Reviews

"Gutman spins a delightful tale."-- "The Star-Ledger""A captivating blend of fact and fantasy"--" Chicago Tribune""This novel hits at least a triple."--" Publishers Weekly"

Gr 4-6-Life is not perfect for 12-year-old Joe Stoshack in this novel by Dan Gutman (Avon, 1997). He is stocky, his ears stick out, and his legs are slightly bowed. Stosh is a pretty good player, but the taunts of the opposing baseball team tend to throw him off his game. His real area of expertise is collecting baseball cards. He and his mom have had money problems since his parents' divorce, which leads his mom to offer his services to their elderly neighbor $5 to clean out her attic. Stosh finds 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card in mint condition. Should he keep the valuable card? After all, he found it. Or should he give it back to its rightful owner, who may not even know it exists? In addition to this moral dilemma, Stosh becomes involved in a delightful time travel fantasy. He has always tingled when he touches certain old baseball cards, but this one grants his wishes: Honus is transported to the present. Even more incredibly, Stosh travels back in time to the seventh game of the 1909 World Series in Detroit. This clever adventure will capture the hearts of anyone who has ever held a baseball bat in his or her hands. Gutman's voice rings true from start to finish. He genuinely captures the spirit of the adolescent Stosh. Johnny Heller's outstanding narration provides a highly visual performance. He is totally convincing as Stosh: listeners can picture his youthful enthusiasm, his facial expressions, and the occasional eye roll. He is also totally convincing as the adult characters, especially as Honus and Amanda Young, Stosh's neighbor. Listening to Heller is so much fun it is difficult to imagine simply reading the book. A must-have for all elementary audiobook collections.-Maura Martin Smith, Somerset Elementary School, Shawnee Mission, KS Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"Gutman spins a delightful tale."-- "The Star-Ledger""A captivating blend of fact and fantasy"--" Chicago Tribune""This novel hits at least a triple."--" Publishers Weekly"