Click the “Baseball” link above to find texts for the baseball enthusiasts in your classroom. Enjoy!
Key:
^ Nonfiction
# Other: Poetry, Drama, etc.
*Grade levels are based on reviews from sources such as School Library Journal, Booklist, etc. They do not necessarily represent Alan’s views on grade level appropriateness.
Baseball
A Diamond in the Desert by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (Multicultural; Grades 4+)
^ A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie “Peanut” Johnson by Michelle Y. Green (Multicultural, Female Protagonist; Grades 4-7)
# All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg (Multicultural, Bullying; Grades 6-8)
# All Star by Jesse Lonergan (Grades 9-12)
Babe and Me: Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman (Series; Grades 5-9)
# Baseball Crazy: Ten Stories that Cover All the Bases by Nancy Mercado, ed. (Grades 4-8)
Baseball Great by Tim Green (Grades 4-7)
Baseball in April by Gary Soto (Multicultural; Grades 4-7; Spanish Edition)
# Beanball by Gene Fehler (Grades 5-9)
^ Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back by Josh Hamilton and Tim Keown
^ Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits by David Ortiz and Tony Massoratti (Multicultural)
Biggie by Derek E. Sullivan (Grades 9-12)
^ Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues by Patricia McKissack and Frederick McKissack (Multicultural)
Broken Laces by Rodney Walther
Bull Catcher by Alden R. Carter (Grades 7-10)
Center Field by Robert Lipsyte (Grades 8-12)
Change-up: Mystery at the World Series by John Feinstein (Grades 6-9)
Choosing Up Sides by John Ritter (Grades 5-9)
^ Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero by David Maraniss (Multicultural; Spanish edition)
Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert (Grades 8-11)
Curveball: The Year I Lost my Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick (Grades 7+)
Cutting Loose by Michael Lewin (Female Protagonist; Grades 8+)
Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace (Multicultural, Female Protagonist)
^ Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series by Eliot Asinof
Extra Innings by Robert Newton Pack (Grades 6-8)
Fantasy Baseball by Alan Gratz (Grades 3-7)
# Fences by August Wilson (Multicultural)
Fenway Fever by John Ritter (Grades 5-7)
Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote (Multicultural; Grades 4-6)
Forced Out (Travel Team) by Gene Fehler (Grades 4-6)
Game Seven by Paul Volponi (Grades 7-10)
Gold Dust by Chris Lynch (Multicultural; Grades 5+)
Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker (Grades 6-10)
Heat by Mike Lupica (Grades 5-9)
High Heat by Carl Deuker (Grades 5-8)
^ High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time by Tim Wendel
Hurricane Heat by Steven Barwin (Grades 5-8)
^ I Never Had it Made: An Autobiography of Jackie Robinson by Jackie Robinson and Alfred Duckett (Multicultural)
Ironweed by William Kennedy
Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America’s Game by Chris Crowe (Grades 1-4)
Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park (Female Protagonist; Grades 4-7)
^ Kenichi Zenimura, Japanese American Baseball Pioneer by Bill Staples, Jr. (Multicultural)
Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (Female Protagonist, Multicultural, Racism; Grades 5-8)
Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff (Grades 5-8)
Lucky Enough by Fred Bowen (Grades 2-3)
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Bullying, Multicultural, Racism; Grades 6-10)
Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt De La Peña (Multicultural, Racism; Grades 9-12)
Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta (Grades 5-8)
My Thirteenth Season by Kristi Roberts (Female Protagonist; Grades 5-8)
No Cream Puffs by Karen Day (Female Protagonist; Grades 5-8)
^ One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard
^ Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Season by Jonathan Eig (Multicultural)
Out of Order by A.M. Jenkins (Grades 8-10)
Over the Wall by John Ritter (Grades 6-9)
Painting the Black by Carl Deuker (Grades 8-12)
Pinch Hit by Tim Green (Grades 5-8)
^ Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, World War II, and the Long Journey Home by Gary Moore
Plunked by Michael Northrop (Concussions; Grades 9+)
^ Pujols: More than a Game by Scott Lamb, Tim Ellsworth, and Joe Posnanski
Rivals by Tim Green (Grades 5-8)
Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz (Multicultural; Grades 8-11)
See No Color by Shannon Gibney (Female Protagonist; Multicultural; Grades 9-12)
Seven Days at the Hot Corner by Terry Trueman (LGBTQ; Grades 6-9)
# Shakespeare Bats Cleanup by Ron Koertge (Grades 6-9)
# Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge (Grades 6-9)
Six Innings by James Preller (Grades 5-8)
Snow in August by Pete Hamill (Multicultural)
Striking Out by Will Weaver (Grades 8-12)
Summerland by Michael Chabon (Grades 5-9)
^ The Belles of Baseball: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Nel Yomtov
The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John Ritter (Grades 5-8)
The Boy Who Would Not Play Ball by Robert Taylor Brewer
The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz (Multicultural; Grades 7-10)
^ The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O’Connor
The Comeback Season by Jennifer Smith (Female Protagonist; Grades 8-11)
The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher (Grades 8-12)
The Desperado Who Stole Baseball by John Ritter (Grades 5-8)
The Girl who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane (Female Protagonist; Grades 5-9)
The Legend of Mickey Tussler by Franki Nappi (Series; Disability; Grades 6-11)
The Natural by Bernard Malamud
^ The Orlando Cepeda Story by Bruce Markusen (Grades 6-12)
The Pitcher by William Hazelgrove (Grades 9-12)
^ Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince (Female Protagonist; Grades 9-12)
Top of the Order by John Coy (Grades 3-6)
^ We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Multicultural, Racism)
You Don’t Know about Me by Brian Meehl
