Baseball Joe on the School Nine

The dream begins in a dusty barn. Joe Matson, a wide-awake country boy with a killer arm and boundless ambition, has only one goal: to play baseball at Excelsior Hall Boarding School. When he and his hometown pal Tom Davis finally make the team, the real game starts - not just on the diamond, where rivals test Joe's nerve, but in the shadows too, where scheming competitors are trying to steal his father's machinery patents. Joe must be clever both at the plate and in the fight to protect his family's livelihood. This is pure turn-of-the-century juvenile adventure: earnest, fast-paced, and entirely sure that a boy with gumption and a good heart can beat any villain. It's the kind of story that made generations of young readers believe the world was simple and victory was just a matter of trying hard enough.