{"id":5918,"date":"2024-04-18T05:30:24","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=5918"},"modified":"2024-04-18T14:20:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T18:20:10","slug":"10-baseball-books-kids-say-home-runs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/10-baseball-books-kids-say-home-runs\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Baseball Books Kids Say
Are Home Runs"},"content":{"rendered":"

For our family, the longer days of spring and summer are synonymous with baseball. Many hours are spent cheering at little league games, playing catch in the front yard, and staying up way past bedtime to see if the Giants are on their way to another World Series victory.<\/p>\n

When my baseball enthusiast son struggled to find books he really wanted to read, I found tapping into his love of the game was a home run.<\/p>\n

Here are top picks for fiction books involving baseball recommended by my son and other young readers on Bookopolis<\/a>, a kid-friendly social network and book discovery tool I created for students ages 7 – 13.<\/p>\n

yes no Baseball Books for Early Readers
(2nd – 4th grade level) 9780399551895 The Capital Catch<\/i> (Ballpark Mysteries Series) by David A. Kelly, illustrated by Mark Meyers <\/p>\n

A great early chapter book mystery series for young baseball fans. Each book is set in a different major league baseball park where Mike and Kate, 9-year-old super sleuths, uncover mysteries with grit and gumption, Encyclopedia Brown style. As Sunny, 8, says, \u201cThis is a very exciting series to read for kids who like baseball and even for kids who don’t.\u201d In The Capital Catch<\/i>, the President of the United States calls on the kids to help his brother, a catcher for the Nationals, figure out who is stealing his equipment. <\/p>\n

9781524713089 A Big Day for Baseball<\/i> (Magic Tree House Series) by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by AG Ford <\/p>\n

With more than 50 books in the series, it’s safe to say that kids really love the Magic Tree House<\/i> books. In their latest adventure, Jack and Annie are given magical baseball hats by Morgan the librarian to make them expert ball players. When the Tree House whisks them back to 1947 to be batboys in a game, the siblings only have nine innings to figure out what makes this<\/i> game so special. Pair the book with the Baseball Fact Tracker<\/a><\/i> to answer all your (and Jack and Annie’s) questions about the game. <\/p>\n

9780142400159 Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball<\/i> by David A. Adler, illustrated by Susanna Natti <\/p>\n

Sadly, it\u2019s harder to find sports books with girls as the main characters. This is a great one that is part of the beloved Cam Jansen series. Cam and Eric are checking out a sports memorabilia booth when a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth disappears. Can Cam use her photographic memory to catch the thief and recover the ball? One reader gave this mystery read “5 stars”! <\/p>\n

9780425289372 The Missing Baseball<\/i> (The Zach and Zoe Mysteries Series) by Mike Lupica <\/p>\n

Another one for mystery lovers! In this first book that follows a lovable twin brother-sister duo who solve sports-related mysteries, a baseball signed by Zach’s favorite MLB player has gone missing. Join this detective duo as they follow the clues to find the missing ball.<\/p>\n

yes no Baseball Books for Older Readers
(4th – 8th grade level) 9780142407578 Heat<\/i> by Mike Lupica <\/p>\n

Twelve-year-old little league pitcher, Michael, throws serious heat on the field but has had many fires to contend with at home ever since his father died after their family escaped from Cuba. Tyler, 11, recommends it for middle schoolers, \u201cThrilling book…very inspirational and descriptive.\u201d This is one of many bestselling sports fiction reads by professional sportswriter Mike Lupica. He has several other books focused on baseball as well as football and basketball that are perfect for fans of realistic sports drama. <\/p>\n

9780375846106 The Girl Who Threw Butterflies<\/i> by Mick Cochrane <\/p>\n

Molly Williams, an eighth grader with a gifted knuckleball, just wants to play ball. Especially since pitching makes her feel closer to her dad who just died in a car accident. This is a story of a young girl redefining herself after a tragedy and how her love of the game aids in that. Ella, 9, recommends this book, \u201cbecause it\u2019s touching and heartwarming\u201d and perfect for fans of baseball. <\/p>\n

9780147513151 Soar<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/316432\/soar-by-joan-bauer\/ by Joan Bauer <\/p>\n

In this book by Newbery Honor-winner and tween favorite, Joan Bauer, we meet Jeremiah, a huge baseball fan who dreams of going pro. But those dreams clash with reality when he learns that he is unable to play due to a physical problem. When Jeremiah moves to a new town, he puts his love of baseball into action as a coach and makes a dramatic impact on his new community. A story of friendship and tragedy that is a good reminder of how sports and sports leaders can bring out the best in everyone. <\/p>\n

9780525554196 Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!<\/i> by Sarah Kapit <\/p>\n

Eleven-year-old Vivy Cohen is determined to pursue her passion for baseball and she refuses to let anything get in the way \u2013 not her autism or her mother\u2019s concern about her being the only girl on the team. With a major-league pitcher cheering her on as her pen pal and new friends, things are going well for Vivy… until a big accident lands her back on the bench. One reader raved that “it’s a really exciting book because there are lots of twists and turns.”<\/p>\n

9781580898263 A Long Pitch Home<\/i> by Natalie Dias Lorenzi <\/p>\n

A champion cricket player back home in Pakistan,10-year-old Bilal struggles to play baseball, the \u201cAmerica\u2019s version of cricket.” Suddenly sent to live in Virginia with his extended family, Bilal misses his home, his sport, and his father, Baba. He hopes that if he can prove himself as a pitcher, Baba will come to America. To do that, he’ll need some help from the best player on the team, a girl named Jordan whose also missing her dad. A lovely story filled with heart and humor that’s perfect for baseball lovers. <\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2024.<\/small><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Batter up! Looking for some great baseball books for kids? Check out these stories young readers are recommending to each other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":5937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67,71,137,318,809,954],"coauthors":[206],"class_list":["post-5918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-mystery","tag-chapter-books","tag-sports","tag-kid-approved","tag-baseball","tag-educators","ages_stages-growing-reader","ages_stages-tween"],"yoast_head":"\n9 Baseball Books Kids Say Are Home Runs | Brightly<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Batter up! Looking for some great baseball books for kids? 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