The baseball season just started earlier this week, and the kids in my library are loving it (we’re stops from CitiField, so we’ve got a lot of Mets fans here – and we even have a Mets library card). What else happens during baseball season? Baseball books! Let’s take a look at a few recently out.
Closet of Dreams, by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon/Illustrated by Donna Dyer, (March 2024, Booklogix), $22.99, ISBN: 978-1665301664
Ages 8-12
Child is a nine-year-old boy who loves baseball. He’s got a wicked fastball and wants desperately to be on the Little League team, but the bullies targeting him aren’t making things easy on him. After confiding in his grandmother, he visits the Closet of Dreams: a place Gamma created for Child to seek refuge from his fears. Between the Closet of Dreams and the retired circus animals at the Kids Park where Gamma works, Child begins discovering an inner strength he never realized he had. Talking animals and a reassuring and loving intergenerational relationship makes this a good additional purchase to consider.
Closet of Dreams is the first in “The Adventures of Child and Gamma”, a new chapter book series.
Extra Innings, by Fred Bowen, (Feb. 2024, Peachtree Publishers), $16.99, ISBN: 9781682634110
Ages 7-11
The latest in Fred Bowen’s Sports Story Series is all about baseball – Mike is a 14-year-old kid who loves being a pitcher on his baseball team and he’s good at it. While his team depends on him to help bring the wins, Mike’s dad is a little worried that he’s concentrating too much on baseball and not enough on school or other responsibilities. Extra Innings is all about Mike and his father finding a balance. The main character is a teenager, making the book accessible to hi-lo readers as well as intermediate readers; themes of responsibility, parental relationships, and finding a work-school-life balance will appeal to tweens and teens alike. A good addition to chapter book collections where sports interest is high.
Visit Fred Bowen’s author page for more about his books and sports columns; he also has free resources available, including guided novel studies, discussion questions, and writing prompts.
Warrior on the Mound, by Sandra W. Headen, (March 2024, Holiday House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780823453788
Ages 8-12
It’s 1935 in North Carolina, and 12-year-old Cato wants to play baseball and meet his hero, Satchel Paige: the best player in the Negro Leagues. Cato and his friends are accused of damaging the new, whites-only ballfield in their town; an event that sparks racial unrest that threatens to burn out of control. Cato begins learning more about the relationship between field owner Luke Blackburn, a white man who was friends with Cato’s deceased father, but no one wants to speak about what happened the night Cato’s dad died. Themes of historical racism and violence power this book through a gripping narrative and conclusion, with a strong backbone of family, community, and sports. Back matter includes an author’s note, historical notes, timeline, resources, and further reading. An outstanding work of historical fiction and social commentary that belongs on shelves.
Warrior on the Mound has starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. The Heritage Mom blog has an excellent review of the book and resources on Negro Leagues Baseball.
Mom Read It 