“The story I’m about to tell you is so amazing, so improbably, and so preposterous, you’re going to think I must have made it up. But I swear every word of it is true. This is not fiction.” So begins Dan Gutman’s tale of his lucky grapefruit and the historic 1986 World Series. Young sports fans who breeze through this dramatic (and funny) short story about the Red Sox, the Mets, and the Curse of the Bambino should check out Gutman’s Baseball Card Adventures series.

It’s worth tracking down a copy of this out-of-print book from Olympian-turned-writer Jackson Scholz. Marty Shane struggles to make his way up from the minors to the big leagues based on his talent, instead of joining the major league club his brother manages. A great story about gritty determination and work effort for any young ball fan. 10-18, 12-18.

In this classic sports story, teenager Roy Tucker is called up from his Connecticut hometown to help the Brooklyn Dodgers out of a slump. A baseball story for the ages (and thought to be an influence on Bernard Malamud’s The Natural).

This is more than an ABC book: in addition to a clever rhyme for each letter of the alphabet, the sidebars provide additional fun tidbits for serious fans (young and old alike). This beautifully illustrated book places a strong emphasis on baseball’s historic places and players. Make sure to check out the whole sports series from Sleeping Bear Press, including titles like T is for Touchdown and Z is for Zamboni.

This wonderful work of historical fiction revolves around middle school drama, baseball, and the Vietnam War. You may enjoy sharing this one with the kid in your life (if they’re 10 or so or older). Fans of E. L. Konigsburg will love this funny and poignant book.