Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz

In Meiji-era Japan, where the old ways of the samurai collide with the rise of modernity, sixteen-year-old Toyo Shimada must find balance between honor and progress, tradition and change. When tragedy strikes his family, Toyo carries the weight of his samurai heritage into the most unlikely of places—a baseball field. Through the sport of Westerners, he discovers a new form of discipline, one that demands both courage and grace.

Samurai Shortstop is a captivating fusion of history, culture, and coming-of-age spirit. Alan Gratz crafts a story that is both thrilling and deeply human—where the art of the sword meets the heart of the game, and where one boy learns that true strength is not in combat, but in character.