Becoming Joe Dimaggio

by Maria Testa

Book Overview

"With ineffable tenderness and absolute clarity, Testa tells a tale in blank verse. . . . Powerfully moving as it braids together baseball, family, and the Italian-American experience." -- Booklist (starred review)

It's 1936, and the Yankees have just hired a star center fielder whose name sounds like music. What could be a better time for Papa-Angelo's grandson to be born? Christened after the legendary ballplayer, young Joseph...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0099RZEOW
• ISBN13: 9780763624446
• Release Date: February 2005
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.1" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Family, dreams and finding your way -- a home run!

I picked up Becoming Joe DiMaggio out of curiosity when researching some young adult literature for a class I was taking, and just fell in love with it. With an economy of words, Maria Testa paints a portrait of a boy, his grandfather, and the iconic baseball player that had a generation cheering. This would be a wonderful basis for classroom discussions/writing assignments on dreams, family, how poetry can evoke emotions with so few words. It can even be used to tie in math (baseball statistics, prompted by the poem "The Streak"), social studies (World War II), and even moral issues (the bombing of Hiroshima, domestic abuse). I recommend this highly for any student or teacher from fourth through 8th grade, and possibly even into high school.

A not-to-be-missed diamond

With a spare, beautiful text, Testa creates poignant characters and a passionate story. Every word counts here. "Becoming Joe DiMaggio" is a story for all generations. This book would be a lovely, thoughtful gift for all ages.