Ghost

Imagine you are one of nine children all alone on a deserted island.  How will you survive?  Who will take care of you?  

I know what you're thinking, but this book is definitely not "Lord of the Flies."  What it is is a wonderful look at growing up, becoming independent, and moving through adolescence on a journey to maturity.  Seems heavy for a boys book club, but I promise you they devoured this book!  The boys loved discussing the connection Jinny had with the island and her friends, the adventures they had, and her responsibility to her community on the island.  

We recreated the island experience in our media center by ditching our shoes in a pile and eating our very own version of snaps and fish (craisins and swedish fish)!  We also recreated the stones and ink fish experience with garden stones and sharpies.

Amazing discussion, amazing fun, amazing book club--as usual!

And I already can't wait until our next meeting on Monday, April 16 at 7:30 am in the media center.  We're reading "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds.  I expected good reviews from the boys just based on the content and writing, but we already have people asking for the sequel.  This might be our best book club yet!  

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.
Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of a brand-new series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award–winning author Jason Reynolds.

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.

Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?