Teen Baseball Fiction

Twelve-year-old star Little League pitcher Nick Garcia has a dream. Several in fact. He dreams he'll win this season's MVP and the chance to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. He dreams he'll meet his hero, Yankees' pitcher Michael Arroyo. He dreams they'll find a cure for Lupus so he sister won't have to suffer. But mostly, he dreams one day his family can stop living in fear of the government. For one kid, it's almost too much to bear.

Twelve-year-old House Jackson, star pitcher and team captain of the Aurora County All-Stars, has been sidelined for a whole sorry year with a broken elbow. He's finally ready to play, but wouldn't you know that the team's only game of the year has been scheduled for the exact same time as the town's 200th-anniversary pageant. Now House must face the pageant's director, full-of-herself Frances Shotz (his nemesis and perpetrator of the elbow break), and get his team out of this mess.

Ten years ago, God gave Braden a sign, a promise that his family wouldn't fall apart the way he feared. But Braden got it wrong: His older brother, Trey, has been estranged from the family for almost as long, and his father, the only parent Braden has ever known, has been accused of murder. The arrest of Braden's father, a well-known Christian radio host, has sparked national media attention. His fate lies in his son's hands; Braden is the key witness in his father's upcoming trial.

In the year 2166, baseball is just a distant memory, lost to history in the aftermath of a devastating second American Civil War a hundred years earlier. But, when Joe Scott, a curious 12-year-old, stumbles upon a relic from the distant past, from before the war, it sparks a search for its meaning. Little does he know that the wheels of Providence have been unwittingly set in motion which leads him on an epic quest of adventure and discovery.

Teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson are covering baseball's World Series, and during the course of an interview with a new hot pitcher, they discover more than a few contradictions in his life story. What's he hiding? An embarrassing secret? A possible crime? Let the investigation begin!

Joe Stoshack has to write a report for school about a famous African-American who contributed to society. Joe chooses to write about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in the 1940s. But unlike every other kid in his class, Joe has a special talent: with the help of old baseball cards, he can travel through time.

The sponsor of his baseball team tells Stosh about the bum rap Shoeless Joe Jackson got for his part in the scheme to fix the 1919 World Series. Now Stosh decides to use his special talent of traveling back in time to warn Jackson against becoming involved. The trouble is, some vicious gangsters stand to make a bunch of money if the fix is on - and they'll do anything to keep Stosh from interfering.

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.

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.

When modern baseball fans think of African-American players, they may think of Ken Griffey Jr. or Derek Jeter. But what about the Black stars who didn't play Major League Baseball? In the early 1900s, Black players were not allowed in the Major Leagues. The Negro Leagues provided an alternative for African-American players. Discover the Negro Leagues in this book packed full of facts and stories. Learn about the biggest games and wildest moments of the Negro Leagues era, as well as some of the greatest (and least well-known) players.

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.