Brothers at Bat

In the 1930’s, a lot of families had a lot of kids. And many of them were able to field their own baseball team.

But none were as successful, and none played together as long as the Acerras in New Jersey.

Brothers at Bat by Audrey Vernick tells their story. The Acerras had 12 boys – and 4 girls – 16 kids in all. And the boys all loved baseball. They played the game all the time, and every one of the boys played on the high school team – an Acerra was on the team for 22 years in a row!

In 1938, the boys ranged in age from seven to 32. The oldest nine fielded a semi-pro team and competed against other New Jersey teams. And for the next 14 years (except when the brothers left to fight in World War II), the brothers played semi-pro baseball. They were the longest-playing all-brother baseball team ever.

I especially enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end of this book, with a picture of the brothers in their uniform and more information about the Acerras and how she found their story.

Recommended for ages 4 and up (even if they aren’t baseball fans!).