Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse

September 1, 2009
Gr 3-6-While this book is in part a biography, it mainly covers the history of the "Curse of the Bambino." This superstition dates back to the year that the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, and many Boston fans believe it is the reason for the team's poor showing in the World Series. The book provides a modern context by describing the heartbreaking loss of the Sox to the Yankees in 2003. It goes on to give a brief but balanced account of the life of Babe Ruth, including some of the unsavory aspects of his behavior and personality. Kelly ends on a happy note, with the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series. The theme of luck, both good and bad, runs throughout the tale. Play-by-play descriptions of important games will keep baseball fanatics reading to the end."Kathleen Meulen, Sakai Intermediate School, Bainbridge Island, WA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Grades 3-5 Kelly offers a fairly extensive look at the famous curse that seemingly dogged the Boston Red Sox after they traded Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The first part of the book follows the early life and career of Ruth and then moves on to accounts of the Red Soxs World Series appearances, culminating in 2004, when the curse seemed to break. The books strongest portion focuses on Ruths career in Boston, with a quick summary of his success as a pitcher and his conflicts with the teams owner. Other chapters drag a bit, however, and now that the curse is broken, baseball fans beyond Boston may not find this as interesting as they once would have. Still, many sports readers will find this enjoyable. Pair this with Dan Shaughnessys The Legend of the Curse of the Bambino (2005), which presents similar material in picture-book format.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
This unabashedly Red Sox-centric biography of Babe Ruth will hit all the right spots for fans of the formerly "cursed" franchise. It's written simply enough for younger elementary school students, while packing in a good amount of information and conveying the tension of championship games. The black-and-white illustrations are based on iconic photographs of Babe and the Sox.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)