He accidentally found himself part of the team after challenging another runner (Lu) to a race after a bit of mouthing off from the sidelines while he was waiting for his bus. But it turned out that track was his sport, even if he didn’t know it. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?Īll Ghost wanted was to be able to play basketball at the courts in his neighborhood, and to be able to hold his own out there against the local kids. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems-and running away from them-until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons-it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team-a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds. He’s almost done with the third, and so far he’s been pretty enthusiastic, so I’m calling this a win.

I picked up all four of Jason Reynolds’ Track Books for my son, who love all things sports. And so far, we’ve had pretty good results. So I’ve tried my best to make it easy for them, and to help them pick books that I just know they’ll respond to. But in between camps, and summer classes, and the never-ending monster that is swim team, there just hasn’t been a lot of reading going on. I’ve desperately been trying to get my kids to read this summer.

Patina by jason reynolds