Honus and Me

Honus & Me (1997) is a children’s novel by Dan Gutman and the first book in the Baseball Card Adventures series, which consists of 12 books. The series portrays the love of baseball and magical time-travel adventures, all following protagonist Joe Stoshack.

In Honus & Me, Joe discovers he can travel through time using baseball cards. When he finds a rare 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card, Joe is whisked back to the early 20th century, where he meets the legendary baseball player, Honus Wagner. The novel features vintage photographs of Honus Wagner.

Honus & Me was rejected by several publishers before being accepted by HarperCollins. It went on to become a bestseller and was adapted into a movie, The Winning Season, in 2004.

This guide refers to the e-book version of Honus & Me by HarperCollins.

Plot Summary

Honus & Me tells the story of 12-year-old Joe Stoshack, a boy with a passion for baseball and baseball cards. Joe recalls the first time he touched a baseball card, describing a strange tingling sensation. 

Despite his passion, Joe isn’t very good at playing baseball. He is often mocked by other players because of his big ears and bowed legs. These insults affect him, making him self-conscious and causing him to play poorly.

Joe lives with his mom, as his parents are divorced and facing financial difficulties. To help out, Joe does odd jobs. He gives most of the money he earns to his mom, but saves some for baseball cards. One day, Joe’s mom tells him that their elderly neighbor, Miss Amanda Young, needs help cleaning out her attic and will pay him five dollars. Joe agrees to help.

While cleaning out Miss Young’s attic, Joe discovers a baseball card. It’s a T-206 Honus Wagner card—the most valuable baseball card in the world. He slips it into his backpack and leaves Miss Young’s house. Later, Joe takes the Honus Wagner card to Birdie’s Home Run Heaven, a local shop owned by a man famous for his brief career as a professional wrestler. Birdie examines the card, tries to tell Joe that it’s not a real Honus Wagner card, and offers him 10 dollars. Joe realizes that Birdie is lying and leaves the store.

Joe decides to do some research on Honus Wagner. He learns that Wagner was considered the greatest shortstop ever, and many books mention that he was somewhat funny-looking. Joe also discovers that the value of the card is half a million dollars. He imagines using the money to buy his mom a house and a new car.

Before going to bed, Joe takes out the card. He feels the familiar tingling sensation, and as he drifts off to sleep, he wishes he could meet Honus Wagner. In the middle of the night, Joe is startled awake to find Honus Wagner sitting in his room. Joe realizes that Honus must have traveled through time because of the card. Eventually, Joe drifts back to sleep, thinking it was just a vivid dream. However, the next day, he finds Honus is there again. The two play some ball, and Honus offers advice to help improve Joe’s technique. Honus tells Joe that he must return to 1909 for the next day’s game and suggests Joe come with him. They agree to try traveling together that night.

Joe tells his mom about the card. She insists it must be returned to Miss Young. Upset, Joe locks himself in his room. He and Honus sit on the bed, and Honus asks Joe to think of 1909 while holding the card. Joe concentrates, wishing he were grown up and could make his own decisions about the card. As he does, he starts to feel the familiar tingles.

Joe wakes up in a hotel in 1909. Looking in the mirror, he realizes he’s no longer a boy but a grown man. He and Honus now look very alike. Honus explains that they’re in a hotel in Detroit, and it’s the day of the World Series game against the Tigers. As they walk to the game, people mistake Joe for Honus’s brother.

The game is hyped as a showdown between the two best players: Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner. The Pirates are in the lead, but Honus signals Joe to meet him in the tunnel behind the Pittsburgh bench. Honus reveals a deep gash on his hand from catching one of Cobb’s spikes, and he’s unable to hold a bat. He asks Joe to step in as his designated hitter. Joe is shocked, but Honus reassures him that he’s a great player. Joe plays in Honus’s place and performs well. The Pirates win their first World Series.

Joe follows Honus to the clubhouse and notices a photo taped to Honus’s locker door. He’s stunned to realize it’s a photo of Miss Young. Honus explains that she was his girlfriend. When he left for Pittsburgh, they promised to marry when he returned. He never did, having heard rumors that another man was courting her. Joe reveals that Amanda lives next door to him, never married, and still remembers Honus. After this, Joe returns to his time.

At home, Joe’s mom tells him it was wrong to insist he return the baseball card to Miss Young. She says he’s old enough to make that decision himself. Joe feels conflicted. If he sells the card, he’d have a lot of money, but he’d feel guilty. If he gives it back to Miss Young, he’d feel good about doing the right thing, but wouldn’t have any cash. He wonders what Honus Wagner would do. In the end, Joe decides to give the card back to Miss Young.

When Joe gets home, he finds the door unlocked. Birdie Farrell is waiting for him. Birdie asks where the card is and explains that he once owned a Honus Wagner card, but it disappeared from his store one day. He accuses Joe of taking it. Birdie finds the card in Joe’s back pocket. Suddenly, Miss Young appears, pointing a rifle at Birdie’s head. She orders him to drop the card. Miss Young then rips the card in half.

Joe decides to tell her everything—how he traveled through time and met Honus Wagner in 1909. She doesn’t believe him at first; then he shows her the photo from Honus’s locker. Joe then gets an idea: perhaps he can use the ripped-up card to send Miss Young back to the past. Slowly, Miss Young begins to transform into a young woman, and within moments, she disappears.

Joe plays in his final Little League game, much improved, and no longer upset by the insults. Months later, while browsing at a shop, he overhears two men arguing about Babe Ruth and a mysterious incident during the 1932 World Series. Joe asks the store owner if he has a 1932 Babe Ruth card. The owner hands it to him, and as Joe holds it, he feels the tingling sensation all over his body.