Ghost is a young adult novel by Jason Reynolds, published August 30, 2016 by Atheneum Books. It is the first book of Reynolds' Track series, followed by Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), Lu (2018), and Coach (2025).
Ghost was a New York Times best seller and National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist.
Plot A young boy named Castle Cranshaw, who calls himself "Ghost", enjoys fun facts and sunflower seeds, and dreams of playing basketball some day.
Ghost buys a pack a sunflower seeds from Mr. Charles, the owner of a nearby store. He walks to a bus stop across the street from a gym, where he watches people tiring themselves on treadmills (which he finds funny, as the exasperation of the gymgoers is entertaining), while eating sunflower seeds. While eating sunflower seeds, he thinks about the night when he and his mother ran away from his alcohol-addicted father.
Reception Ghost was a New York Times best seller.
The book received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus, as well as positive reviews from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and Horn Book Magazine.
Reviewing Ghost in The New York Times, Kate Messner said that in his title character, Reynolds has created a protagonist "whose journey is so genuine that he's worthy of a place alongside Ramona and Joey Pigza on the bookshelves where our most beloved, imperfect characters live."
The audiobook, narrated by Guy Lockard, received a starred review from School Library Journal.
Kirkus, New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, and the Center for
The Study of Multicultural Children's Literature named it one of the best books of 2016. +Accolades for GhostYearAccoladeResultRef.2016Cybils Award for Middle Grade FictionWinnerJunior Library Guild book listSelectionKirkus Reviews' Best Books of the YearSelectionKirkus Prize for Young ReadersNomineeNational Book Award for Young People's LiteratureFinalistThe New York Times Notable Children's BooksSelection2017Booklist: Diverse Fiction for YouthTop 10American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young AdultsSelectionAmerican Library Association's Best Fiction for Young AdultsTop 10Association for Library Service to Children's Notable Children's BooksSelectionNCTE Charlotte Huck Award WinnerOdyssey AwardHonorYALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult ReadersSelection2018Vermont Golden Dome Book AwardNominee2018-2019Indian Paintbrush Book AwardFinalistOregon Battle of the BooksNomineeSouth Carolina Junior Book AwardWinnerVirginia Readers’ Choice Award for Middle SchoolWinner2019North Carolina Young Adult Book Award for Middle SchoolWinnerORCA Award for Middle SchoolWinnerRebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book AwardWinnerWilliam Allen White Children's Book Award for Grade 6-8Winner
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