Extra! Extra! Read All About It! The Babe & I

 Want to find out how a newsie meets the great Babe Ruth?  

Then come on and...read all about it!

The Babe & I is a historical fiction book by David Adler.  The story takes place during the Great Depression.  Through the eyes of a young boy, the author shows us life in Brooklyn during this time period.  We see what life was like for those struggling to make ends meet and the inventive ways they accomplished that task.

The unnamed protagonist of the story is a young boy growing up in Brooklyn in 1932 during the Great Depression.  "For my birthday I was hoping my parents would give me a bicycle.  They gave me a dime."  This example from the story shows a young boy's thoughts on his disappointing birthday.

The story develops logically with one event leading to another.  Due to the Great Depression the father loses his job.  The major conflict of the story arises when the boy realizes that his unemployed father is selling apples on the street corner.  The protagonist gets a job selling newspapers near Yankee Stadium to make money and help his father support the family.   This job leads him to eventually sell a newspaper to the great Babe Ruth. 

The elements of the setting are consistent with the time and place of the story.   The author creates a believable 1930's era  Brooklyn.  He paints a picture with his words that the reader can imagine in their minds eye, "everyone was poor...passed a woman selling apples.  Her clothes were wrinkled and shabby."  

Coming of age, specifically the ability to face problems and take responsibility, is the prominent theme.  The protagonist states, "He and I were a team.... His home runs helped me sell newspapers,” states the boy after Babe Ruth buys a newspaper from him outside of Yankee Stadium.   The boy also realizes the responsibility he has to his family.  "I knew Dad and I were also a team. We were both working to get our family through hard times."  

"Give me a high one.  I'm Babe Ruth, the world's greatest baseball player," yells the protagonist best friend. The style is simple with easy to understand dialogue.  "Wow!"  I said.  "I just sold a newspaper to Babe Ruth!" sounds like a realistic reaction of a young boy meeting his hero.

The Babe and I is told from the viewpoint of a young boy.  It is written in first-person narrative form which allows the author to bring the reader right into the life and emotions of the protagonist.

Close your eyes and hear the newsies cry, "Extra! Extra!  Read all about it!"  outside of Yankee Stadium.  Close your eyes and hear the crack of the bat as history is made.