Dan Gutman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Genius Files series; the Baseball Card Adventure series, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies around the world; and the My Weird School series, which has sold more than 36 million copies. Thanks to his many fans who voted in their classrooms, Dan has received nineteen state book awards and ninety-two state book award nominations. He lives in New York City with his wife. You can visit him online at dangutman.com.
Gr 4-7-When 13-year-old Joe Stosh's coach brings a radar gun to practice, it prompts a discussion of who was the fastest pitcher in baseball history. Able to use baseball cards to go back in time, Stosh clocks the fastball of famous Negro League pitcher Satchel Paige. Since no cards were produced for those teams, he substitutes a postcard found on eBay. His coach, Flip, accompanies him on the journey to the past and they arrive in Spartanburg, SC, in 1942, a few days before the Negro League World Series. They witness racial discrimination at a local diner, and, shortly thereafter, the duo hook up with Paige and join him on the road to the big game in Pittsburgh. Gutman sketches Paige's colorful personality: confident, cocky, talkative, and undoubtedly one of the greatest talents ever to play the game. The story is lighthearted but clearly conveys the injustice that denied the athlete the opportunity to play in the major leagues for most of his career. Supporting characters border on the stereotypical and the fast-paced plot hangs heavily on coincidence. Enhancing the action-driven story are plenty of well-written baseball scenes, black-and-white photos, and the appearance of Negro League players Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Buck O'Neil. Fans will be delighted with this latest addition to the series.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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