Coffee at the Library : Book Review Ghost

Reynolds, J. (2016). Ghost. New York, NY: Atheneum.

Castle Crenshaw goes by the name Ghost, because he is a wicked fast runner. The first time he ran, he was running for his life. Ghost and his mother are not well off; his father attempted to shoot them one drunken night, and Ghost retains a certain amount of fear and desire to run from that traumatic night. His mother, meanwhile, is struggling financially, and is studying to become a nurse. Now that her is older, Ghose puts his natural talent to work by running track. But he’s not running toward the finish line, he’s running away from his past and the anger he’s got buried deep inside of him and this story unfolds as he is trying to figure it all out.

This book is the first of Jason Reynold’s middle grade series about track. Jason Reynolds manages to squeeze numerous topics into his books without making the narrative feel over crowded. Ghost touches on thievery, gun violence, bullying, drug abuse, honesty, family dynamics, friendship, and healthy ways to channel anger and hurt into positive action. It is more than just a sports story, it was a sensitive, realistic look at a young person dealing with trauma and trying to avoid the crushing effect of racism, poverty, and abuse. Ghost has won many awards including Odyssey Award Nominee, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee, NAIBA Book of the Year for Middle Readers, NCTE Charlotte Huck Award, Great Lakes Great Books Award for 6-8, YALSA 2017 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults.

Grade Level Recommendations: 5^th-9^th

Author Jason Reynolds Website

https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/

Patina (Track Book #2)