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dougbiv4's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
bethgiven's review against another edition
3.0
2021: I reread this aloud for Battle of the Books with my youngest, who is a third grader. (Back in 2013, it was my oldest who was in third grade and reading this for Battle of the Books!). I was kind of surprised at the climax of this book, which I had forgotten: a grown man physically attacks a child over a baseball card, an elderly neighbor threatens gun violence, and then that neighbor then time-travels to her happy ending, leaving the boy as the sole witness as to why this woman has disappeared without a trace. Maybe it was because I read this aloud to my somewhat sensitive eight-year-old that I realized this book felt more problematic than I had remembered! Still, it was largely enjoyable and my son liked it.
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2013: I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would! A twelve-year-old boy finds a mint-condition baseball card that's worth a half-million dollars -- but it's real value turns out to be as the key to meeting baseball hero Honus Wagner! I get a little nostalgic about baseball and baseball cards (it reminds me of my childhood with two brothers!) and I enjoy learning new things about history, and this book had both. I had never heard of Wagner, but his sports story was an interesting one, and it was fun to see how the game has changed since 1909. I do think this book might have been difficult to follow if you don't understand the rules of baseball (entire chapters reminded me of listening to a game on the radio or something), so I have my brother Alex to thank for being able to get something about of this book! :-)
I especially loved how the author incorporated actual photographs and newspaper clippings into the story; it appealed to the historian in me. Plus, there were good messages about doing the right thing, being a good sport, and believing in yourself. This is definitely a book (and series) I could recommend to a school-aged kid!
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2013: I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would! A twelve-year-old boy finds a mint-condition baseball card that's worth a half-million dollars -- but it's real value turns out to be as the key to meeting baseball hero Honus Wagner! I get a little nostalgic about baseball and baseball cards (it reminds me of my childhood with two brothers!) and I enjoy learning new things about history, and this book had both. I had never heard of Wagner, but his sports story was an interesting one, and it was fun to see how the game has changed since 1909. I do think this book might have been difficult to follow if you don't understand the rules of baseball (entire chapters reminded me of listening to a game on the radio or something), so I have my brother Alex to thank for being able to get something about of this book! :-)
I especially loved how the author incorporated actual photographs and newspaper clippings into the story; it appealed to the historian in me. Plus, there were good messages about doing the right thing, being a good sport, and believing in yourself. This is definitely a book (and series) I could recommend to a school-aged kid!
bethnellvaccaro's review against another edition
3.0
I have looked at these books on the shelves of my classroom library for years and never picked them up. Now that I have two little boys that love baseball, we listened to the audiobook today. This couldn't be more perfect for them. They would easily give it five stars.
liarose95's review against another edition
This was a "comfort read" for my 4th grade self.
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