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arisbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
love Roberto Clemente. I've never watched him play and yet I love him. I love the way his playing style is described (graceful, royal, etc.), I love his humility, I love that he broke down barriers for Latino players and most of all I love how much of a humanitarian he was. He is all around amazing and every time I read about his plane crash, my heart breaks. Thus, I was surprised that the main character of this book didn't know much about Clemente. He knew a little, but not about his great humanitarian works or how he died. I wonder if part of the reason I knew about Clemente already (I like baseball but I don't know much about statistics or the history) was due to my Latina heritage? Clemente is a huge inspiration to many Latino baseball players and I'm pretty sure the whole Latino community adores him. Regardless, every lover of baseball should know about him.
As a full disclosure, I was tempted to give this book a near-perfect rating because it was about Roberto Clemente. Obviously I didn't and that's because I felt there were some small issues with the book that added up to it not being as good as I hoped. My biggest complaint was at how little time was spent on Stosh interacting with Clemente. I wanted them to talk more and really get into the issues of the day and how Clemente felt about them. Instead, the book felt more like the author trying to explain all about Clemente in a few chapters, it didn't flow, it read more like a nonfiction book with a few random bits of dialogue thrown in. I also wasn't pleased with the future aspect. I won't give too much away, but I didn't enjoy it (i wanted more Clemente time!) and felt that it came off as very preachy.
With all that being said, I was able to see the connections the author was trying to make between Clemente and the future part (hint: it has to do with social justice), I just wish it hadn't resorted to scare tactics. I did like the constant action that occurs throughout the story. And really the series is a fun way to help kids learn not only about great baseball players, but also about the time period the players lived in. Stosh goes to Woodstock, watches Clemente play and does a host of other things that should give younger readers a better idea of what life was like in the '60s. It's not a very complex look, but it provides a good building block. If I had known nothing about the '60s or Clemente before reading this book, I would have wanted to learn more ASAP.
Roberto & Me was a story that I (unfairly) had high expectations for. Thus, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. Nevertheless, everyone needs to learn about Roberto Clemente (the Incredible Quote that I shared is the true definition of incredible. So very inspiring). The story is engaging and Stosh is starting to really notice girls, which is cute to read about (and I have no doubt younger guys and girls will be able to relate. I could even relate to some of his feelings! Which is a good sign). I also like that Stosh is maturing, learning more about responsibility, helping others and recognizing his talents. In his own words, "If you could do something that nobody else in the world could do, you would want to do it, right? What a waste it would be to have a special power like this and not use it." (pg. 18). The baseball statistics and history facts aren't too in depth to make the story tedious, instead they keep it interesting. I'm pretty sure you can start anywhere with this series
As a full disclosure, I was tempted to give this book a near-perfect rating because it was about Roberto Clemente. Obviously I didn't and that's because I felt there were some small issues with the book that added up to it not being as good as I hoped. My biggest complaint was at how little time was spent on Stosh interacting with Clemente. I wanted them to talk more and really get into the issues of the day and how Clemente felt about them. Instead, the book felt more like the author trying to explain all about Clemente in a few chapters, it didn't flow, it read more like a nonfiction book with a few random bits of dialogue thrown in. I also wasn't pleased with the future aspect. I won't give too much away, but I didn't enjoy it (i wanted more Clemente time!) and felt that it came off as very preachy.
With all that being said, I was able to see the connections the author was trying to make between Clemente and the future part (hint: it has to do with social justice), I just wish it hadn't resorted to scare tactics. I did like the constant action that occurs throughout the story. And really the series is a fun way to help kids learn not only about great baseball players, but also about the time period the players lived in. Stosh goes to Woodstock, watches Clemente play and does a host of other things that should give younger readers a better idea of what life was like in the '60s. It's not a very complex look, but it provides a good building block. If I had known nothing about the '60s or Clemente before reading this book, I would have wanted to learn more ASAP.
Roberto & Me was a story that I (unfairly) had high expectations for. Thus, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. Nevertheless, everyone needs to learn about Roberto Clemente (the Incredible Quote that I shared is the true definition of incredible. So very inspiring). The story is engaging and Stosh is starting to really notice girls, which is cute to read about (and I have no doubt younger guys and girls will be able to relate. I could even relate to some of his feelings! Which is a good sign). I also like that Stosh is maturing, learning more about responsibility, helping others and recognizing his talents. In his own words, "If you could do something that nobody else in the world could do, you would want to do it, right? What a waste it would be to have a special power like this and not use it." (pg. 18). The baseball statistics and history facts aren't too in depth to make the story tedious, instead they keep it interesting. I'm pretty sure you can start anywhere with this series
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