Ghost

Middle grade realistic sports fiction

Track

1

Hardcover

First Person

Fiction

192

9

2018-06-26 18:17:32

Ghost, whose real name is Castle Cranshaw, has been running ever since a traumatic night when his father chased him and his mother through the streets with a loaded gun. He has a natural speed that he mostly uses to stay ahead of trouble at school and in his rough neighborhood. One day he impulsively challenges a member of an elite youth track team to a race and astonishes the coach with how fast he is, despite having no training and wearing heavy high-top sneakers. The coach, recognizing his raw talent and anger, invites Ghost to join the team on the condition that he stays out of trouble and commits to practice.

As Ghost trains with his new teammates, he struggles with his temper, bullying, and the shame he feels about his past and his family’s poverty. He wants to belong but keeps sabotaging himself with bad decisions, including stealing a pair of running shoes that he thinks he needs to prove he is a real runner. Through practices, meets, and difficult conversations with Coach and his mother, Ghost begins to confront his fears and mistakes, learn self-control, and recognize that running can be more than escape: it can be a path toward a better future. The story follows his emotional journey toward accepting help, taking responsibility, and discovering that he can define himself by his speed, his heart, and his choices rather than by the violence and hardship he came from.

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

9781481450157

United States

2016-08-30

2016

2016

1

English

New York

Yes

~$4.29

2026-04-03

2018-06-26 18:17:32