Title: Ghost
By: Jason Reynolds
Pub. Day: August 30, 2016

Genre:
Fiction, Realistic, Sports, Middle Grade, Sports,

Recommended Age:
5th-9th grade

Trigger Warnings:
Violence, Domestic Abuse, Substance Abuse, Trauma, Bullying

Favorite Quotes:
“You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be.”

“Trouble is, you can't run away from yourself." Coach snatched the towel from his shoulder, folded into a perfect square, and set it in the space between us. "Unfortunately," he said, "ain't nobody that fast.”

“Don't ever let someone call your life, your dreams, little." -Mr. Charles”

Review:
Castle Crenshaw is a very fast runner, so quick he is nicknamed “Ghost”, in most cases he is escaping with everything he’s got, however, after a challenge with a sprinter Ghost finds running is about more than just escaping, it can be his life saver.

Jason Reynolds writes middle grade and young adult fiction masterfully! He knows exactly how to skillfully pack in a wealth of middle grade themes and elements without overwhelming the reader. “Ghost” is the first in this series, and the novel has a dynamic and realistic main character in Ghost. The readers are naturally drawn to him, as he is grounded in real life emotions. Due to his traumatic past, Ghost’s heart learned to run from everything, instead of opening and trusting in others. This novel is so powerful!

We read this as a family when it was first published. As a middle school English teacher, I quickly purchased a classroom set and we read it as a class through COVID. It’s life changing!!! Without exception, my students connected deeply with “Ghost” , a novel that continues to be a classroom favorite year after year.! I was THRILLED to see it on Netgalley and couldn’t wait to read it again, and quickly write my most favorite book reviews! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AUTHOR!!!

***It should be noted, Jason Reynolds really strikes a powerful chord with boys, even those who usually don’t enjoy reading. Hearing “Ghost” and other novels written by Reynolds, especially read aloud, helps boys instantly relate to the main character, and before long, they’re hooked. It’s a total game-changer!***

Thank you to Jason Reynolds, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books and NetGalley for the opportunity of an Advanced Readers Copy. I am voluntarily leaving my personal review.

#Ghost
#JasonReynolds
#SimonandSchusterChildrensPublishing
#Atheneum #CaitlynDlouhyBooks
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley
#ARC

Ghost is one of those books that I hear about all the time through work but I just hadn’t read.

Wow. This is a true middle grade novel. Not written for 8-12 as middle grade is marketed, but for 11-14, this middle schoolers working to find themselves.

Castle is a troubled kid. After his dad tried to shoot him and his mom, he knows he can run. Witnessing a track practice, he joins in. Becoming part of a team is good for Castle. It keeps him out of trouble, even though some kids at school razz him about his clothes, his hair, his shoes, his mom’s job, and where he lives.

I already have this in my library, but I recommend it for middle school libraries, public libraries, and personal collections.

Thank you to Net Galley, Atheneum, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the ARC.

Appropriate for upper elementary grade students and older, ghost deals with gun violence and single parent situations. Castle Crenshaw is always running. He’s had to run to safety, and never took joy in how fast he was. When he challenges a track team (who was picking on him) to a race; and beats the beat members, he is invited to be on the track team. He then realizes that running for fun, actually is fun and that he’s good at it. He has challenges, but the book is about rising above these challenges. Jason Reynolds excels at writing books where the main character has to decide if he wants to rise above his current situation of life.

This is possibly my number one recommendation for any middle school library. Engaging for a variety of kids with a variety of interests and a variety of reading levels. Ghost has such heart and this book provides remarkable representation and shows one of the most authentic middle grades characters I've ever come across. This is also a perfect book to show adults who don't take young people's literature seriously exactly how wrong they are. Reynolds shows again and again that young folks are just as emotionally complex as adults and deserve our full respect and recognition. Do yourself a favor and finish the series! (Patina is my absolute favorite.)

Ghost, the first book in Jason Reynolds' beloved Track Series, is a fantastic introduction to the Track series. Castle "Ghost" Crenshaw is a lovable, if flawed, protagonist who is certain to win the hearts of many young readers with his competitive drive, his personal trauma, and his journey to learn how to let other people in. The supporting characters are also complex and well developed, and Jason Reynolds does an amazing job laying the foundation for an entire series of books about a team of individuals who support each other like family. This series will always have a place on my classroom bookshelf, as these books are also well loved by my students.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy.