Sometimes there are books that are so special to you that you read them over and over again. There's something about them that pulls you in and transports you to another time and place. A place like no other. Such books are rare finds. When you see an 11 year old get excited to read books that he already read a few years earlier, now that's rare and special.
In my recent post, Favorite Chapter Books for Young Athletes, I mentioned a "baseball card adventure" series by Dan Gutman. GreenGuy loaned these books to a friend and hasn't seen them in a long time. I never forgot how much my son loved this series, so I included it in that post.
Since then, we found out that there are two new books, Jim & Me and Ray & Me.
We were able to get our hands on Jim & Me (it was just as wonderful as the others), but GreenGuy is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Ray & Me. This series is so great that I feel totally comfortable recommending a book that my son hasn't even read yet!
GreenGuy is now reading the entire series over again. He has declared these books to be his all time favorites. He just finished Babe & Me, and was thrilled to find a reference to Ray Chapman (the "Ray" in the new Ray & Me) on page 69 of this book (which was published back in the year 2000)! How's that for a "text to text" connection?
GreenGuy also discovered that there was a book in the series that he hadn't read,
Abner & Me. I'm so glad he found this book at this particular point in time, because the main character travels
back to the time of the Civil War. It just so happens that he's studying the Civil War
in school right now. How wonderful a coincidence is that? According to the reviews, this book is heavier on the history than the other books in the series, and more violent (after all, it does take place during the Civil War), but GreenGuy did not mind at all.
If your son or daughter likes to read about time travel, baseball, and/or history, then you certainly don't want him or her to miss out on this uniquely entertaining and educational series. Historical fiction does not get much better than this, folks! I can't thank Dan Gutman enough for creating this outstanding series.
Is there a particular book, or series of books, that your child loves to read again and again? Feel free to share.
