Official Review: Cub Fans Dream Come True by David Wilgus

lesler · Post by **lesler** » 22 Jun 2018, 16:46

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cub Fans Dream Come True" by David Wilgus.]

4 out of 4 stars

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The book Cubs Fans Dream Come True by David Wilgus is a delightful book written by a die-hard Chicago Cubs baseball fan. Upon visiting his grandfather Lucas in the nursing home, Matthew Kronk comes upon a picture of the 1908 World Champion Chicago Cubs baseball team and knows the story of this autographed picture must be told before it is too late. Armed with a tape recorder, Matthew connects to his grandfather by asking the right questions to unlock this mystery.

The year is 1908, and Lucas Kronk is five years old. He lives in Chicago, with his father working in the meatpacking district of the city. Lucas loves his family and the Chicago Cubs. His storytelling adventure includes attending multiple baseball games that year, and also while he grows up. His true passion is following baseball and speaks with passion of all the games he has seen through his life. Through the talk, he discusses his favorite games, and what personal and major historical events are happening at that time. He even finds the love of his life at a game.

This book is extremely short, being less than seventy pages, and is well-written. I did not notice any grammatical or spelling errors in the novel, and I felt connected to the main character. As a die-hard baseball fan myself, I enjoyed reading first-hand accounts watching such baseball players as Mordecai Brown, Honus Wagner, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle. The main character's interactions with the baseball fans were realistic and interesting. I also really liked the imagery the author produced in the descriptions of Chicago in 1908.

It would be easy to read this as a nonfiction book, but it is not. This is a realistic story that has excellent baseball facts included, but some things have been fabricated. In this story, the main character's connection with the baseball team comes from some games in which the Cubs neither played nor won. I do not think anyone should be put off by this fact, but just be forewarned that it is not a completely factual story. I would have liked this story to be a little longer, with more development on the boy's mother and father.

I give Cubs Fans Dream Come True by David Wilgus 4 out of 4 stars, for its excellent imagery, strong connectivity to the main characters, and detailed history of the Chicago Cubs baseball organization. I would recommend this book for any baseball fan looking for a feel-good story chronicling their team.

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Cub Fans Dream Come True
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stacie k · Post by **stacie k** » 01 Jul 2018, 01:10

I like the strategy of “interviewing” the grandfather in the nursing home to reveal the history of the autographed picture. Thanks for noting that the story is not completely factual. Great job on the review!

Dahmy 10 · Post by **Dahmy 10** » 01 Jul 2018, 02:44

Lucas must have been quite an inquisitive mind to have unraveled mysteries... This must be a beautiful book.

My concern is if those of us who don't have a good idea of baseball will enjoy this book!!

Kendra M Parker · Post by **Kendra M Parker** » 01 Jul 2018, 07:44

It’s interesting how the author chose to weave this story together with the interviews and stories from the grandfather. It does seem like it would easily feel like a non-fiction book, so it is good to be reminded that it is a work of fiction, albeit with quite a few facts woven in.