history ( )