Track Series: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
I chose to reread Ghost by Jason Reynolds because this series was the first of many books by Jason that I fell in love with. A few years ago Ghost was on our school wide reading promotion for the state's book award. I really enjoyed it and ended up reading all 4 of the series in both physical and audio format. I want to preface this to say that I am NOT a series reader- and this is the perfect series for a reader like me. I typically do not like the commitment it takes to read a series, as most of them are fantasy, but the way these are written makes it easy. So it is no surprise when the series has shown up on the Quick Picks List for Reluctant Readers by YALSA. So I will give a background of the series itself, before going into my analysis of the first book in the series, Ghost.
This series isn't unique in the fact that the first book introduces the audience to all of the major players and characters that you follow throughout the series, but what does make it unique is that each book in the series changes Point of view from one character to the next. Each book picks up right where the last one left off, but just from a different perspective. This makes the series refreshing and interesting in my eyes, and those of reluctant readers. Each book tells it's own story while following an overarching story between all four novels. This is similar to a TV show that has been popular, each book is like an episode that tells you the background of the character and what they are going through, while all four make up a story that you want to read together. I feel this is what makes it unique in comparison to other series as they normally stay focused on one perspective and just use it to propel a much longer story.
The first in this series, and my personal favorite, is Ghost. It tells the story of Ghost, aka Castle Cranshaw, who is 'misunderstood.' He seems to be always getting in trouble at school, because he is from the "bad side of town." He has a particular fondness for sunflower seeds, world records, and basketball. As he wanders around one afternoon with his sunflower seeds, he observes a track team practicing. He doesn't understand, because "who needs to practice running?" You just can. So after seeing one cocky white boy(Lu book 4) acting like he is the Lebron of running he decides to race him in his jeans and high tops. He wins, and automatically gets recruited for the team. There are 4 newbies on the Defenders (track team): Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu. Ghost and Lu are sprinters, while Sunny and Patina run more long games. Throughout the book, the audience is revealed their backstories. Ghost learned how to run at a young age when he and his mom run out of the house as fast as they can when his dad who is abusive finally aims a gun at them. He heard the first shot and started running and never looked back. This plays a lot into his interactions with adults and his trust issues, but coach and the never ending support of his teammates helps him get ready for his first race ever. It ends on the bang of the starting gun. That is when the next book, Patina starts off.
This series is almost like a relay race, where one character hands the story or baton off to the other. They are all coming of age stories that center around how teamwork bring them together and help them in the long run. This series was a great pick for the Quick Picks for reluctant readers because it allows the reader a noncommittal situation, where they can still hear the story and delve deeper into the character development that helps us understand their situations. Also, bonus, the audiobooks read by Guy Lockhart and Heather Alicia Simms are absolutely to die for! I have all 4.
Other Books you might like if you enjoyed Ghost:
- Track Series: Patina by Jason Reynolds
- Track Series: Sunny by Jason Reynolds
- Track Series: Lu by Jason Reynolds
- Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- Rebound by Kwame Alexander
- Booked by Kwame Alexander
Comments
Post a Comment