Babe & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure

I recommend this book to people who like sports or some one who likes fiction books. There are a lot of funny parts in this story. If I were to connect to some one in the book it would be Joe because I would want to go back in time to see babe Ruth and other legends play baseball. Babe Ruth made the hall of fame for hitting 714 home runs while he played baseball. One of those Home runs he called it and he hit a home run and that's what they try to find out in the book.

In this third book of the time travel series, young Joe Stoshack touches Babe Ruth's 1932 baseball card, and journeys back to Wrigley Field in 1932. His goal is to see whether Ruth really did "call his shot," that is, point to the outfield stands just prior to hitting a home run there. Joe's angry, divorced, recently laid-off father sees the trip as a money-making opportunity (by betting on know outcomes, accruing 70 years of interest, and obtaining Ruth-autographed baseballs to sell when they return to the present).This well-written book will appeal to all baseball fans, especially its audience of kids around 7 to 12 years. Gutman obviously loves the game and its lore, and he vividly recreates 1932 Chicago. It's a very good history as well as sports book, as Gutman describes (aided by newspaper clippings and photos) such topics as segregation, the Depression, and the arrival of German Fascism. At times, Gutman is a little too sentimental, especially when describing the eventual (and predictable) family rapprochement, and there's a somewhat simplistic nod to the Holocaust.The main appeal is its depiction of early baseball and the larger-than-life character of the Babe. Although Gutman exaggerates some of Ruth's grandiosity (which the author points out in an afterward), most of the book is factual. Gutman's researched his subject with sources such as the Society for American Baseball Research and the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Baseball Center. There's also a terrific section featuring contemporaries' opinions on the called shot, and a 2-page summary of Ruth's batting and pitching stats. These are inspired ideas, that, again, show Gutman's skillful weaving of fiction and fact.This book offers much more than the usual sports fiction for kids. The family dynamics, the historical references, and the awesome presence of the Babe, Lou Gerhrig and other Hall of Famers are a winning combination.

My 9 year old son's two favorite things are reading and baseball. He read the book non-stop in one sitting. He loved it. We went right to the library and checked out "Jackie and me" by the same author.

This book show what a good player Babe Ruth was and many other interesting things about him!

My 7-year old son loved this book and I enjoyed reading it to him. He wouldn't let me stop reading at night, so we had some late-nighters. But it was well worth it! It's a definite must for any young baseball fan.