Satch and Me

There are three reasons I chose the book, Satch & Me.  The first reason I picked this book was because my brother, Benja read a book in this series and recommended it to me.  Another reason I chose this book was because it was short enough that I could read in the time given.  The final reason I chose this book was because I enjoyed the Homework Machine, another book by Dan Gutman. 

My favorite characters were Stosh (or Joey), Flip, and Satch.  Stosh, a thirteen-year-old boy, was a time traveler and a little league player.  Flip, a 72-year-old man, was a baseball coach, a drug store owner, and a baseball player.  Satch was a famous African-American baseball pitcher.  The reason these were my favorite characters is that their feelings and actions were described really well.  For example, Dan Gutman didn’t explain how   Laverne’s dad was feeling when he shot a gun towards them. 

The main dilemma in Satch & Me was that Stosh and Flip wanted to know who the fastest pitcher ever was.  Stosh and Flip ran into some more problems.  For example Flip and Stosh didn’t have a Satchel Paige baseball card.  Another reason is Flip and Stosh couldn’t find Satchel Paige in 1935.  The final problem is Laverne’s dad didn’t want Laverne dating Flip.   In the end Laverne’s dad shot the radar gun so they couldn’t find out who the fastest pitcher was. 

 This book made me wonder about some things.  This book made me wonder about how fast Satchel Paige could throw a baseball; how good was his aim; and how many different teams did he play for?  The book says he was really good at aiming the ball, or was that fact or fiction?  I think Satch could probably throw around 105mph well at least in the book he said he wasn’t even trying hard when he threw a 95mph, but again was that fact or fiction? 

 I probably would read more books by Dan Gutman.  Part of the reason I think I would read more books by Dan Gutman is because I like how he uses kid words.  Another reason I would pick a book by the same author is because he uses a lot of pictures.