Summary: Ghost
Castle Cranshaw aka Ghost hasn’t had an easy life, but when he stumbles upon some kids training on a race track on his way home from school, he doesn’t know that his life is about to change. With a coach who demands better of him and new teammates who aren’t equally as easy to win over, Ghost may just be one step closer to healing from his traumatic past.
The Good
This book is well known for good reason! Despite being super short at 192 pages, it undoubtedly packs a solid punch with accessible writing, strong imagery, and well-drawn side characters — even through a first-person narrative. Readers will quickly fall into step with Ghost’s slangy voice and will find themselves relating strongly to a character who’s just trying to get through each day with all the anger and hurt he feels about the cards life has sent his way.
Another major part of this story is the sports of it all. Running track is not a popular sport in middle grade literature. It sits far behind other higher action sports like basketball, baseball, and soccer. Still, Reynolds makes the track come alive for readers as Ghost’s speed, his teammates talents, and the unmissable competition between them increase the tension and suspense in this book.
This story also interrogates our perception of wealth and poverty and the impact of poverty on kids. Finally, at its core, the story is about healing, moving forward from the need to escape oneself because of past trauma. The found family on and off the track, including his fellow Defenders, his coach and Mr. Charles is a powerful catalyst for his healing.
Ghost
Ghost is a fast-paced, voice-y sports story about determination and community that gets Reynolds’ Track series off to an impeccable start. Kids who like engaging sports stories, books about the underdog scoring a win, and stories about the resilience of other tweens will enjoy this book. With several teachable elements, this is a wonderful book to use in the classroom!
Star Rating
Teaching Ghost in the coming year? Use my novel unit!
GHOST Novel Unit
A comprehensive resource for teaching Jason Reynolds’s award-winning novel, Ghost. This novel unit features a 3-week lesson plan with chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, daily lesson slides, student resources, and weekly assessments. Teach vocabulary, point-of-view, literary devices, writing, character analysis, and so much more with this all-in-one plug-and-play resource. Available digitally and as a printable PDF. Each purchase comes with complimentary one-month access to Reading Middle Grade’s Patreon community on THE EDUCATOR tier. Our Ghost novel unit was created in line with Common Core standards by Afoma Umesi, founder of Reading Middle Grade, and Evelyn Khoo-Schwartz, a fifth-grade teacher-librarian in the US.
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Content Notes
Here are some specifics to know about the content.
Content Warnings
- Death: None.
- Alcohol/substance abuse: References to Ghost’s father abusing alcohol
- Sexual content: None.
- Violence: Ghost’s father fires a gun at him and his mother. Ghost gets into a fight at school.
- Religious content: None.
- Language: None.
Diversity
- Ethnic: Main characters cued Black.
- Sexual orientation: None.
Recommended for ages: 10+
Good for kids who like:
- Sports stories
- Books about overcoming adversity
- Friendship stories
- Books about bullying
Publisher Details
| Publisher details | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books |
| Author: | Jason Reynolds |
| Illustrator: | N/A |
| Publication date: | January 9, 2024 |
| Audiobook? | Yes, Libro.Fm |
| Page count: | 192 |
| Cover artists | Designer: | Vanessa Brantley-Newton |Debra Seftsios-Conover & Irene Metaxatos |
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