One local third grader is already a published author, having written a children’s book about the power of hard work and dedication.

Mark Sanders is a 9-year-old who attends Ivy Creek Elementary School in Buford. Mark is an honor roll student in the school’s Dual Language Immersion program. He spends half of his day learning in English and the other half of his day learning in Spanish. Mark loves math, science, reading and, of course, writing.

When Mark is not immersed in school or has his nose in a book, he can be found spending time with his father, mother and a younger brother who will start kindergarten this fall. Mark loves playing baseball and that love of baseball inspired his book, which he began writing in the second grade.

“Knocking Greatness Out of the Park” is a children’s easy reader intended for children ages 6 to 10 years old to enjoy. The book uses baseball “to motivate and inspire young readers to set goals, dream big and make it happen. ‘Knocking Greatness Out of the Park’ illustrates love, dedication and persistence,” Mark’s mother, Patrice Sanders, said.

“Knocking Greatness Out of the Park” features a young boy, Ace, who is discovering his love of playing baseball with the help of his dad. In the beginning, Ace wasn’t focused and needed to be redirected by his father. His father urged Ace to focus and began to tell Ace the importance of having dedication and working hard to achieve his goals.

Ace and his father began to practice more, and little by little, Ace’s confidence in his abilities grew. The day of his game arrived and the hard work Ace had put in with his father paid off.  Ace played his best during the game and proved that with dedication and hard work, he could achieve great things.

The book features illustrations that immerse the reader in the storyline, and the characters’ expressions effectively show the emotions the author wanted to convey in his story. 

“Knocking Greatness Out of the Park” was released on Amazon on Jan. 11 and is available in both English and Spanish languages. It has already reached No. 1 on the New Release Children’s Baseball Books category on Amazon and it has also been inducted into the Library of Congress.

“Knocking Greatness Out of the Park” is available for purchase in both digital and paperback versions online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million.