About his first novel, They Came from Centerfield, Gutman writes: "It was fun to write, kids loved it, and I discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to take a blank page and turn it into a world. Around the same time, I started visiting schools, giving a program in which I use sports to get the students excited about reading and writing."

Following the early success of sports series like Baseball Card Adventures, about a boy who can travel through time to meet sports legends when he touches a baseball card, Gutman branched out as a writer, creating historical mystery novels and the hugely popular My Weird School chapter book series.