Mock Newbery 2026 discussion

Jason Reynolds is determined to "not write boring books." Is it possible that in this quest he has written a future Newbery medal winner? What did you think of Ghost?

Kristen wrote: "Jason Reynolds is determined to "not write boring books." Is it possible that in this quest he has written a future Newbery medal winner? What did you think of Ghost?"

I am currently reading Ghost. I loved Reynolds earlier release As Brave As You. I would be happy if that title won a Newbery.

Delighted that this rose to the top for discussion. Voice is perfectly calibrated, never wavers, and is true middle grade. I read it in early July and the imagery is still strong in my mind. I almost immediately voted for it as first on my goodreads Newbery list. Look forward to hear what others think about it.

My review here: https://medinger.wordpress.com/2016/0...

I absolutely loved this. Jason Reynolds has written so many different, yet perfectly authentic characters that I'm sure I would love his own grocery list. I'm so happy that this is a series; I can't wait for more track stories. I think this will appeal to a lot of middle grade and possibly even high school students.

http://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2016/...

LOVED THIS!

I really enjoyed Ghost. Narrator has a very strong, fresh, authentic voice, nice mentoring relationships, and it's so pleasing to see a track book out there rather than the run of the mill sports books. I was not pleased with the ending as it obviously set it up to be a series book and not a stand alone. Reynolds definitely could've let readers know the results of the race and we would still be begging for book #2. This lowered its Newbery contention for me. However, I think his other novel, As Brave As You, is a very strong contender. Fabulous author!

This book may be a game changer - for me at least. I simply adored this book, and I gave it a hug when I finished it. Newbery or not, Reynolds is an author to watch! I can't wait to share this book with others, and I can't wait to read As Brave as You.

3 of of the top ten finalists on the National Book Awards YA have been discussed on this list: Raymie Nighingale by Kate DeCamillo, Ghost by Jason Reynolds and Pax by Sara Pennypacker. See newyorker.com for complete list.

Ruie

Ruie wrote: "3 of of the top ten finalists on the National Book Awards YA have been discussed on this list: Raymie Nighingale by Kate DeCamillo, Ghost by Jason Reynolds and Pax by Sara Pennypacker. See newyorke..."

Thanks for the heads up, Ruie!

Becky wrote: "I was not pleased with the ending...Reynolds definitely could have let readers know the results of the race..."

I was pleased with the ending because the book is not about winning but about the satisfaction of competing.
My favorite line in Ghost is "Trouble is, you can't run away from yourself. Unfortunately, ain't nobody that fast."

Just finished Ghost and enjoyed it. My first book by this author, and looking forward to the next book in the series. Coach was an excellent role model, building character and community within the kids and the team. A good read, especially for middle schoolers interested in sports stories.

I just finished this book and I think this is a great read, especially for boys who are into sports. The author have Ghost great voice. Very believable character who faces lots of hardships and learns life-lessons along the way. Ghost also is great role models that hold him responsible for his actions but also stand by him. Newberry winner? I'm not sure... Definitely enjoyable and I am looking forward to more from the author.

I liked it and I hope it wins the medal.

I agree with Kate that ending at the start of the race was a great call, and it put the emphasis where it belonged. My complaint about the ending was that it was a little too neat.

My review and longer comments:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is the second book I have read this year that describes a character as "albino". I don't know if this is an offensive term. I wonder why juvenile authors are including these descriptions.

Kate wrote: "This is the second book I have read this year that describes a character as "albino". I don't know if this is an offensive term. I wonder why juvenile authors are including these descriptions."

I have noticed this description fairly often in recent middle grade novels. I did some research and the word "albino" does seem to be offensive to those with albinism. There is a movement to try and eradicate the word.

I just read a different YA sports book with a similar ending, (view spoiler)[ Vision Quest (hide spoiler)] (a book I would not recommend to the members of this group).

I don't read a ton of sports books, but I wouldn't be surprised if the end-at-the-starting line ending is common in the genre. I find it satisfying, and I didn't mind reading it twice in succession.

I think my students will really like this book, and I think they will really like the author's use of voice in the characterization of the protangonist, Castle Cranshaw (aka Ghost). It is a sports book, which makes it another great choice for my students who like Mike Lupica or Kwame Alexander's books due to the sports content. A lot of my literary friends are rating this 5 stars and giving it a nod for Newbery potential. I do not. It is a good book, but I do not feel it being distinguished compared to the other great writings this year.

Czechgirl, I see you have a bunch of contenders with ***** on your shelf. Which would you pick for the medal?

Phil, I love The Wild Robot the most. However, I think the medal would go to Wolf Hollow or Pax, which I both love, also. Of course, I am not done reading all the strong contenders. It's so exciting how many excellent books there were this year. Last year, I didn't feel all that excited about the books that came out.

Czechgirl wrote: "Phil, I love The Wild Robot the most. However, I think the medal would go to Wolf Hollow or Pax, which I both love, also. Of course, I am not done reading all the strong contenders. It's so excitin..."

I would take Ghost over either Wild Robot or Pax. I still need to read Wolf Hollow, though.

For me, part of the appeal of Ghost is that Reynolds does a great job of telling a simple story. He didn't go for story-within-story or complex plot structure. He didn't try to hammer sad material to make it sadder. He just told the story well, and, to me, that distinguishes Ghost from the rest of the contenders I've read this year.

Kristen wrote: "Jason Reynolds is determined to "not write boring books." Is it possible that in this quest he has written a future Newbery medal winner? What did you think of Ghost?"

I enjoyed Ghost and felt that the character was honest and loved the moral dilemmas in the book but I don't know if it would be my pick for the Newbery. I did appreciate that the author didn't try to go bigger, or badder or add too many bells and whistles. He focused on what was important - the saving of one kid who could have turned out like many kids who feel helpless do.

I thought this was a great read, though nothing particularly out of the ordinary.The pacing was good, Castle Cranshaw was a credibly conflicted character, Coach and the kids on the team were distinctive and engaging and I enjoyed the insight into track training. But I've read this kind of story before. (And recently - Kwame Alexander comes to mind.)

I also had a problem with the ending. To me, the book was about Castle taking his (righteous) anger and transforming it into something positive. The ending shut that theme down, abruptly.

That said, I will aim to read the first (!) Reynolds book published this year, and try to get to some of his other titles. If Ghost is any indication, yessir, he doesn't write boring books.

I did manage to read As Brave as You. Loved it! Wonderful characters, particularly list-maker Ernie and his grandpa, Brooke. The plot is slight but effectively buttressed the character development. The humorous tone made it a delightful read (though that meant that a couple of plot points were treated a bit too casually). As Brave as You reminded me of books by Christopher Paul Curtis - meant as high praise!

I really enjoyed this book. However, I agree with many others in thinking that it isn't Newbery. At the same time, I really loved As Brave as You, and thought that it could be a strong Newbery contender.

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and raises important issues about domestic abuse and how it can have such profound effects on children. It is not my pick for a Newbery award but I do think it could be a CSK consideration. I also liked the other book out this year by Reynolds " As Brave As You."

So far, I've tried this, Pax, and Samurai Rising with my students. This one is the clear favorite.

Kristen wrote: "Jason Reynolds is determined to "not write boring books." Is it possible that in this quest he has written a future Newbery medal winner? What did you think of Ghost?"

As Brave As You was much better. I am surprised Ghost is a National Book Award Finalist. You do care about Ghost but a lot of the book felt inauthentic to me. I grew up and live in NY. It can be a pretty hard place. I am not a stranger to seeing or once knowing children in unfortunate and terrible circumstances. So much of the book isn't how a child might act or speak. The same goes for the mom and the teammates. I do think children will like but not love the book. Some people had a problem with how the book ended. The way it was set up and written I think it is clear Ghost won the race.

I couldn't put Ghost down. But more importantly, on Friday in the middle of independent reading one of my 5th grade boys burst out of his chair with a, "No! What?! That's the end?! I love this book! I think there's going to be another one. Is there?" He later told me he liked it even better than Booked. High praise. No other book this year has inspired a comparable reaction.

I laughed and I cried, that's how I determine if it is a Newbery contender. Excellent read, anyone know title of next book in series?