A baseball book full of on the field action perfect for middle grade readers. "Strike one is the best pitch in baseball." Mike loves pitching, and he loves knowing his team counts on him to deliver wins. But Mike's father starts to worry that Mike is getting too carried away with baseball and not spending time working at after school jobs and developing a sense of responsibility. Can Mike and his father reach a compromise in order to let Mike play the game he loves and help his team win the league championship? Read “The Real Story” of Harvey Haddix, who pitched a perfect game against the Atlanta Braves in 1959 and LOST. Baseball fans will love this extra dive into sports history.

Ryan, Zeke, Eli, and Miles have always shared a love of sports, especially basketball. When it's time for basketball team tryouts, these best friends practice together, compete in a local 3-on-3 tournament, and carefully compute their chances of making the team. However, when tryouts arrive, will all their athletic skills pass the test? Can their friendship survive if one of them doesn't make the cut? Fred Bowen keeps readers on the edge of their seats with play-by-play basketball action and real court strategy along with a story about winning and losing as well as the value of practice and competition. In the sports history epilogue, Bowen reminds readers that even famous players like Michael Jordan didn't make their high school basketball teams the first time around.

Looking for baseball action? Check out this Sports Story Series book from Washington Post KidsPost columnist and author Fred Bowen—perfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green. Baseball season is under way, and Coach Skelly just quit! Worst of all, Scott and his teammates can't find anyone else to coach the team. It looks as if the Tigers' season might be over before it really begins. But then the Tigers have a big what if one of them becomes the coach? After all, some of the biggest names in baseball history were player-coaches. Why not a kid coach? Author Fred Bowen shares a story of leadership, teamwork, and hidden talents as these young players take control of their own team. Readers can learn more stories of real-life MLB player-managers in the afterword.