The Day Roy Riegels Ran the Wrong Way

by Dan Gutman, Dan Gutman

At the 1929 Rose Bowl, talented center Roy Riegels picked up a fumble and made an incredible sixty-five-yard run. There was just one Roy Riegels was running the wrong way! Renowned author Dan Gutman recreates this painful (but funny) moment in sports history in a picture book play-by-play of the game's most thrilling moments-all framed by a friendly grandpa remembering the game for his grandson. Told with the excitement of a sports announcer calling the greatest game of his life, and shown through vivid, cartoonlike illustrations by Kerry Talbott, The Day Roy Riegels Ran the Wrong Way is a feast of humor and history for any sports fan.

Genres: Picture Books, Sports, Childrens, Nonfiction, Humor, Biography

32 pages, Library Binding

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

The author of over 80 books in a little over a decade of writing, Dan Gutman has written on topics from computers to baseball. Beginning his freelance career as a nonfiction author dealing mostly with sports for adults and young readers, Gutman has concentrated on juvenile fiction since 1995. His most popular titles include the time-travel sports book Honus and Me and its sequels, and a clutch of baseball books, including The Green Monster from Left Field. From hopeful and very youthful presidential candidates to stunt men, nothing is off limits in Gutman's fertile imagination. As he noted on his author Web site, since writing his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, in 1994, he has been hooked on fiction. "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a WORLD."

Gutman was born in New York City in 1955, but moved to Newark, New Jersey the following year and spent his youth there.

Reviews

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Travis read to the kids in his best football announcer voice to kick off college football weekend!

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gutman brought a lot of entertainment to this great story, but Kerry Talbott's illustrations really steal the show. The football players especially look just a little bit wacky but not too over-the-top. This has a graphic novel feel with lots of word bubbles, some split screens, and a box in the bottom corner showing the grandpa, who is telling his grandson the story of the day football center Roy Riegels ran the wrong way. I expect that this will be a huge hit with the sports-loving boys in my library.

I especially love that Roy went out and played the rest of the game even after his huge mistake. The grandpa teaches his grandson that "it just goes to show that mistakes are not the end of the world. It's what you do after the mistake that counts."

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Too wordy for my VERY active group, but would love to use for elementary aged group.

[Patrick Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. A grandfather is sharing the infamous story of how Cal center Roy Riegels had one of the worst play s in football history, let alone the Rose Bowl. Riegels picks up a fumble for the first time in his life and gets way too excited so he starts running. The issue is that he ran the wrong way and when it figures it out he is stopped on his own 1 yard line giving his team terrible position, leading to the other team scoring. Down on his luck, his coach gives him some advice for the 2nd half and Roy goes out ready to move on from his disaster.
2. The theme is that the past and mistakes you make can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it and not make the same mistake again.
3. As a college student, and human being in general I make mistakes all the time. Whether that be in sports, school or dealing with people in general we all "run the wrong way". The lesson in this book is very applicable to everyone is that our mistakes do no define us, it is how we can bounce back from them. As a ROTC cadet and future Army Officer I'm bound to make mistakes, but if I don't let them get the better of me that's how I'll define my legacy which this book is a great example of bouncing back.
4. This book is for everyone, child and adult because it was a real event that happen and people relate to real events. Also everyone no matte their age makes mistakes so everyone, especially kids will appreciate the fact that it's okay to make mistake, even though they're taught it's wrong to, and that reacting to the mistake is what makes you grow as a person. Failure and screwing up is the biggest fear of most people, especially kids, so this book is a great reminder that even the best of us screw up and the world does not end. Everyone loves a comeback story and this is a great one with a lesson for those of all ages.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this for a 2nd Grade Reading Group. We were looking at the Five Mindset Stances: Empathy, Flexibility, Resilience, Persistence and Optimism. This week was Resilience - Bouncing Back and Recovering from setbacks or failures. When you have trouble, you can bounce back again.

[Kristyn Bray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growth mindset

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on a true incident that occurred during the 1929 Rose Bowl football game, this story recounts a mistake that is still talked about decades after it occurred. California Golden Bear Center Roy Riegels picks up a loose ball dropped by the opposing team, Georgia Tech, and then heads for the goal line. The trouble is that he heads for the wrong goal line, halting just in the nick of time, but leaving his team deep in the whole. Of course there's a lesson to be learned about not letting mistakes or embarrassing moments define you. An afterword provides background on Riegels's life after the game. I liked how the story of the game and Roy's memorable mistake is told by a boy's grandfather. The mixed/digital media illustrations have a cartoonish quality wiht close-ups of the action as well as field and crowd that will appeal to young readers.

[Deann]

This is a primary book. It is intended for independent reading although it would be a fun read aloud.

I chose this book because Haidyn marked he like biographies and sports. This book has both of those. He said the kinds of movies he likes to watch are comedies. This is a pretty funny book. I think he will enjoy the unique format of the text.

This a book about a famous football player named Roy Riegels. What is he famous for??? Is it for an epic touchdown run? No. Is it for a Hail Mary pass that ended in a touchdown? No. What could it be? He is famous for recovering a fumble. Why is that so special you ask? Read and find out what happened after he picked up the ball!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

A clear and easy to understand nonfiction text about Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels. This is sure to be a popular title among my football lovers. I did not like the word bubbles used in the text -- they are easy to read but I didn't think they worked well overall. A few of the pictures were split in the center of the book and this didn't translate well in a picture book format.

I would give this book 3 stars but there were no end notes. Students deserve to see attribution and a bibliography too! Did you do research for this book? Then please tell us about it!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, but the presentation didn't quite do it for me. The combination of regular text and speech bubbles was a little distracting, and the graphics are in an almost caricature style, which doesn't particularly appeal to me. It would probably appeal to sports fans, including reluctant readers. Just didn't happen to be one of my favorites.

(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Bloomsbury!)

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too bad that the message overshadows the sport, but how do you have a book about a football game without mentioning the final score in the text (it's in the back matter). Plus, there are two rather glaring errors, one in terminology and one in the rules of sports, that at least need to be explained. Both mean that the game is not really the point of the book. Great point to the book, and one that is well illustrated in the story, but dissappointing to see a sports book not really about sports.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gutman is known for his love of sports. I've read so many of his baseball card, time- traveling stories, and I know that children love them. This picture book format of a true story is perfect as an introduction. I will buy this for my school and share with grades who are ready for his chapter books. I can even see this book being used to pro to research as Gutman must do for his books. My students will love this book!

[Marguarite Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique book. I love that it is a true story about one of the biggest mistakes in the history of football. It's a great lesson for kids, but it's not a preachy story. It's very well-written and illustrated. I think this will appeal to dads looking for a great read-aloud for their 3 to 8 year old kids (boys or girls). Nicely done!

[Beth Nieman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boys who like football will enjoy reading this story about a true incident from football history; there's a good life lesson in not letting your failures dictate the way you live your life. The illustrations by Kerry Talbott are full of energy and gridiron action.

[Jeanette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about never giving up even when you do the wrong thing. The illustrations really pop out at you as you read the story. They enhance the book quite a bit. Simply told, this is a good story about perseverance.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not aware of this story from the 1929 Rose Bowl where Roy Riegels ran the wrong way with the football. I am a football fan so this book appealed to me, but I'm thinking that most likely only my boys at school will be the ones checking this book out.

[Joenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy's grandfather tells him about the famous Rose Bowl game in 1929 when the University of California Golden Bears lost after one of their players ran the wrong way down the football field.

A fun book for perhaps an older boy reluctant reader.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creative Nonfiction text and great images make this a great sports book.

Great humor in writing and sustained by the commentary-like text of the play. The conversation between grandfather and grandson also helps the profluence of the story.

[Donalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the true events of a 1929 Rose Bowl game in which Roy Riegels ran the wrong way down the field.

[Colby Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can always use high quality sports picture books.

Their will be fights in fourth grade over this book in the morning.

[A. Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great story for anybody who has ever made a mistake . I love the dialgue between the boy and his grandfather .

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gutman captures the cadence of a radio sports announcer as grandpa tells grandson the story of Wrong Way Riegels. Good moral to the story about carrying on after you make a mistake.

[Kim Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for the beginning of January. The kids get a real kick out of the huge mistake Roy made. Gutman sends a terrific message to kids.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story about Roy Riegels wrong way run during the Rose Bowl in 1929. Fun read aloud for older kids

[John Delich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gutman is a favorite of my students. This picture book dabbles in the graphic novel format. My grandson read it to me on the way home from school last night.

[Cheryl Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story about how Roy Riegels ran the wrong way during the 1929 superbowl. A great book to support a discussion about making and recovering from mistakes.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Typical conversation between a grandson and grandfather. A wonderful story to tell around New Year's Day or for encouraging someone who's made a mistake.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with the boys. Very entertaining way to describe a big mistake. It was great to read that Roy Riegels got over this situation and went on to be successful.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice message about learning from your mistakes, carrying on and trying again.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Roy.

It's a bit awkward out loud. I get and like the message, but Gutman shouldn't have hid the ending score in the author's note.

The book's fine. It'll get checked out lots.