Jackie and Me - A Very Special Friendship
Tania Grossinger
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Summary
The story of a friendship between Jackie Robinson and a girl who lives in a Catskills hotel: “A lovely evocation of a man who changed baseball and America.” (Kirkus Reviews). Thirteen-year-old Tania Grossinger lives in the famous Grossinger resort hotel in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Her cousins own the hotel, yet Tania often feels like she doesn't belong. Lots of celebrities come to Grossinger’s, but Tania just wants to meet one man: Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play Major League baseball. When Jackie stays at Grossinger’s on vacation, he hears that Tania is a terrific ping-pong player. Jackie invites the young girl to meet him for a game at four o-clock—but she doesn't believe he’s serious and stays in her room to read. Soon the telephone rings. It’s Jackie, wondering where Tania is! When she dashes downstairs to the game room, the famous Brooklyn Dodgers star is waiting for Tania—and this is the beginning of an unlikely but very special friendship. Playing ping-pong, drinking soda, going on walks, and ice skating together, Tania learns some important—and simple—life lessons from Jackie. Tania Grossinger’s charming true story will appeal to parents and children, girls and boys, avid baseball fans and people who have never seen a game. Jackie and Me offers a unique glimpse into icon Jackie Robinson’s life off the field, told from a very special perspective: that of a friend.