Baseball Fiction

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.

Jess Singer, pitching prodigy and son of the infamous Jewish Joe Singer—who starred on the mound for the same MLB team twenty-five years earlier—is blessed with a plus-plus curveball, possesses immense athletic abilities, and is on the fast-track to stardom. But he's harboring perhaps the most potent secret a professional athlete can possess: his sexual preference.

How hard could it be to coach a kid's rec league baseball team in the small town of Stonefield? Matt was about to find out. When Matt's buddy asked for help coaching the team, it sounded like fun. No pressure. Then his friend was unexpectedly transferred out of town, and the team now belonged to Matt. Matt was unaware of the challenges waiting for him.

Growing up the youngest of seven children in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente had a talent for baseball. His incredible skill soon got him drafted into the big leagues, where he spent 18 seasons playing right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who Was Roberto Clemente? tells the story of this remarkable athlete: A 12-time All-Star, a World Series MVP, and the first Latin American inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

This entertaining history blends anecdote, incident, and analysis as it chronicles the story of our national pastime. Alexander covers the advent of the first professional baseball leagues, the game’s surge in the early 20th century, the Golden 20s and the Gray 30s, the breaking of the color line in the late 40s, and the game’s expansion to its current status as a premier team sport. He describes changing playing styles and outstanding teams and personalities, but also demonstrates the many connections to society.

Mysteries follow super-sleuth Cam Jansen everywhere she goes...even to the community hobby show. Cam and Eric are checking out a sports-memorabilia booth when a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth disappears. Can Cam catch the thief and recover the Babe's ball?

Havana Heat transports readers to 1911 America, where real-life pitcher Luther "Dummy" Taylor is trying to work his arm back into fighting shape. Though deaf, Taylor helped lead John McGraw's New York Giants to the pennant, winning 115 games between 1900 and 1908. But an injury relegates him to the minors, and he dreams of one last shot at the big barnstorming trip to Cuba.

Now batting third, book number three in a brand-new early chapter book mystery series where each book is set in a different American ballpark! It's spring break and Kate and Mike are off to Los Angeles to visit Kate's dad, a scout for the Dodgers. But all is not sunny in L.A.; strange things have been happening to Kate's dad. Pages have gone missing from his clipboard. He's gotten threatening phone calls. And he thinks he's being followed! Is someone after Mr. Hopkins's top secret scouting reports?

From his first day at boarding school, Toyo Shimada sees how upperclassmen make a sport out of terrorizing the first-years. Still, he's taken aback when the seniors keep him from trying out for the baseball team, especially after he sees their current shortstop. Toyo isn't afraid to prove himself; He's more troubled by his uncle's recent suicide. Although Uncle Koji's defiant death was supposedly heroic, it has made Toyo question many things about his family's samurai background.

Chance Carter is the son of local baseball legend Jack Carter. Now in his junior year at Fullton State, Chance is facing challenges he never saw coming. Failing a class will stop his draft season short, making him ineligible to play and pushing his goal of professional baseball even further away. In steps Danika, a mouthy tutor from New York, who only wants to help him pass his class...not get in his pants. But try telling that to Chance. He doesn’t trust girls, and he definitely doesn’t trust his new tutor. A lifetime growing up as a Carter taught him that.

Things weren't going exactly as I'd planned. I was still following my three rules. Don't get close, never fall in love, and always have fun. It was just getting a bit harder to follow them. I'd had plenty of fun with the ballplayer, but it needed to stop. My life was changing, and it was time for me to come to terms with a few things. There would be no more having fun for us. I would not be having fun with anyone. Too many things were happening, and I needed time to think. I was pregnant. It happened the very first time we were together. When I say very first time, I mean the day we met. ...

The stars are out in Kansas City - the baseball stars, that is! Mike and Kate are at the All-Star game, and even get to go on the field during the Home Run Derby to catch pop-ups! That's where they meet Andy, whose dad, Josh Robinson, is an All-Star catcher. But before the Home Derby ends, Josh finds himself in hot water. Someone is playing practical jokes on the other players, and the coach is sure it's him. Andy swears his dad is innocent. Who would want to frame Josh? And why?

Mariano Rivera never dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He didn't grow up collecting baseball cards, playing Little League, or cheering on his home team at the World Series. He had never heard of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, or Mickey Mantle. But one day, that all changed...

They say that each of us becomes an entirely new person every seven years. But Rebecca Bradshaw doesn't feel any different when an old lover shows up severely injured at the hospital where she runs the physical-therapy department. Seven years ago, baseball player Jace Cooper left her without a second thought or the chance to share the life-changing secret she swore she'd keep from him forever. Now he was back, wanting both her help and a second chance.

When I heard James say that he loved me, I couldn't believe my ears. I wanted it to be true. I was also so afraid that I'd wake up to hear that it had all been a mistake again. That was the second best night of my life. We were really going to be together. I wanted every second with him I could get. He was going to be on the road again, and I was so busy with school. When I'd asked him if we could wait to tell our parents, he didn't want to do it, but he'd agreed to wait until I had my apartment and we were free to do as we pleased. That day came and went, but I still wasn't ready. Why ...

I'd seen everything he had without me. It was everything we said we would have together. He had the perfect house and the perfect life. It was one I'd thought about so many times. Then it happened. She was right there in front of. I was looking into the eyes of the only reason I'd walked away from him and the life we could have had. I did the only thing I could, I ran. How could he do that? How could he rub it in my face? Why couldn't he just let me be? When he showed up at my door, I couldn't believe my eyes. When he stumbled back and stepped on that toy, I didn't know what to do. There he...

I'd had one night with that baseball player. It was one crazy, drunken mistake. I was right about one thing, he didn't make it easy on me. The man drove me crazy. Just when I thought I was rid of the hot, sexy Pittsburgh Pirate, he'd appeared again at a party. My best friend Carrie thought the party was to thank everyone at the company for all of our hard work. She had no idea that the love of her life and owner of the company was going to propose to her. It was something I wasn't missing for the world. That was my plan anyway. That was until that darn ballplayer threw me over his shoulder ...

When they announced the sale of our company at a meeting, I had no idea what I was going to do. I'd moved my entire life for that job. I had a lease on an apartment and was two states away from my family. I didn't want to have to move back home, not with him there. The very next day they called another meeting. I couldn't imagine what they had to say could have been any worse than the meeting before. It was bad enough that I'd gotten drunk for the first time in three years after the first meeting. I'd barely been able to get my ass to work the next day and looked awful. My best friend, ...

We made it through the trip. It wasn't easy though. You remember me saying I'd be rid of him, right? It didn't happen. I don't care what I did, he was still there. For one reason or another, he was there. My best friend and his friend decided to get married. They called to let us know. Of course they couldn't make it easy. We had to be there the next morning. Ugh! Talk about notice. We made it in time for the wedding. It only made sense to drive together. I ended up so glad we did. Something happened and I'd gotten sick. The man had to make things even more difficult for me. He took care of...

There's nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide...well, it doesn't get any better than that. So when a baseball signed by Zach's favorite major league player suddenly goes missing - the search is on! Luckily, amateur sleuths Zach and Zoe are on the case.