"He wasn't strong because he wasn't afraid. 2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. Full of shame, Castle runs away from school during lunch. He wasalso the 20202022 National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature. In the conversation that results, Coach tells him that he grew up in the same neighborhood, and that he also lost his father to drugs. In a subconscious act of self-sabotage, Castle steals a pair of slick running shoes that will undoubtedly improve his performance on the track but will also jeopardize his ability to stay on the team if his coach or mother were to find out. If I didnt want the violence to remain, I had to do a hell of a lot more than just say the right things and not say the wrong things., Shawn turned back toward me, eyes dull from death but shining from tears, finally spoke to me. It was mainly just us talking about what it mustve been like and all that. Castle, who nicknames himself "Ghost," is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Coach takes the new runners out to a Chinese restaurant, a yearly tradition. . Rather than have the others treat him differently, they treat him as though he hasn't even said anything, and yet he nonetheless senses that they care about him and what he has been through. Plus, receive recommendations for your next Book Club read. Importance: Early in the novel, the grandfatherly relationship that Ghost has with Mr. Charles is highlighted. PDF Ghost by Jason Reynolds - Book Units Teacher REKIA BOYD! Next I have students create a list of high order thinking questions using Costa's question cues. As the world communicates more and However, he says the bag costs ten dollars (usually its a dollar) until Castle tells him why hes not in school. With this minor exchange, Reynolds sows the seeds for a crush or romance between Castle and Patty that may grow in the subsequent novels that comprise the Track series. I mean, come on. Coach snatched the towel from his shoulder, folded into a perfect square, and set it in the space between us. Hes one of those dudes who feels like theres no better opportunity for a black boy in this country than to join the army., Even if they didnt know Rashad . Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw. Not as victims. . Jason Reynolds, quote from Ghost, and even though he said we were telling secrets that we were all going to keep, I had learned a long time ago that adults played by different rules. Ghost by Jason Reynolds | Ghost Book Summary The Question and Answer section for Ghost is a great . quotes, and essay topics. "Trouble is, you can't run away from yourself.". Just you as you. More books than SparkNotes. We also accept . Castle Cranshaw, I said, then quickly clarified, But everybody calls me Ghost. By everybody, I meant nobody except me. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com. For the first time, Castle feels hopeful for his future. Inside the Guide. And I just kidnapped you!. If we understand how the tree works, how the trunk and roots are where the power lies, and how gravity is on our side, we can attack it, each of us with small axes, and change the face of the the forest., Sometimes, when people get treated as less than human, the best way to help them feel better is to simply treat them as human. He then proceeds to throw one of Monique's drumsticks at Ghost while saying he is feeding the hungry. Faster faster, faster, faster FASTER!, Honestly, I just wanted to take it easy for the rest of the day. Acting on impulse, Castle cuts down his sneakers so they are lighter and can facilitate his track running. Not sure how he found out that was some kinda special talent, and I cant even imagine how much snot be in those balloons, but hey, its a thing and Andrews the best at it. You love first, and that's always a good thing. Running aint nothing I ever had to practice. Ive definitely been scared of somebody before. This Study Guide consists of approximately 30pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Goodreads helps you follow your favorite authors. I said no. Decide. If you dont, someone else will. However, Castle will soon learn that the discipline of trainingalong with some humilityis necessary for true athletes to hone their talents and achieve greater success. Mr. Charles offers him the sunflower seeds for free, and advises Castle to get used to people laughing at him: he says his whole family of over-achievers laugh at him for running a store instead of being a doctor or lawyer like the rest of them. . She said one March two years ago she was feeling suicidal. Nope, thats pretty boy back there, she said. they couldnt just ignore what happened to him; they couldnt walk away. Explain and illustrate your favorite quote from the book. Sunny, the long-limbed newbie who Castle previously laughed at when he saw him lazily sprint, turns out to be the best distance runner. Jason Reynolds 's Ghost (2016) is a young-adult novel about Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw, a middle-schooler who joins a track team as a sprinter and develops greater behavioral discipline as he trains. Whatever it was, it got me to where I needed to get., I didnt need ROTC. Not as victims. The coach initially convinced Castle that track could help him become a better basketball player, but now Castle realizes he was lying: he never intended for Castle to return to basketball. The explanation of what the quote means to the student is clear and at least two sentences. Three years before the events of the novel, Castle's father went to prison for shooting at Castle and his mother as they fled . And before Coach or Lu could say something slick, Patty added, I like it. With no power to change these facts of his life, Castle must resign himself to who he is, and figures there's no harm in one more person knowing where he comes from. Hear me? Ghost Quotes. It was about him standing up for what he believed in. So damn good that you just wanna hold on to it, and everybody in it. Although he is naturally talented as a sprinter, Castle falls to the back of the pack for the long run, making it clear to him that his endurance skills are lacking. A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. Its just something I knew how to do.. Castle continues to act out through misbehavior with his visit to Everything Sports. I didnt need a passport, but I met a lot of interesting people and experienced new things. Not criminal records. What did you think it would do for me? I asked, realizing that he never thought it could help me dunk by next year. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book "Because racism was alive and real as shit. Tools to track, assess, and motivate classroom reading. 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 the acclaimed Track series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award-winning author Jason . In the description box, write the quote and at least one sentence about what this quote means to you. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Ghost. who share an affinity for books. We! Thats how come I know how to run so fast. Meet Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu in Jason Reynolds's explosive New York Times bestselling Track series . Sunny. After he watches for a while, he challenges one of their fastest sprinters to a race and holds his own. "And I think he's got potential. It is the first novel in the award-winning "Track" series. Like he didnt recognize us, probably because of how scared we both mustve looked. The ritual of buying them and meditatively eating them gives a sense of grounding and calm in Castle's life. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). 93 likes. Castle barely contains his anger and shame until the lunch bell rings. - Ghost about Mr. Charles, Ch. Upon seeking refuge with Mr. Charles, Castle was told he looked like a ghost, a result of the shock and dissociation of the domestic crisis. By "certain kind of neighborhood," Castle euphemistically refers to the neighborhood's reputation as low-income and high-crime. 9, (These instructions are completely customizable. Having come from similarly dysfunctional circumstances, the coach understands better than anyone the power of track to put at-risk kids such as Castle on a path toward self-fulfillment. With Castles second official Defenders practice, Reynolds brings back the theme of humility, as Castle learns that Thursdays are dedicated to a long run. The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics. He isnt always sure what he is trying to escape, but there is a constant pressure in him to move faster and to put distance between himself and his problems. At the dinner, Castle learns that each of them has a troubled past and secrets. In this exchange, Reynolds builds on the theme of camaraderie. I did. This Study Guide consists of approximately 30 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Ghost. But now, the only person Im scared of, other than my mother . With proper coaching, he could be a serious problem. - Coach Brody about Ghost, Ch. 'Ghost' is an award-winning book that tells the tale of Castle Cranshaw, a troubled seventh-grade boy who has had to deal with a lot in his life. In this exchange, Reynolds shows how a sense of trust is building. The segregationists try to get away from Black people., This is a roll call! I got a school rap sheet, but in school they call it a file. I got a file. Create a book wishlist and and share it with family and friends. In this way, Reynolds shows how the post-traumatic stress of a night from three years earlier is liable to resurface and disrupt Castles life, even when his father and the threat he poses have been removed from Castles immediate context. He was shooting at us! Ching, quote from The Soulkeepers, We drank our coffee and talked a little bit more about practical things. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor., You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be., Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests? Smells good.. more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become Ghost Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver And that made me feel, for the first time, like I was one of them.