Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Reynolds, J. (2016). Ghost. Atheneum Books for young readers.

Summary:

The book is about a boy named Castle Cranshaw that gave himself the nickname ghost. Ghost was a victim of an abusive father that would hit him and his mother when he was drunk. His mother flees the home with Ghost to relieve her life. Ghost goes to school, where he is always in trouble due to fights with kids that bully him and make fun of his poverty. Ghost challenges one of the fastest runners in front of the coach. Ghost beats the other kid, and the coach tries to convince him and his mom to join the team. Ghost finally decides to join the team, but he is still in constant trouble because he is always being bullied. One day Ghost steals some shoes because he ripped his shoes during a race. He then later figures out that he sees the coach as a father figure and decides to open up about his problems at school and home with his father being abusive. The coach then tells him that he suffered the same at home with his abusive father. Once he heard that the coach suffered the same thing, he saw the coach with different eyes. He then decided to turn his life around and joined the track team.

Strength:

This book will be an eye-opener for many students. The story shows the students that no matter what you go through, you can come out of the situation. There are people out there who care for you. This book will help children who are going through the same situation.

Award:

National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2016)

Connection

Booktrailer:

https://youtu.be/zzCBbaRkpr8