Ghost by Jason Reynolds

photo by Ema Poposka

If you have read my BoB blog last year you will know I am a runner and that I love books about running, although I rarely find stories about runners. Ghost is one of those rare stories. I was so taken by this book that I persuaded my mum to get me the whole set of four books, each about one of the Defenders (a team of runners).

Ghost is the nicname of Castle Cranshaw, and he has a secret.

"I know the word sunflower is made up of two good words, and that man ain't got two good words in him, or anything that any girl would like, because girls don't like men who try to shoot them and their son."

Ghost is an angry teenager who doesn't have many friends until he meets Coach Brody. Coach sees the potential in Ghost not only for running but also for turning out to be a good person.

"Trouble is, you can't run away from yourself." Coach snatched the towel from his shoulder, folded into a perfect square, and set it in the space between us. "Unfortunately," he said, "ain't nobody that fast."

Even if you come from a poor background and even if you have a violent father that is not what defines you. Ghost proves this to be true. But to get there he will have to overcome several obstacles, all of them within himself. He also needs to learn to be a team player.

"Show you that you can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run towards who you want to be."

With the help of Coach and his fellow runners Ghost is on a good track to become one of the world's greatest.

I can hardly wait for my Track box set to arrive and I learn the stories (and secrets) of the other three runners on the team: Patina, Sunny and Lu.