You guys! We’re just one week away from Major League Baseball’s opening day. Of course, the opening-day game I’m most looking forward to is the one between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals, right here in Minneapolis at Target Field. Who’s your favorite baseball team? No matter which big league team you root for, you’re sure to have a ball (ha) reading these baseball-themed books from Lerner.
Emergent readers will devour this book that’s all about America’s favorite pastime. School Library Journal‘s Series Made Simple calls the title “[a] dynamite choice for beginning readers … [and] a nice introduction for kids who are thinking of trying a new sport.” Find a free teaching guide for it here.
Middle-grade baseball fans can indulge their love of the sport with this offering from our Playing Pro Sports series. What does it really take to become a pro ball player? This book has all the details on the talent, hard work, and dedication required to play at baseball’s highest level.
For a little fictional baseball fun, middle-grade readers can turn to The Prospect, as well as its accompanying titles in the Travel Team series. The Prospect follows Nick Cosimo, a young player who eats, breathes, and lives baseball. Nick’s a catcher with a cannon for an arm. His baseball teammates place their trust in this leader, both on the field and off. But when Nick spots a scout in the stands, will he alter his game plan to try to get drafted? Or will be put his team before himself?
Finally, young adult readers will discover a thoughtful and intelligent read in this award-winning, star-reviewed book about sixteen-year-old Alex Kirtridge, who has always been aware of two facts about herself:
1. She’s a standout baseball player.
2. She’s adopted.
And despite facing some teasing, being a biracial girl in a white family had never made much of a difference to Alex as long as she’s a star on the baseball diamond, where her father—a former pro baseball player—serves as her coach. Yet things begin to change when Alex meets Reggie, the first black guy who’s wanted to get to know her, and she discovers letters from her biological father. Suddenly, Alex questions whether she really fits in with her family, what it means to be black, and whether baseball is truly her passion in life.
Sink your teeth into these meaty, informative, and page-turning reads about baseball this spring. They are sure to hit a home run, no matter where your team loyalties lie.