Almost all of the books Tunis wrote about American athletes express his belief that sports can be valuable and satisfying for both participants and spectators. His first two young adult books, The Iron Duke and The Duke Decides, were based on his own experiences as a collegiate distance runner. With All-American, he began using his journalistic skills to conduct background research for his novels. The Kid from Tomkinsville and World Series begin a series that follows the Brooklyn Dodgers for more than a decade, continuing with The Kid Comes Back, Keystone Kids, and culminating in young Razzle, in which a veteran is joined by his son at the close of his brilliant career.

These books resemble "nonfiction novels" because the fictional characters are based on real people and because the fictional action takes place in real places. Yea! Wildcats! and A City for Lincoln originated from...