How magical is the experience of attending your very first baseball game and hearing the crack of the bat resound throughout the stadium? What’s more terrifying than being out in left field praying the ball doesn’t come your way? Who better are the friends you make while playing out on that diamond?

Here are ten new fictional stories that celebrate all aspects of the game of baseball. And what a starting lineup! From John H. Ritter, author of The Boy Who Saved Baseball, to Newbery Award–winning Jerry Spinelli, this is a gathering of ten great authors for children, some of whom are specifically known for their writing about baseball. Featuring a story told in poems and another in a play format, Baseball Crazy is a truly diverse collection that will appeal to fanatics of the sport as well as those sitting hesitantly out on the bench. Batter up!