Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw feels like he’s been running nonstop since the day his father pulled out a gun and chased him and his mother through the apartment and down the street. Even though his father is serving time in jail, Ghost can’t seem to run fast enough to escape his past. Highly impressed by his running skills, a local track coach recruits Ghost to join his elite team of runners. There’s a catch though: Ghost has to stay out of trouble and do better in school. Can Ghost learn to control his fears and help the Defenders qualify for the Junior Olympics?

Verdict: There are so many great things about this book but the thing I liked most was the characters. The characters all come from wildly different backgrounds and are all dealing with their own set of problems, which causes quite a bit of friction on the track team. My two favorite characters are Coach and Ghost. Like Ghost, Coach is haunted by his past. He chooses to coach and mentor the Defenders to prevent kids from making his same mistakes. Ghost has such a unique voice. He’s had to deal with a lot of difficult stuff at such a young age. His mom works long hours to support the family, his dad’s in prison, and he’s constantly being picked on at school because he lives in the poor neighborhood. Joining the Defenders might just be the best thing to happen to him in his entire life. I’m excited to see how the story continues in the rest of the series. This book is perfect for any reader, not just sports fans, as it addresses so many important issues. A great middle grade read!

About the Author 

“So, I’m a writer. And when I say I’m a writer, I mean it in the same way a professional ball player calls himself an athlete. I practice everyday and do the best I can to be better at this writing thing, while hopefully bringing some cool stories to the world. The stories are kinda like my slam dunks. Except, I’m dunking words. In your FACE! Ha!

…

Here’s what I know: I know there are a lot — A LOT — of young people who hate reading. I know that many of these book haters are boys. I know that many of these book-hating boys, don’t actually hate books, they hate boredom. If you are reading this, and you happen to be one of these boys, first of all, you’re reading this so my master plan is already working (muahahahahahaha) and second of all, know that I feel you. I REALLY do. Because even though I’m a writer, I hate reading boring books too.

Here’s what I plan to do: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS.”

This about me section is from Jason Reynolds’ website. You can learn more about him by visiting http://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/.