The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend
Based on the True Story of Friendship between a Boy and a Baseball Legend
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Based on the true story of a boy in Brooklyn who became neighbors and friends with his hero, Jackie Robinson.Stephen Satlow is an eight-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, New York, which means he only cares about one thing-the Dodgers. Steve and his father spend hours reading the sports pages and listening to games on the radio. Aside from an occasional run-in with his teacher, life is pretty simple for Steve. But then Steve hears a rumor that an African American family is moving to his all-Jewish neighborhood. It's 1948 and some of his neighbors are against it. Steve knows this is wrong. His hero, Jackie Robinson, broke the color barrier in baseball the year before. Then it happens--Steve's new neighbor is none other than Jackie Robinson! Steve is beyond excited about living two doors down from the Robinson family. He can't wait to meet Jackie. This is going to be the best baseball season yet! How many kids ever get to become friends with their hero?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Robinson takes a fictional approach to the subject of her famous father, Jackie Robinson. It unfolds in the voice of Steve Satlow, who was eight when the Robinsons moved onto his predominately Jewish street in Brooklyn in 1948 (Steve and his family also featured prominently in Robinson's 2010 picture book, Jackie's Gift). The story is relayed in flashback, triggered by 20-year-old Steve's discovery of a ticket stub from the '48 Brooklyn Dodgers' home opener in a box of "boyhood treasures" that his recently deceased father left him. Steve's impatience to meet his baseball idol and new neighbor (which finally takes place more than a third of the way in) grows repetitive, but the story's energy builds once Robinson is in the picture. Segues into political and humanitarian issues can get heavy-handed ("Prejudice," Steve's father explains, "is when you judge a person based on the color of their skin and not by their character"), but play-by-play baseball action will hold fans' attention, and Steve's struggle to curb his impulsiveness and fit in with his peers will register with many. Ages 8 12.
