Audio of the Week--Jackie & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure (unabr.)
RSSFrom SLJ January 2005
Larry Cooperman, Jacksonville (FL) Public Library -- School Library Journal, 12/27/2004
2 cassettes. 2 hrs. Recorded Books. 2004. ISBN 1-4193-0384-8. $19.75 (Rental: $8.50); read-along pack: $34.99.
Gr 4-7-Joe Shostak can travel through time just by holding a baseball card in his hand, and he begins a journey back to 1947 to meet Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson to finish his report for Black History Month. Joe, who becomes a bat boy for the Dodgers, is there when Robinson becomes the first black professional baseball player. Joe not only time travels, he also is transformed from Caucasian to African American. By watching Robinson endure the pressures of bigotry and hatred when he breaks baseball's color barrier, Joe learns patience, tolerance, and respect. In his new skin, he also learns about segregation and prejudice firsthand. Joe also finds himself in some humorous situations while searching all over Brooklyn for baseball cards that he hopes will make his father rich. Johnny Heller narrates the book by Dan Gutman (Avon/Camelot, 1999) with enthusiasm and energy, conveying accurately and convincingly the voices of Joe, Jackie, and the other characters. Funny, touching, and instructional, the audiobook would be an excellent addition to libraries to generate discussions about racial prejudice and would be a good choice for book reports as well as for sports enthusiasts.
