Honus & Me
Encyclopedia
Honus & Me is a children's novel by Dan Gutman
, published in 1997, and the first in the Baseball Card Adventures
series. It was rejected by many publishers before HarperCollins finally accepted. The made-for-television movie The Winning Season
, starring Matthew Modine
, was adapted from this best-selling book.
and Irish
descent , living in Louisville, Kentucky
. He is a little poor, and his parents are separated. His biggest love is baseball, but he doesn't do well because people make fun of him for how he looks. Joe discovers he has a certain power to go back in time by using a baseball card. He picks up a card and a buzzing feeling comes over him. He travels to the year of the card. So one day, when he is cleaning out an old lady's attic, he finds a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner
card (the most valuable baseball card in the world). He takes it without telling the lady (Amanda Young), so he eventually feels guilty. He learns that Amanda had a relationship with a ballplayer, but he left and never came back. She gives him a ripped photo of him.
He tries to verify it is an authentic Wagner by going to a collectible shop. The owner, an ex "bad guy" professional wrestler named Birdie Farrell, tries to trick him into selling it for ten dollars by saying it's Heinie Wagner
. When Joe realizes he's lying, he takes it away. When he goes to sleep that night, he's holding the baseball card, wishing he could meet Honus. He wakes up in the middle of the night to find, who else? Honus Wagner, dressed in his Pittsburgh Pirates
uniform. Joe doesn't believe it, but soon realizes he really is the great shortstop. He falls asleep again during one of Honus' stories.
When he wakes up, Honus is gone, and he believes it was a dream. That day, after one of his team's games, he finds Honus. He plays catch with him, and Joe and Honus both confide in what their dream is. Joe's is to play in the big leagues, and Honus' is to win the World Series. They agree to meet up back at Joe's room later. That night, Joe tells his mother about the baseball card when Birdie calls him about it. His mother refuses to let Joe make the decision and says he can make important decisions when he's grown-up. Joe is very upset by this, and goes to bed slamming the door behind him. When Honus arrives, Joe pulls out the card and thinks of 1909. While the buzzing feeling comes over him, he wishes he were a grown-up, so he could make his own decisions.
When he wakes up, he is in the Pontchartrain Hotel in Detroit, Michigan
, and happens to be an adult now. Honus tells him they look like twin brothers. He also tells him the seventh game of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers
is today, and they go to Bennett Park. When they get there, Honus says that when he comes off the field every inning, he will one of those times pat his right shoulder with his left hand. When he does they are to meet in a tunnel under the stands. Eventually, after the bottom of the fifth (during which Ty Cobb spikes Honus' hand), Honus does the signal. When he gets there, Honus says they will trade clothes so Stoshack would have to pretend to be him. Stoshack goes in Honus' place because he can't hold a bat. In an 0-2 hole at the plate, he smashes a three-run homer down the left field line, making the score 7-0 Pittsburgh.
After all that, they remeet in the tunnel and trade uniforms when Honus bandages up his hand. When the game ends, they celebrate in the clubhouse. He tells Honus he is from the future and that he knows everything that will happen to Honus, so he tells him his stats and everything else. Joe finds the other half of the picture of Amanda Young on Honus' locker door and takes it. When Joe leaves, he realizes he needs to get home with a real card. He goes back to the hotel and, because he is poor, uses baseball cards to cover holes in his sneakers. He uses one to get back. When he does, he talks with his mom and she apologizes and says to Joe that he can make his own decision about the card. When he goes to school, he tries doing a pro and con list about what he should do. His teacher sees, and gives Joe some advice. She says when she makes a tough decision, she puts herself in someone elses shoes and thinks about what they would do. He does so with Honus and decides to give the card back to Ms. Young.
When he gets back from school, he finds Birdie Farrell waiting at his house. Birdie claims the card was his and he tries to steal it, but when Ms. Young comes out with a gun, he drops the card. Amanda rips the card in four and gives the pieces to Joe. They go back inside her house and Joe explains how he got the card, his adventure with Honus, hitting in the World Series, and coming back. He shows the other end of the picture, and Joe realizes he could send her to 1909 to see Honus again. He does, and she never comes back.
Dan Gutman
Dan Gutman is an American author from New Jersey. A prolific writer, Gutman has written 80 books, both fictional and non-fictional, under publishers including Penguin Books, Macmillan, Scholastic Press, and HarperCollins...
, published in 1997, and the first in the Baseball Card Adventures
Baseball Card Adventures
The Baseball Card Adventures is a novel series is written by Dan Gutman. So far there are 10 books in the series. The 11th book, Ted & Me, is expected to be released in 2012....
series. It was rejected by many publishers before HarperCollins finally accepted. The made-for-television movie The Winning Season
The Winning Season (2004 film)
The Winning Season is a 2004 made-for-TV film with elements of a fantasy drama. It chronicles a young boy's dream in 1985 with playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates great Honus Wagner...
, starring Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
, was adapted from this best-selling book.
Plot summary
The book is about a character named Joe Stoshack, has a mix of PolishPolish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
and Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
descent , living in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He is a little poor, and his parents are separated. His biggest love is baseball, but he doesn't do well because people make fun of him for how he looks. Joe discovers he has a certain power to go back in time by using a baseball card. He picks up a card and a buzzing feeling comes over him. He travels to the year of the card. So one day, when he is cleaning out an old lady's attic, he finds a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner
T206 Honus Wagner
The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series...
card (the most valuable baseball card in the world). He takes it without telling the lady (Amanda Young), so he eventually feels guilty. He learns that Amanda had a relationship with a ballplayer, but he left and never came back. She gives him a ripped photo of him.
He tries to verify it is an authentic Wagner by going to a collectible shop. The owner, an ex "bad guy" professional wrestler named Birdie Farrell, tries to trick him into selling it for ten dollars by saying it's Heinie Wagner
Heinie Wagner
Charles Francis "Heinie" Wagner was an American baseball player and manager. He played shortstop for the New York Giants and the Boston Red Sox . He was also the manager of the Red Sox during the 1930 baseball season.Wagner was born in Harlem, New York, in September 1880...
. When Joe realizes he's lying, he takes it away. When he goes to sleep that night, he's holding the baseball card, wishing he could meet Honus. He wakes up in the middle of the night to find, who else? Honus Wagner, dressed in his Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
uniform. Joe doesn't believe it, but soon realizes he really is the great shortstop. He falls asleep again during one of Honus' stories.
When he wakes up, Honus is gone, and he believes it was a dream. That day, after one of his team's games, he finds Honus. He plays catch with him, and Joe and Honus both confide in what their dream is. Joe's is to play in the big leagues, and Honus' is to win the World Series. They agree to meet up back at Joe's room later. That night, Joe tells his mother about the baseball card when Birdie calls him about it. His mother refuses to let Joe make the decision and says he can make important decisions when he's grown-up. Joe is very upset by this, and goes to bed slamming the door behind him. When Honus arrives, Joe pulls out the card and thinks of 1909. While the buzzing feeling comes over him, he wishes he were a grown-up, so he could make his own decisions.
When he wakes up, he is in the Pontchartrain Hotel in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, and happens to be an adult now. Honus tells him they look like twin brothers. He also tells him the seventh game of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
is today, and they go to Bennett Park. When they get there, Honus says that when he comes off the field every inning, he will one of those times pat his right shoulder with his left hand. When he does they are to meet in a tunnel under the stands. Eventually, after the bottom of the fifth (during which Ty Cobb spikes Honus' hand), Honus does the signal. When he gets there, Honus says they will trade clothes so Stoshack would have to pretend to be him. Stoshack goes in Honus' place because he can't hold a bat. In an 0-2 hole at the plate, he smashes a three-run homer down the left field line, making the score 7-0 Pittsburgh.
After all that, they remeet in the tunnel and trade uniforms when Honus bandages up his hand. When the game ends, they celebrate in the clubhouse. He tells Honus he is from the future and that he knows everything that will happen to Honus, so he tells him his stats and everything else. Joe finds the other half of the picture of Amanda Young on Honus' locker door and takes it. When Joe leaves, he realizes he needs to get home with a real card. He goes back to the hotel and, because he is poor, uses baseball cards to cover holes in his sneakers. He uses one to get back. When he does, he talks with his mom and she apologizes and says to Joe that he can make his own decision about the card. When he goes to school, he tries doing a pro and con list about what he should do. His teacher sees, and gives Joe some advice. She says when she makes a tough decision, she puts herself in someone elses shoes and thinks about what they would do. He does so with Honus and decides to give the card back to Ms. Young.
When he gets back from school, he finds Birdie Farrell waiting at his house. Birdie claims the card was his and he tries to steal it, but when Ms. Young comes out with a gun, he drops the card. Amanda rips the card in four and gives the pieces to Joe. They go back inside her house and Joe explains how he got the card, his adventure with Honus, hitting in the World Series, and coming back. He shows the other end of the picture, and Joe realizes he could send her to 1909 to see Honus again. He does, and she never comes back.