Teen Baseball Fiction

This entertaining history blends anecdote, incident, and analysis as it chronicles the story of our national pastime. Alexander covers the advent of the first professional baseball leagues, the game’s surge in the early 20th century, the Golden 20s and the Gray 30s, the breaking of the color line in the late 40s, and the game’s expansion to its current status as a premier team sport. He describes changing playing styles and outstanding teams and personalities, but also demonstrates the many connections to society.

A rough-and-tumble band of batsmen from a California boomtown insist they're the country's best baseball team. To back up their boast, the Dillontown Nine make the 1881 champion ChicagoWhite Stockings an offer they can't refuse - a wager so bold it may completely transform life in their gold mining settlement. Into this explosive high-stakes climate rides 12-year-old baseball virtuoso Jack Dillon.

Motivated by her love for the game and inspired by the legendary Jackie Robinson, Mamie Johnson is determined to be a professional baseball pitcher. But in a sport that's determined by white men, there is no place for a black woman. Mamie doesn't give up - from the time she insists on trying out for the all-male, all-white Police Athletic League until she realizes her dream and becomes one of three women to play in the Negro Leagues. Mamie Johnson's life shows that with courage and perseverance one can overcome even the greatest challenges.

Summer vacation has begun, and Malachi, Elizajane, Noah, and Elias are bored out of their minds. Playing pig pile doesn’t help. Neither does banging one’s face on the grass. What to do, what to do? The kids decide to go downtown to see what they can see. They wander past the old drugstore, where Elizajane remembers something about sodas and It’s a Wonderful Life. In a heartbeat she is gone, bolting around the corner to the back of the old building, where she finds a way inside.

All good things must come to an end. After spending all of their free time every summer practicing and playing baseball, Malachi, Elizajane, Noah, and Elias must grow up. Playing on the magic diamond against the best players in baseball history would remain one of their greatest experiences, but the field is reserved for the young at heart only, and the big world is good at making people into adults. One Easter, when the four kids are much older and Malachi has kids of his own, they begin talking about the magic diamond they used to play on as kids.

Malachi. Elizajane, Noah, and Elias practice their ball-playing skills every night in the park, getting ready for games on the weekend on their magic diamond. They are lucky enough to play baseball against the greatest players the game had ever seen. With dedication and hard work, the kids make a load of progress on the field. There are a few things, however, which might ensure they embarrass themselves during the games. It’s a good thing Elias and Malachi have a surprise ready. Another day, another exciting and wonderful day on the magic diamond.