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Stealing Home
It is 1947 and Yankee fever grips the Bronx. Nine-year-old Joey Sexton joins the neighborhood kids who flock to the park to team up and play. However, Joey is of mixed race and his skin is lighter than the other kids’. He is seldom picked.
When Joey’s mother dies, he is sent to live with his mother’s estranged family. Joey is whisked away to Brooklyn. Though it’s just across town, it might as well be a different world. His grandfather, his aunt Frieda, and his ten-year-old cousin Roberta are not only white, they are Jewish. Joey knows nothing about Brooklyn or Judaism. The only thing that’s constant is the baseball madness that grips the community. Only this time, the heroes aren’t Joey’s beloved Yankees. They are the Brooklyn Dodgers, especially Jackie Robinson, a man whose struggle to integrate baseball helped set the stage for black America’s struggle for acceptance and civil rights.
Joey’s story takes readers to a time when America’s favorite pastime became a battleground for human rights.
When Joey’s mother dies, he is sent to live with his mother’s estranged family. Joey is whisked away to Brooklyn. Though it’s just across town, it might as well be a different world. His grandfather, his aunt Frieda, and his ten-year-old cousin Roberta are not only white, they are Jewish. Joey knows nothing about Brooklyn or Judaism. The only thing that’s constant is the baseball madness that grips the community. Only this time, the heroes aren’t Joey’s beloved Yankees. They are the Brooklyn Dodgers, especially Jackie Robinson, a man whose struggle to integrate baseball helped set the stage for black America’s struggle for acceptance and civil rights.
Joey’s story takes readers to a time when America’s favorite pastime became a battleground for human rights.
217 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
About the author
Ellen Schwartz
38 books14 followersEllen Schwartz was born in Washington, DC, and now lives with her family in Burnaby, British Columbia. In addition to writing books, she has published dozens of magazine articles and adult short stories. Her stories for children have been published in children’s magazines and teaching anthologies.
In addition to her work as an author, Ms. Schwartz and her husband run a communications consulting company. She works as a corporate writer, and teaches creative writing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College. Before becoming a writer, Ms. Schwartz taught special education and the primary grades, and worked as an environmental educator.
In addition to her work as an author, Ms. Schwartz and her husband run a communications consulting company. She works as a corporate writer, and teaches creative writing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College. Before becoming a writer, Ms. Schwartz taught special education and the primary grades, and worked as an environmental educator.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 22, 2021
I LOVED THIS BOOK nothing else to say
January 9, 2013
"Stealing Home" is a great book because of all the history behind Jackie Robisnon and what he did. He played baseball in the 1940s for the dodgers in the major leauges. He became one of the most recognized baseball players of all time. A lot of events happened during the life of Jackie Robinson such as WWII and other wars. "Stealing Home" is a great book for anyone to read if you like to learn about famous people like Jackie Robinson. This book would be a great book to use for help on a research project or to read. You as the reader would learn a lot about the life of Jackie Robinson and what he accomplished.
October 20, 2017
The struggle, the fight, the family, and the baseball. Stealing Home by Ellen Schwartz is about Joey Sexton and his struggle for family and his childhood in baseball. This book is a realistic fiction book. It is based in the year and time of the first black baseball player, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This was a historical event because race really mattered and no black player had ever played in the major leagues.
Stealing Home brought me into the struggles of Joey and how he had to live in a white dominated community. I liked this book because I could really get to know the character, and even though I can not exactly feel what Joey was feeling, I still got the feeling of how he felt during some parts of the book.
Joey’s mom, dad, and grandparents on his father’s side are all dead. After Joey’s mom dies, he moves in with his neighbor who lives across the hall from the apartment that he lived in with his mom and his dad when he was very little. Their apartment is located in the Bronx.
The social worker that is working on Joey’s case found his mom’s parents, his aunt, and his cousin. After the social worker found them, Joey moves to Brooklyn to be with his grandparents, his aunt, and his cousin.
I think that the main theme and or idea of this book is that you have to persevere no matter what comes your way and what comes at you. An example that Ellen Schwartz shows in Stealing Home, is when Joey, Joey’s cousin Bobbie, and Joey’s grandpa Zeyde go into Utica Avenue, in downtown Brooklyn and they are at Mrs. Yanofsky diner. Mrs Yanofsky is telling a customer about how Joey’s mom was a disgrace to the neighborhood when she moved away and married a black man. Mrs. Yanofsky said, “Well, filth breeds filth, that’s what I always say….filth.” Joey then thought “Filth!” Zeyde did not question the lady he just ignored her. But that was not how Joey felt. Joey marched over to the counter and yelled at Mrs Yanofsky, “Shut up. Do not say those things about me and my mom. Do you hear me. DO YOU.” This shows that Joey had to stand up for himself and for his family against people who do not like Joey and other people based on his +their race.
I think that people who are into learning about how to persevere, be brave, and stand up for yourself would like this book. This book really explained the struggles of race and being yourself back then. I am not usually a huge reader, but these pages literally turned themselves. I loved this book and I never wanted to put it down.
Stealing Home brought me into the struggles of Joey and how he had to live in a white dominated community. I liked this book because I could really get to know the character, and even though I can not exactly feel what Joey was feeling, I still got the feeling of how he felt during some parts of the book.
Joey’s mom, dad, and grandparents on his father’s side are all dead. After Joey’s mom dies, he moves in with his neighbor who lives across the hall from the apartment that he lived in with his mom and his dad when he was very little. Their apartment is located in the Bronx.
The social worker that is working on Joey’s case found his mom’s parents, his aunt, and his cousin. After the social worker found them, Joey moves to Brooklyn to be with his grandparents, his aunt, and his cousin.
I think that the main theme and or idea of this book is that you have to persevere no matter what comes your way and what comes at you. An example that Ellen Schwartz shows in Stealing Home, is when Joey, Joey’s cousin Bobbie, and Joey’s grandpa Zeyde go into Utica Avenue, in downtown Brooklyn and they are at Mrs. Yanofsky diner. Mrs Yanofsky is telling a customer about how Joey’s mom was a disgrace to the neighborhood when she moved away and married a black man. Mrs. Yanofsky said, “Well, filth breeds filth, that’s what I always say….filth.” Joey then thought “Filth!” Zeyde did not question the lady he just ignored her. But that was not how Joey felt. Joey marched over to the counter and yelled at Mrs Yanofsky, “Shut up. Do not say those things about me and my mom. Do you hear me. DO YOU.” This shows that Joey had to stand up for himself and for his family against people who do not like Joey and other people based on his +their race.
I think that people who are into learning about how to persevere, be brave, and stand up for yourself would like this book. This book really explained the struggles of race and being yourself back then. I am not usually a huge reader, but these pages literally turned themselves. I loved this book and I never wanted to put it down.
May 29, 2017
Reminiscent of Bud, Not Buddy, Joey's story unfolds predictably; however, there is much to discuss with middle grade readers in this story rife with prejudice. Boy readers will cheer for the infusion of baseball lore into the fabric of the story, while girls will buy into Stealing Home because of Joey's tomboy cousin. The metaphor of the book's title makes my heart tug a little.
April 27, 2025
The main genre of this book is Historical Fiction. Throughout this entirety of this Novel there were many literary devices used to portray the seriousness of this book and story being told. Two of the themes that stood out to me the most were Identity and Belonging, which had been shown through Joey's struggle to find his place in family and community as he was both Jewish and Black.
I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it addresses issues of racism, identity, and belonging. Joey had faced prejudice from both White and Black communities due to his lighter tone of skin and Jewish heritage. The journey Joey took to find community in a new family and more highlights the impact of racial discrimination and the importance of empathy.
I would consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it addresses issues of racism, identity, and belonging. Joey had faced prejudice from both White and Black communities due to his lighter tone of skin and Jewish heritage. The journey Joey took to find community in a new family and more highlights the impact of racial discrimination and the importance of empathy.
July 31, 2017
LOVED IT
May 20, 2018
An excellent book!
April 17, 2020
really good
Read
October 14, 2011 Stealing Home by Ellen Schwartz is a book that I would recommend to both baseball fans and people that are interested about Civil Rights. Its about an African American Jew named Joey Sexton who lives in the Bronx. Baseball is his passion but he cant play with anybody because his dad was black and his mom was white Jewish so all the black kids think he is to white to play and all the white kids think he is black to play. After he gets the news that his father and mother just passed away, he goes to live with his his grandfather in Brooklyn but he hates the Dodgers and loves the Yankees.
I think that this is definitely one of the better books I have read and one reason I feel that way is because of the dialog. The author makes it so that it feels like I am in the book. I noticed that the way she writes in this book make it so that the dialog shapes the characters and there personalities. Another reason I really liked this book is because it was written about something I can relate to which is baseball.
I think that this is definitely one of the better books I have read and one reason I feel that way is because of the dialog. The author makes it so that it feels like I am in the book. I noticed that the way she writes in this book make it so that the dialog shapes the characters and there personalities. Another reason I really liked this book is because it was written about something I can relate to which is baseball.
June 10, 2015
This book incorporated dealing with prejudices, forgiveness, healing, family dynamics and learning. Although in the children's section and my boys enjoyed the baseball, the action, and the interaction of the kids standing up against a bully, I enjoyed it as well.
Schwartz developed a family hurt by past mistakes and protected themselves by hiding and control. A second chance was offered, to make things right and the reader takes a roller-coaster ride wondering if all would be well and if anything can touch the grandfather's heart of stone.
Worthwhile read. Realistic look at life during Jackie Robinson's Rookie of the year.
Schwartz developed a family hurt by past mistakes and protected themselves by hiding and control. A second chance was offered, to make things right and the reader takes a roller-coaster ride wondering if all would be well and if anything can touch the grandfather's heart of stone.
Worthwhile read. Realistic look at life during Jackie Robinson's Rookie of the year.
May 21, 2013
this book is an interesting book it brings back a lot of how it was like back then when Jackie Robertson played for the Brooklyn dodgers. this book is very interesting along with sort of tragic and shows a heart and passion of baseball back then. it also shows how hard it is for a half-breed kid that passions baseball and how hard of a time he is going through to fit in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2016
Such an amazing story. We picked it up by accident for my son's summer reading - he was supposed to read the other "Stealing Home" book. Best mistake ever! We read the book together and couldn't put it down.
July 17, 2016
3.5 stars
June 16, 2010
I like this book... and learned how much racism effects someone
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews