Who Is Derek Jeter?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Gail Herman, Bernadette Dunne (Narrator)

When Derek Jeter was eight years old, he announced that he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Jeter earned the attention of major league scouts in high school and was drafted to the New York Yankees in 1992. Named Rookie of the Year, he helped the Yankees win the World Series five times, and became team captain in 2003. With his good looks, easygoing personality, and sense of humor, Derek has always been a fan favorite. Retiring from baseball in 2014, Derek Jeter leaves behind a legacy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Sports, History, Baseball, Childrens, Biography Memoir

Audible Audio

First published August 18, 2015

About the author

Gail Herman, formerly a children's book editor in New York City, has written picture books, easy-to-reads, and chapter books, including many titles in the Who Was/What Was series. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts with her family.

Reviews

[Sophia Zuraulevic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book "really liked it" because the author told about when he really wanted to go to a baseball game and the author really explained how that happened and kind of, over exaggerated and gave a lot of detail of how he became a Yankees baseball player. But it really didn't tell how he grew up.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a whole stack of these books waiting to be read and I actually started with this one because it was the one I was least interested in.

I actually knew nothing about Derek Jeter. If you'd said his name to me before I'd read this book I probably would've guessed "Isn't he some type of athlete?" I'm just really not interested in sports.

Anyway, I thought it was interesting reading about how Derek's family life affected him. His father was black and his mom was white and they faced discrimination. Derek was even called horrible names like "Oreo" (seriously, I do not understand how people can be stupid and mean). He loved the Yankees from the time he was little and always knew he wanted to play ball. His dad was a substance abuse counselor so Derek learned from an early age to stay away from bad addictions. As a famous ball player he even started a charity to help people with addictions.

I suppose what impressed me the most about Derek was how everyone thought he was so kind and respectful. I really admire how hard he worked, but to me, kindness is the most important thing. I love hearing about celebrities who don't let it go to their head. I also loved how close Derek was to his family and how much they supported him.

He also won lots of sports awards but I don't remember what they were. Lol. I know he helped the Yankees win the World Series but j can't tell you how many times. Oh! And he made over 3,000 hits during his baseball career which I guess is really rare. Ha! Told you, sports are not really my thing.

[Connor Iverson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a good book because it described about his whole life and what happened.

[Aaron Sauceda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Derek Jeter? is a really good book. I loved this book because it's about a baseball legend named Derek Jeter, who is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. His dad is black, but his mom is white, so whenever he would go with his parents to go shopping or something, no one could take their eyes off of him. Derek Jeter grew up being a Yankees' fan ever since he was little. He was also very good at baseball when he was little. This book talks about when he was little and as he got older, how his life was going. Read all about it: Who is Derek Jeter?.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Derek Jeter was eight years old he announced that he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Jeter got the attention of major league scouts in high school and was drafted to the New York Yankees in 1992. Called Rookie of the Year he helped the Yankees win the World Series five times and became team captain in 2003. With his easygoing personality, sense of humor, and amazing skills Derek has always been a fan favorite. Retiring from baseball in 2014 Derek Jeter leaves behind a amazing legacy.

[Joey Oborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It tells REAL great facts about Derek Jerter and the time line of his life.

[Reving · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2018...

[Alex Gallaher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Who is Derek Jeter?
Author: Gail Herman
Genre: Biography
Theme: Baseball
Opening Line:
“On April 2, 1996, Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, the New York Yankees face the Cleveland Indians.”
Brief Summary:
One of Baseball’s most iconic players, Derek Jeter, has a life story to hang his hat on. But it was not always the best of times for number two. Representing and powering through some of the toughest times in our nations history in New York City, Derke Jeter has become an icon.
Review 1:
YouthMUSE
http://youthmuse.com/who-is-or-was-se...

“This series is real people telling their real and interesting stories. It doesn’t get better than that. It’s a fantastic biography series that has got us totally hooked. We are all reading them! Most of the books have a different author but each is well-edited to ensure a smooth read.”


Response:
This story does a fantastic job capturing the life of one of my favorite baseball player, Derek Jeter. I agree with the reviews about the authenticity of the scenes in the story, and how well scenarios are depicted. After reading the final chapter about his walk off hit and last at bat in Yankee Stadium I could visualize a feel the tears I cried when I watched it happen live on tv.
Evaluation:
I certainly liked the story and believe it will be an inspirational read for children. Considering it is a transitional chapter book, its illustrations don’t carry much weight, and are simply black and white. In some instances they are handy for making connections, like with Mariah Carey’s face. And also to show the emotions of the moments, such as the pure elation after a world series victory.
Application:
I would not focus on this text in class. It caters to a specific audience and would be received poorly by students who are not interested in sports. I would like it in my classroom, because it is a valuable piece for silent reading or as a sample text when talking about biographies. Also, if I simply told students that Jeter was one of my favorite players, the book would get a lot of attention, which is a great thing, we love excited readers.

[Andrew T · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book "Who Is Derek Jeter?" you will learn all about a man named Derek Jeter and his life before and during baseball. You will learn about his career with the Yankees, his farewell tour, his journey to make varsity basketball as a freshman, and the challenges he faced being biracial. Derek grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan with his parents and sister, Sharlee. He grew up playing basketball and baseball. He attended the University of Michigan and eventually got drafted by the Yankees.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book but I wish there was more detail about Derek Jeter's personal life during his Mlb career. This book describes his accomplishments from his career and what he did before his career very well. It also has very sourceable and good facts. I think if you want a quick and easy read and want to learn something, then this book is for you.

[Zaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about how a young boy wanted to become a professional baseball player. Even though his dad was black and his mom was white even though they loved each other and they got married. After they got married they had Derek Jeter. He was a mixture of black and white but more of a white. He was a really smart kid and loved baseball. He practiced and practiced until he became a famous baseball player. In his forty's he retired.


I liked this book because it teaches a lesson. That lesson is that no mater what color you are you can achieve anything. Also if no on believes in you and your dream do not lessen. No matter what they say just do not care what they say just follow your dream. So overall I liked this book and I am sure you would to.

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Is Derek Jeter? by Gail Herman
Published August 18, 2015

<3

When Derek Jeter was eight years old, he announced that he was going to play baseball for the New York Yankees. Jeter earned the attention of major league scouts in high school and was drafted to the New York Yankees in 1992. Named Rookie of the Year, he helped the Yankees win the World Series five times, and became team captain in 2003. With his good looks, easygoing personality, and sense of humor, Derek has always been a fan favorite. Retiring from baseball in 2014, Derek Jeter leaves behind a legacy.

[Jonas]

Who helped the Yankees win 125 games? Who helped the Yankees win 4 world series? No other than Derek Jeter! In this book you will learn who Derek Jeter is and what he does. You will also learn how where he was born and how he died.

I love the book! I didn't really know who Derek Jeter was. But after reading the book I learned who he was and what he did. I also loved the pictures, it help me understand what was going on. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball or the Yankees.

[Andrew]

In 1974 Derek jeter is born.1980 goes to first Yankee game and sparks baseball interest.1992 graduates from high school with an offer from the Yankees.2000 named MVP of the all star games.2003 name Yankees captain.2004 wins first gold glove award.
I would recommend this book to someone who wants to learn about Derek Jeter and the Yankees.Someone who likes the history of baseball and in specific the Yankees.Last someone who like short books rather than long novels.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fun for being about a person. I never really like reading biographies but this book has changed that. It might be the fact that i like to read about sports but i really liked reading this book. This book is actually really entertaining while teaching me about a person and that is really important in a book espacially when it is a kids book.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the author went back in time to show when he was young and not famous yet. The book showed how he wanted to become a baseball player and how he did it. The book made me want to read it all night because it is something I really like Derek Jeter. I really like how the book as well showed from how he did it and how he train to become what he is know

[Tyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was okay I guess because I don;t really like baseball like that, but over all it was a good book. I liked the fact that it gives you his whole life story from the good to the bad, the ups and downs in his life all that stuff. On page 38-39 it says how he did not make varsity but he did not give up there he kept on trying, that is what I like about him.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the man, hate his team. Growing up in Columbus and seeing him play with the Clippers, everyone knew he would be a star. He worked hard for everything and this book pays tribute to his work ethic and caring personality.

[ACS Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Who Is/Who Was series. This is another great addition. I loathe the New York Yankees but I can’t help but love Derek Jeter. Not only was he a great baseball player but he is an all-around good guy.

[Mark Popovitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting read that captivated my 8yo son. I enjoyed the author’s weaving in of Yankee history and baseball tidbits in the “sidebar” pages. Some of the game sequence narrations were clunky, but that was minor overall. Good book. Wonderful series.

[Micaela - Rose]

This book talks about Derek’s life and how he grew up loving baseball and the Yankees just like his grandma. How he worked hard to be a baseball player for the New York Yankees. I loved this book because I like Derek Jeter.

[Lev Abrasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was when he became a Yankee.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

What does it mean: to get a pennant? A lot of baseball lingo here.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

what an inspiring life. I knew little of Jeter's life other than he played for the Yankees but I ma so impressed by his family support and his commitment to the sport items. elementary

[Blake David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to people who like books about baseball.
I like this book because one of my favorite sports is baseball.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to work hard but your dreams can come true.

[Dave Hutcheson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I read these books. They shine a light on the challenges and values these great people deal with and have. Informative and excellent for conversations.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think if you love baseball you'll love this book about the New York Yankees most low maintenance all star. He was a really good baseball player since the very first game he ever played in school.

[Julie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never knew the life of Derek Jeter but now I do. Thank You Derek Jeter for putting your heart and compassion in playing with the Yankees. :)

[Geni Bleich · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's

[Dana]

Read with Levi. I like to keep track of what we read together.