Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I’ve had Jason Reynolds’ Ghost checked out forever. (Yeah, I know, how many books have I said that about?!) The reviews were fabulous, and his Newbery was impressive, and I’ve wanted to read it, you understand, but I’ve kept just not getting to it. I finally put the audio version on hold, however, and then it finally came in, and I FINALLY finished listening to it yesterday.

SO GOOD.

Seriously. I’m so glad I finally picked it! (It made for two books in a row that I gave 5 stars to, actually–it was a good week.) Castle (aka Ghost) as a narrator is fantastically funny and completely likable, and Reynolds manages to make him a sympathetic character through even his worst choices. In some ways, it’s a classic sports story–kid joins a team and it helps him with his demons–and yet it feels fresh and funny and fabulous. It’s also not just a “sports book,” which made me happy; it’s character driven and situation-focused (is that even a thing?) in a way you could apply to a wide range of activities.

Bottom line? I’m desperately hoping that my older girls are going to be interested enough to read it; if not, however, it’s likely to be a Christmas gift for my son in a few years. Read and enjoy!