Ghost

At first, I wasn’t sure about this book’s “voicy” urban slang. However, I fell more and more for “Ghost” (Castle, the main character, who has a cousin named “King”) as I learned about his painful history.

Castle is a lightning-fast runner, and I’m a sucker for characters that have passion for the athletic event they love, especially individual sports but on a team—cycling, swimming, running, boxing, fencing, etc. I couldn’t help but root for him, even when I winced at many of his decisions.

Although far from perfect, he’s kind, which allows him to fit into his new “tribe”: the… show more.

Although Ghost is heavy on hardship (angry kid, incarcerated father), and a struggle story for sure, it’s such a tight, fast-paced one with a voice that you can’t help but fall right into the narrative.

Add to that sports (track), bad choices (stealing shoes), and all the intense emotions of a seventh-grader, any kid will have a hard time putting it down. 

Eleven-year-old Castle Crenshaw, the protagonist of Ghost, reminds me a lot of my protagonist Solo Hahn in Avenging the Owl. Both boys “have a lot of scream inside.” Castle suffers from PTSD because he’s witnessed so many fights between his parents. His family has one heck of a total meltdown when his father threatens to shoot him and his mother, and they have to hide in a convenience store. Castle finds adult mentors and begins to run track, which helps him to deal with anxiety and depression. Running cross-country and track saved me, as well; I still run… show more.

This sport might not be as non-traditional as some of those from my other recommendations, but before Ghost came out, readers were pretty hard-pressed to find a book featuring a track team. Thankfully, Jason Reynolds gave us the story of Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw. This book is written in such a conversational tone, it felt like Ghost was talking directly to me, telling me all about his life, his father, and why he’s no stranger to running. This book packs a wallop of an emotional punch, but you’re never left without a smile on your face as you learn about how… show more.

Castle Crenshaw, better known as Ghost, is the dirt-poor, Black son of a single mother. The two of them have fled the family home with Ghost’s father shooting at them (“But the craziest thing was, I felt like the shot - loudest sound I ever heard - made my legs move even faster”). A coach spots Ghost’s exceptional talent when he takes an instant dislike to an albino kid in an overpriced tracksuit and races him in a burst of anger. Ghost joins the team, and struggles with a sport that proves to be demanding and exhausting, as well as… show more.