Ghost (Track)

This book is about a boy who is nicknamed "Ghost". Ghost is a star track star with a shot at the Junior Olympics, the only thing is Is that he has a haunting past. As a child Ghost and his mother were forced to leave their apartment after his father had gotten drunk and tried to kill them. Ghost

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encounters a lot of feelings and causes trouble of his own throughout the story that is told from his point of view. The book is the first in a series and would be great as a choice book for middle schoolers to use in a literature discussion book. It covers a ton of language arts concepts that would create great topics of discussion.

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I have read several books by this author and have enjoyed each one. He really knows how to write for teens. In this tale we meet teenager Castle Cranshaw, a/k/a Ghost, who comes from the poor section of town and seems to get into trouble wherever he turns. He lives alone with his mom after his

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father tried to shoot both of them one night while drunk. One day Castle happens to meet Coach and his track team practicing in the park. He becomes intrigued with the sport and the team, eventually becoming a member. This is a timely look at friendship, honest, respect, trust, working as a team and setting goals.

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I love Jason Reynolds- he could rewrite the phone book and I would be first in line to read it. This new series focusing on a running team is a great, younger addition to his work.

Ghost is angry. That anger gets him in trouble. He's been through some serious trauma and lives in a run down area where there is never enough money. When he joins the track team and finds a new mentor in his coach, he starts to feel himself change as he builds his discipline, is embraced by his

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teammates, and takes responsibility for his choices. A quick, engaging read.

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Ghost is ashamed of his life and the fact that his father is in prison. He is saved from his disenfranchisement by becoming a member of an elite track team. The story of Ghost's journey from not being involved in anything to becoming an important team member is realistic and entertaining. Ghost's

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voice as a character is believable as are the events that take place in the story.

This would appeal to young male readers interested in sports. This would also appeal to readers interested in inner city life. This would appeal to readers who want a likable but flawed protagonist at the heart of the story.

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Narrated by Guy Lockard. Castle's father is in jail for shooting at him and his mother. Castle endures teasing at school for the neighborhood he lives in, the haircuts his mom gives, and the oversized clothes he'll grow into. He also has an anger management problem at school. There's one positive

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thing he can do though and that's run. He's fast as a ghost disappearing (hence the title and his self-imposed nickname). Castle literally walks on at a track team tryout and makes the team. There is a lot to learn about being part of a team but after some stumbles (including boosting a pair of running shoes) and Coach's tough love guidance, Castle is on his way to finding his pride of place. Lockard performs Castle's story with youthful candor and humor, capturing the essence of a city kid rolling with life's hard knocks.

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The first book in Jason Reynolds' Track series, Ghost is narrated by seventh grader Castle "Ghost" Crenshaw who accidentally becomes part of a track club when he beats their fastest sprinter during a practice run, wearing his street clothes and hightop sneakers. The coach, recognizing natural

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talent, talks Ghost into joining their team but soon discovers that the boy is explosive both on and off the track. Readers quickly learn the source of Ghost's pain and anger, as well as the bullying he endures at school. It's a short book, so despite several set-backs, Ghost manages to put himself "back on track" fairly quickly, with meaningful consequences for his actions, a sense of self-worth, and a greater appreciation for his friends and family.

The author introduces three other characters, "newbies" to the track team, with differing socioeconomic backgrounds and family dynamics than Ghost's, so readers can look forward to getting to know these runners' stories as the series progresses. Ghost is a pretty compelling first character and his fear and embarassment from living in the projects comes across clearly despite his bravado. Strong, believable characters is where this book really shines, appealing to 4th-8th grade readers, especially those drawn to sports themes and realistic, urban fiction. There is some violence and mention of drug dealing, all described matter-of-factly and not sensationalized at all. Recommend to Kwame Alexander fans, AR 4.6, pts. 6 --JF

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What a terrible ending….it is forcing me to read the next book in the series to find out if Ghost wins his race. Okay, not such a terrible ending, but a great hook to get those non-readers into the next book. Ghost hasn’t had the best life. His temper gets him into a lot of trouble at school.

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The elderly grocery store owner sort of serves as a grandfather to him, and a chance meeting with a taxi driver who is a track coach helps him find focus for his actions. I just read this to get a taste of the series, but I now have to read the whole series Tracks.

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Genre: Realistic fiction
Narrator: “Ghost “an African-American high school student freshman or sophomore
Location: not specified best guess, inner city New York possibly Harlem
Plot: a young boy nickname ghost for his running speed is given an opportunity to join a local track and field

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team
Conflict: “Ghost” is haunted by an abusive father who attempted to kill his mother and is now in jail. He anger issues has resulted in fights at school and suspension. His attempt to fit into the local track and field team is thwarted by his behavior
Review: While the description of “ghost” life and struggles runs true I wasn’t pleased with how certain moral issues were dealt with. The mom’s role in his life is marginalize and isn’t given due respect as opposed to the role played by the coach of the track team who takes on the role of surrogate father.
Recommend: This is a good book for reluctant readers, boys especially

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I really liked the book chapter book, Ghost, by Jason Reynolds. To start I think the voice of the story and the dialog of the characters made them very realistic. For example, the book was told from the point of view of the character Castle. Castle is from a poor neighborhood where he lives with

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his mom. I love that when the story is told it is written in a voice that really shows who castle is. There are jokes and slang throughout the book told in Castles voice that I think really makes the character real and relatable. Another thing I like about this book is all the diversity. The kids on the track team all come from different backgrounds and Castle gets to learn about each of them. What I love is that even though, the kids on the track team know that Ghost doesn’t live in a nice neighborhood or can’t afford nice tract shoes or outfits, they don’t treat him any differently. They treat him as a teammate and a friend and I think that important for students to realize that even though everyone comes from a different background or lifestyle they should still be treated the same. The only thing I didn’t like is how it ended so abruptly! I wanted to see if Ghost had won the race and what the rest of his life on this team is going to look like. I wanted to find out if he gets scholarships to run at schools or has learned to stay out of trouble because he loves being on the team so much. I think the message of the story is that you can’t run from your problems and you must face your fears. I think it’s amazing how the author chose track as the sport to show this message because Castle in the beginning is constantly trying to run away from his problems but then realizes that he can’t and he can only “run to who he wants to be.” Ghost realizes this after his talk with his coach and how his coach shared similar experiences growing up. Ghost then saw that he needed to face his fears and stop running away from his problems.

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When I was done with this book, I was so sad it was over. The writing and story are incredible. Loved every page.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!! This small middle grade book is impossible to put down, even for a adults! Castle is your not so average seventh grader. His mom is raising him the best she can after his violent father was locked up and Castle can get himself into trouble. One day killing time after

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school, he stumbles on a track team practicing near his house and next thing he knows he's drafted on the team. He's a black kid from the wrong part of a town and he's trying to prove himself.... to himself. But even though he can outrun a lot of his problems, he can't outrun himself. A wonderful novel and I can't wait to read the rest in this series!

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Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. 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

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gun, aiming to kill. 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. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?

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I love the author's voice. It's a very natural, authentic way of speaking and shows pretty genuine feelings. Ghost is a sympathetic character, in spite of all his flaws.

I really enjoyed this story for a number of reasons. There were a lot of meaningful messages and themes in this story that makes it a really appropriate book for young adult readers. The overall theme was the importance of facing your fears, with smaller messages scattered throughout the story. The

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main character is constantly trying to figure out his life, and eventually he realizes that he's trying to make a new life for himself, instead of living his old life. The plot of this story was really well organized and flowed really nicely. I like how the story ended right before an important even in Ghosts life, instead of the event being the end of the story. I feel like this made the whole story more about Ghosts journey, and once he had achieved his goal, the story could end. Overall this story was written well, and the language made the reader feel as though they were talking to an old friend. I enjoyed this story.

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Simply outstanding middle grade novel! Hits on big ideas without seeming didactic or preachy. Slim and catching for reluctant readers. Nearly perfect, can't wait for more!

Typical novel from Jason--a realistic fiction novel set in low-income, minority area of town.

Ghost wants to play basketball, but one day he ends up watching people practice running. Watching one guy, Ghost wants to show him that he’s not so great, so he lines up with him. The coach explains that

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tryouts were last week. When Ghost doesn’t move, Coach lets him run one time and then he has to leave. When the run is over, Coach wants him for the team. Ghost knows he can run, but he’s never heard of running as a sport. Coach talks him into joining, saying it will improve his basketball game.

Ghost doesn’t have much, but he learns that he likes being on a team. At school, he has too many altercations, so he gets in trouble. He hates disappointing his mother because she works so hard to make ends meet after his father tried to kill them. He’s also obsessed with world records. Each of his teammates come from different backgrounds with different stories, but they learn to work, support, and accept each other.

This novel is short and easy to read. Most people will enjoy reading it.

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Jason Reynolds has a way. This book has been sitting around my house for a while, and I finally got to picking it up.

Castle Crenshaw is a well-drawn character for middle grades. The portrayal of his rage and his outsider feelings are wonderfully done to maintain relatability to children reading

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this book. Nothing raw or overly painful, but gritty like a skinned knee from a bad fall. This doesn't coddle the reader, instead sets you in his life to draw empathetic conclusions on his choices and challenges. As a bonus Castle "Ghost" Crewnshaw has a way to envelope the reader in justifications and responsibilities for his actions. He knows who he is, just not who he wants to be.

The supporting characters and resulting sequels promise to have their own flavor of hardship and hope, and I look forward to continuing the series.

I'd recommend this for mature late 8yo to adult.

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Castle "Ghost' Cranshaw has had a rough childhood... at least, ever since his father tried to shoot him and his mother. His father went to prison for it, but ever since, he's struggled at school and around the neighborhood. His mother does her best, but she's struggling too. When he stumbles upon a

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track team starting their practice, he runs along with them, just for kicks. But the coach sees something in him and recruits Ghost for the team. At first, he doesn't know how to take it all, but very soon, he's feeling a sense of belonging; of being part of something. And he quickly develops a respect for Coach that he's never had for anyone.
But of course, he stumbles on his path, and one of his stumbles is a pretty big one.
Jason Reynolds never fails to deliver, and this is no exception. I'm looking forward to reading the other three books in the series.

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Excellent read for middle school students. I started reading it with my 3rd grader, but the altercation with Castle's dad at the beginning was too much. Now, my sixth grade son is going to read it. The main character is flawed and does a great job of explaining his thoughts as he works through

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problems (which he has plenty). I'm looking forward to the other books in this series.

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There are many reasons why I loved this book. One of the reasons is that the characters in this story were very realistic and relatable as characters. For example, the narrator, Castle, who goes by Ghost, deals with ongoing struggles related to his family and finances. When one of his classmates

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teases him for being poor, he reacts in a very realistic way by fighting back, feeling emotional about his family’s financial situation. In addition, Ghost steals a pair of running shoes due to people making fun of his other shoes. This action is a realistic thing for a person to do as a result of feeling humiliated, making Ghost easier to imagine as a character. By making Ghost a realistic and relatable character, the author allows the reader to imagine Castle as a real person, making the book more accurate and likeable.

Additionally, I like the plot of this book. The series of events that occur in this book slowly reveal aspects of Ghost’s personality, allowing the reader to get to know him better as a person. For example, events such as fighting a classmate and stealing shoes shows how Ghost copes with the struggles in his life. Another example is that towards the end of the story, one of the characters, Coach, gives Ghost advice of the positive symbolism of running, teaching Ghost to deal with his struggles in a way that is better for his future and looks forward instead of in the past. The events in this book display Ghost’s character and the ending teaches readers a very important lesson: the best way to deal with something is with positivity and looking towards the future instead of back in the past.

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Castle Crenshaw lives with his mom, and his dad is in jail. He happens upon a track team practice, and can join the team on one condition - if he gets in any trouble at all, he's out. As one who's had "altercations" almost every day Castle, who renames himself Ghost, isn't sure that can happen, but

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he joins anyways knowing he's been running ever since his dead threatened him & his mom.

Reynolds has a way of getting into a kid's head and understanding where they're coming from. Ghost is a middle grade novel and for a younger audience than the others that I've read, but it no less pulls a punch as you get to know Ghost and his teammates. Ghost is the narrator, and sounds like a young boy navigating some difficult issues in life, but the story also has humorous moments. The track coach is a great example of an adult mentor, and his relationship with the kids is pretty special. I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the "Track" series goes, each focusing on a different character.

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I read this book in less than a day. Ghost has had it tough in his home life, school life, and struggles with bullies. In this realistic fiction narrative, Ghost learns what it means to take responsibility for his actions, what the power of being on a team can do, and that instead of running away

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from his problems he should be running towards who he wants to be. He finds a mentor in his track coach, and does not fail to feel the power of what tough love really means. This book will show its readers that it does not matter where you come from or what you have experienced, but it does matter what you learn from those hard lessons and what you make of it. Friendships and family will outweigh the bullies and hardships any day.

This is a great book to recommend to readers who are looking for a motivational read, are interested in sports, or are learning to overcome tough decisions and the importance of choosing between right and wrong.

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I now have the entire series in my classroom for my students! Jason Reynolds brings determination, strength, and the bond of friends to this series.