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This story really grew on me. It was believable and we watched Lolly growing and changing in a realistic way in relation to his environment and experiences. Loved the way the book on architecture and the Legos transformed the lives of him and his friends. A great read for middle grade boys, especially those who love to build with Legos. *Review by Darla from Red Bridge*

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This story really grew on me. It was believable and we watched Lolly growing and changing in a realistic way in relation to his environment and experiences. Loved the way the book on architecture and the Legos transformed the lives of him and his friends.

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Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya: 9780451479747 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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From award-winning author Pablo Cartaya comes a deeply moving middle grade novel about a daughter and father finding their way back to each other in the face of their changing family and community. A...

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Xavier Moon (who stutters) is stepping out of the shadows when his great-uncle gives him some outlandish socks and some even stranger requests. A story about heart, confidence, and standing on your own two feet that is perfect for fans of The Season of Styx Malone and The Parker Inheritance.

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The Swag Is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist: 9780593380864 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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"An excellent read-alike to Jacqueline Woodson's Harbor Me or Janae Marks' From the Desk of Zoe Washington. " -Booklist, Starred Review "A deeply funny and relatable story of growth." -Kirkus Reviews " Warmly familiar, intergenerational look at getting to know oneself."

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From the author of A Good Kind of Trouble, a Walter Dean Myers Honor Book, comes another unforgettable story about finding your voice—and finding your people. Perfect for fans of Sharon Draper, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds. Eleven-year-old Jenae doesn’t have any friends—and sh

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About The Book

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature
Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read 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 Trackseries 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?

Chapter 1: World Records 1 WORLD RECORDS
CHECK THIS OUT. This dude named Andrew Dahl holds the world record for blowing up the most balloons... with his nose. Yeah. That's true. Not sure how he found out that was some kinda special talent, and I can't even imagine how much snot be in those balloons, but hey, it's a thing and Andrew's the best at it. There's also this lady named Charlotte Lee who holds the record for owning the most rubber ducks. No lie. Here's what's weird about that: Why would you even want one rubber duck, let alone 5,631? I mean, come on. And me, well, I probably hold the world record for knowing about the most world records. That, and for eating the most sunflower seeds.

"Let me guess, sunflower seeds," Mr. Charles practically shouts from behind the counter of what he calls his "country store," even though we live in a city. Mr. Charles, who, by the way, looks just like James Brown if James Brown were white, has been ringing me up for sunflower seeds five days a week for about, let me think... since the fourth grade, which is when Ma took the hospital job. So for about three years now. He's also hard of hearing, which when my mom used to say this, I always thought she was saying "harder hearing," which made no sense at all to me. I don't know why she just didn't say "almost deaf." Maybe because "hard of hearing" is more like hospital talk, which was probably rubbing off on her. But, yeah, Mr. Charles can barely hear a thing, which is why he's always yelling at everybody and everybody's always yelling at him. His store is a straight-up scream fest, not to mention the extra sound effects from the loud TV he keeps behind the counter-cowboy movies on repeat. Mr. Charles is also the guy who gave me this book, Guinness World Records, which is where I found out about Andrew Dahl and Charlotte Lee. He tells me I can set a record one day. A real record. Be one of the world's greatest somethings. Maybe. But I know one thing, Mr. Charles has to hold the record for saying, Let me guess, sunflower seeds, because he says that every single time I come in, which means I probably also already hold the record for responding, loudly, the exact same way.

"Lemme guess, one dollar." That's my comeback. Said it a gazillion times. Then I slap a buck in the palm of his wrinkly hand, and he puts the bag of seeds in mine.

After that, I continue on my slow-motion journey, pausing again only when I get to the bus stop. But this bus stop ain't just any bus stop. It's the one that's directly across the street from the gym. I just sit there with the other people waiting for the bus, except I'm never actually waiting for it. The bus gets you home fast, and I don't want that. I just go there to look at the people working out. See, the gym across the street has this big window-like the whole wall is a window-and they have those machines that make you feel like you walking up steps and so everybody just be facing the bus stop, looking all crazy like they're about to pass out. And trust me, there ain't nothing funnier than that. So I check that out for a little while like it's some kind of movie: The About to Pass Out Show, starring stair-stepper person one through ten. I know this all probably sounds kinda weird, maybe even creepy, but it's something to do when you're bored. Best part about sitting there is tearing into my sunflower seeds like they're theater popcorn.

About the sunflower seeds. I used to just put a whole bunch of them in my mouth at the same time, suck all the salt off, then spit them all out machine-gun-style. I could've probably set a world record in that, too. But now, I've matured. Now I take my time, moving them around, positioning them for the perfect bite to pop open the shell, then carefully separating the seed from it with my tongue, then-and this is the hard part-keeping the little seed safe in the space between my teeth and tongue, I spit the shells out. And finally, after all that, I chew the seed up. I'm like a master at it, even though, honestly, sunflower seeds don't taste like nothing. I'm not even sure they're really worth all the hassle. But I like the process anyway.

My dad used to eat sunflower seeds too. That's where I get it from. But he used to chew the whole thing up. The shells, the seeds, everything. Just devour them like some kind of beast. When I was really young, I used to ask him if a sunflower was going to grow inside of him since he ate the seeds so much. He was always watching some kind of game, like football or basketball, and he'd turn to me just for a second, just long enough to not miss a play, and say, "Sunflowers are all up in me, kid." Then he'd shake up the seeds in his palm like dice, before throwing another bunch in his grill to chomp down on.

But let me tell you, my dad was lying. Wasn't no sunflowers growing in him. Couldn't have been. I don't know a whole lot about sunflowers, but I know they're pretty and girls like them, and I know the word sunflower is made up of two good words, and that man ain't got two good words in him, or anything that any girl would like, because girls don't like men who try to shoot them and their son. And that's the kind of man he was.

It was three years ago when my dad lost it. When the liquor made him meaner than he'd ever been. Every other night he would become a different person, like he'd morph into someone crazy, but this one night my mother decided to finally fight back. This one night everything went worse. I had my head sandwiched between the mattress and my pillow, something I got used to doing whenever they were going at it, when my mom crashed into my bedroom.

"We gotta go," she said, yanking the covers off the bed. And when I didn't move fast enough, she yelled, "Come on!"

Next thing I knew, she was dragging me down the hallway, my feet tripping over themselves. And that's when I looked back and saw him, my dad, staggering from the bedroom, his lips bloody, a pistol in his hand.

"Don't make me do this, Terri!" he angry-begged, but me and my mom kept rolling. The sound of the gun cocking. The sound of the door unlocking. As soon as she swung the door open, my dad fired a shot. He was shooting at us! My dad! My dad was actually shooting... at... US! His wife and his boy! I didn't look to see what he hit, mainly because I was scared it was gonna be me. Or Ma. The sound was big, and sharp enough to make me feel like my brain was gonna pop in my head, enough to make my heart hiccup. But the craziest thing was, I felt like the shot-loudest sound I ever heard-made my legs move even faster. I don't know if that's possible, but that's definitely what it seemed like.

My mom and I kept running, down the staircase into the street, breaking into the darkness with death chasing behind us. We ran and ran and ran, until finally we came up on Mr. Charles's store, which, luckily for us, stays open 24/7. Mr. Charles took one look at me and my mom, out of breath, crying, barefoot in our pajamas, and hid us in his storage room while he called the cops. We stayed there all night.

I haven't seen my dad since. Ma said the cops said that when they got to the house, he was sitting outside on the steps, shirtless, with the pistol beside him, guzzling beer, eating sunflower seeds, waiting. Like he wanted to get caught. Like it was no big deal. They gave him ten years in prison, and to be honest, I don't know if I'm happy about that or not. Sometimes, I wish he would've gotten forever in jail. Other times, I wish he was home on the couch, watching the game, shaking seeds in his hand. Either way, one thing is for sure: that was the night I learned how to run. So when I was done sitting at the bus stop in front of the gym, and came across all those kids on the track at the park, practicing, I had to go see what was going on, because running ain't nothing I ever had to practice. It's just something I knew how to do.

Reading Group Guide

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A Reading Group Guide to
Track, Book One: Ghost
By Jason Reynolds
About the Book
Castle Cranshaw (nicknamed Ghost) learned how fast he could run the night his father was arrested. Running is never something he plans to do, just like he never plans to get into altercations at school. Running just happens. Then, one day, Ghost comes across a practice in the park and decides to race one of the sprinters, a decision that leads him to join Coach Brody's elite track team: the Defenders. Coach Brody takes a chance on Ghost and gives him a future to run toward, but only if Ghost can learn to let go of the things he's been running from.
Discussion Questions
1. The cover of Ghost includes this question: Running for his life, or from it? Explain the role that running plays in Ghost's life. Why does he start running? How does his reason for running change?

2. What memory is triggered about Ghost's dad from the sunflower seeds? How does this flashback help develop Ghost's character? What other things bring back memories of his father? Are any of his memories positive?

3. Initially, what sport is Ghost interested in playing? Why isn't he interested in track? What do you think makes him decide to race Lu?

4. Consider the connotations of the word defender. What does it mean to be a defender? Many of the characters in the novel play the role of defenders. Choose a character and explore the ways that they embody the idea of being a defender. Why is this an appropriate name for Coach Brody's track team?

5. How did Castle get his nickname? Why do you think he likes the name Ghost better than his given name? Which name do you think suits him best: Ghost or Castle? If you gave yourself a nickname, what would it be? Have others given you a nickname? If so, does it properly reflect who you are?

6. How does Coach Brody convince Ghost to join the Defenders? How does he convince Ghost's mom? How hard is it to balance athletics and academics?

7. Ghost has to deal with bullying at school. Why do you think Brad Simmons picks on Ghost? How does Ghost respond? Instead of fighting, how could Ghost have retaliated?

8. What do you think Ghost means when he says, "I got a lot of scream inside"?

9. What do you think Ghost means when he tells Coach, "I guess the only other person I'm really scared of, maybe . . . is me"? How does Coach respond? Do you think Ghost is hard on himself?

10. Closely read the last few pages of Chapter 5 and the beginning of Chapter 6, making sure to pay attention to the author's use of figurative language. How does Ghost's flashback help develop his character and internal conflict?

11. Think about the consequences Ghost faces as a result of his decision to steal a pair of running shoes. Do you think that the way that Coach punishes him is fair? What would the consequences have been if Ghost had been stopped by the police instead? What would the consequences have been if his mother had discovered the theft? What would have happened if Ghost had never been caught? Why might it have been better for him to get caught?

12. In addition to training the Defenders to be competitive runners, Coach also teaches them to work together as a team, helping them learn to be responsible and empathetic. What tactics does he use to teach these life lessons?

13. Consider the way that the author contrasts Glass Manor with Sunny's neighborhood in Chapter 7. How does this contrast help you understand Ghost?

14. Chapter 8 ends with Ghost saying, "And it felt good to feel like one of the teammates. Like I was there-really, really there-as me, but without as much scream inside." Why are teams important? Have you ever been a part of a team? If so, how did your experience compare to Ghost's experience?

15. What leads to Ghost's decision to steal a pair of running shoes? Why does he feel like stealing is his only option? What are the short- and long-term consequences of his decision? What would you have done if you were in his position? What could Ghost have done instead? What lesson does he learn as a result?

16. At the newbie dinner, what secrets do Patty, Lu, Sunny, and Ghost reveal about themselves? How does this dinner impact their relationships with one another? Why is trust so important in relationships? How can you build trust with others?

17. Gradually, Coach reveals things about his own past to Ghost. What does Ghost find out about Coach's childhood and relationship with his father? How do these revelations develop Ghost and Coach's bond?

18. Ghost ends with a cliffhanger. What do you think the outcome of the race will be? This is the first book in the Track series: What conflicts do you think Ghost is going to face in the next book?
Extension Activities
1. Throughout the novel, Ghost has a number of adults who act as advocates for him: Mr. Charles, Coach, his mom, and even Principal Marshall. Consider the importance of each of these figures in Ghost's life. Then write an essay or prepare a speech about a trusted adult in your own life. Why do you trust this person?

2. Jason Reynolds uses world records as a framing motif in the novel. Research world records and create a poster about some of the most interesting world records that you find. If you were going to try to break a world record, which one would you attempt?

3. One of Ghost's heroes is Jamaican runner and Olympic gold medalist, Usain Bolt. Research Bolt's biography or the biography of another great runner and present your findings to the class either with a traditional report or a multimedia presentation. A list of famous runners in history can be found here: http://www.biography.com/people/groups/track-and-field-athletes. And a contemporary list of runners can be found here: http://rw.runnersworld.com/the50/.

4. When Coach asks Ghost's mother to let him join the team, Ghost reflects, "I felt like I had seen this in every single sports movie I had ever watched. All of them. Ma'am, your son has potential. If this went like the movies, I was either going to score the game-winning touchdown (which is impossible in track) or . . . die." As a class, compare Ghost to a classic sports movie (ex. Rudy, Bend It Like Beckham, Miracle, Hoop Dreams, 42, The Bad News Bears, Jim Thorpe-All American). Are there any similarities between the film you watch and Ghost?

5. Work with your physical education department to organize a Ghost-inspired class, trying out some of the training exercises and races. How did this experience enrich your understanding of Reynolds's novel?

6. One of the central conflicts in the novel involves Ghost's desire to acquire an expensive pair of running shoes. Research the development of running shoe technology. What types of shoes are on the market? What features are important in a running shoe? Which brands have the highest ratings? If you had to choose one pair of running shoes, which one would you choose? Write a persuasive essay that uses rhetorical appeals to justify your choice.

7. Look back at Chapter Five, paying specific attention to the scene in Everything Sports. Re-write this scene from Tia's point of view. What do you think happened when she realized that Ghost stole the shoes? How would she have felt when Ghost returned with Coach and apologized?

8. Coach tells Ghost that he wants to show him, "You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be." How does Castle try to run from who he is? What kind of person does he want to be? How has finding his team helped him start to become that person? Try applying Coach's advice to your own life: What kind of person do you want to be? What could help you become that person?

9. Working with a group, try to translate Ghost into film. Which aspects of the book would translate especially well to film (ex. dialogue, setting, character, conflict)? You may choose to create a book trailer for the novel or adapt a scene in the book into a screenplay and film it.
Guide prepared by Amy Jurskis, English Department Chair at Oxbridge Academy.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.

About The Author

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series ( Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain't Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

Product Details

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (August 29, 2017)

Length: 208 pages

ISBN13: 9781481450164

Grades: 5 and up

Ages: 10 - 99

Lexile ® 730L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Resources and Downloads

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Ghost by Jason Reynolds - A National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great Ame...

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About The Book

A Schneider Family Award Honor Book for Middle Grade From Newbery Medal honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a hilarious, hopeful, and action-packed middle grade novel about the greatest young superhero you've never heard of, filled with illustrations by Raúl the Third!
Portico Reeves's superpower is making sure all the other superheroes-like his parents and two best friends-stay super. And safe. Super safe. And he does this all in secret. No one in his civilian life knows he's actually...Stuntboy!

But his regular Portico identity is pretty cool, too. He lives in the biggest house on the block, maybe in the whole city, which basically makes it a castle. His mom calls where they live an apartment building. But a building with fifty doors just in the hallways is definitely a castle. And behind those fifty doors live a bunch of different people who Stuntboy saves all the time. In fact, he's the only reason the cat, New Name Every Day, has nine lives.

All this is swell except for Portico's other secret, his not-so-super secret. His parents are fighting all the time. They're trying to hide it by repeatedly telling Portico to go check on a neighbor "in the meantime." But Portico knows "meantime" means his parents are heading into the Mean Time which means they're about to get into it, and well, Portico's superhero responsibility is to save them, too-as soon as he figures out how.

Only, all these secrets give Portico the worry wiggles, the frets, which his mom calls anxiety. Plus, like all superheroes, Portico has an arch-nemesis who is determined to prove that there is nothing super about Portico at all.

Reading Group Guide

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Reading Group Guide for
Stuntboy, in the Meantime
By Jason Reynolds

Illustrated by Raúl the Third
About the Book
Portico Reeves has a secret identity that only his best friend Zola knows about. As Stuntboy, he is the superhero who keeps all the other superheroes, and his fellow residents of Skylight Gardens (aka the Castle), safe. Lately, that means protecting Zola from their archnemesis, Herbert Singletary the Worst, learning to tame his own anxiety attacks (the Frets), and trying to keep his mother and father's fighting (which always reminds him of an episode of Super Space Warriors) from turning into an Explosion of Great Magnitude.
Discussion Questions
1. What does Portico love about living in Skylight Gardens? What does the fact that he calls it "The Castle" suggest about how he feels about his home? What do you love most about the place where you live?

2. Look up the definition of community. Which part of the definition do you think describes the community that is created by the residents of Skylight Gardens? Give examples of specific ways that they demonstrate that they care and look out for each other.

3. Explain the types of situations that cause Portico to get a case of the Frets. Look closely at the way Jason Reynolds describes how Portico feels when he is anxious: Which parts of his body are affected when he has the Frets? How does your body feel when you are anxious, worried, or afraid? What helps Portico feel better when he gets the Frets? What helps you when you are anxious?

4. Describe Zola and Portico's friendship. In your opinion, what makes them such good friends? How do they demonstrate that they care about each other? Choose a moment in the book when you think their friendship is particularly strong, and explain why you chose it. What do you think is the most important characteristic to look for in a friend?

5. Explain the difference between a hero and a superhero. Who are some of Portico's heroes? Who do you know that you consider a hero? Explain why you think they are heroic. If you could choose, would you rather be a superhero or a regular hero?

6. Which superhero does Portico decide he wants to be? What does he choose as his superpower? What do his choices tell you in regard to what Portico cares about?

7. Why is Portico initially excited when his parents tell him they are getting two apartments? Why do you think he does not realize his parents are separating?

8. When Portico's mother tells him to go see what Zola is up to "in the meantime," he thinks she says, "the mean time." Why is "the mean time" a good name for what is happening in Portico's apartment? Using words that sound alike to suggest a different meaning is called a play on words or a pun. Look for other times when Jason Reynolds uses a play on words.

9. An allegory is a story that has more than one meaning, and in this book, the Super Space Warrior episodes can be read as an allegory for the conflict between Portico's parents. Look up the meaning of the names "Mater" and "Pater." How is this a clue to the allegorical meaning of Super Space Warriors? What words do the name of the show's villains, the Irators, sound like when you say it out loud? How might Mater and Pater's duty to protect the sun relate to Portico and his parents? If each show ended with someone telling what the moral of the story is, what do you think the moral of each of the Super Space Warriors episodes would be? How do the illustrations reinforce the allegorical connection between Mater and Pater and Mr. and Mrs. Reeves?

10. Why do you think Herbert Singletary was looking sad the first time Portico met him? Why do you think Herbert responded to Portico's kindness by pushing him and calling him names when Portico was being nice to him?

11. What does a building superintendent do? Why do Zola and Portico conclude that the superintendent of Skylight Gardens is a superhero?

12. Why does Portico get into a physical fight with Herbert Singletary at the block party? What does his father say about whether or not it was okay for Portico to fight Herbert? What does his mother say? Who do you agree with?

13. What do Portico and Zola learn about Herbert's family and what is behind the half door? When Zola tells her mother that Herbert hides in the room behind the half door, Mrs. Brawner says, "We're all hiding from something." Sometimes people hide from their true feelings. What feelings do you think Herbert is hiding by being mean? What feelings do you think Portico's parents are hiding from when they act out in anger toward each other?

14. What event leads to Herbert becoming friends with Zola and Portico? Why do you think Portico is finally able to feel sad about his parents' separation? How do his friends let him know that they will be there for him? Why do you think he decides not to run in and stop his parents from fighting this time?

15. When Portico's parents fight over him, how does it make him feel? What does it mean to say that someone feels "torn" or "torn apart"? Have you ever felt this way? What helps Portico feel better? What helped you?

16. In the last section of the book, "The Final Word and Two Frights," what does Portico realize about himself? What does he realize about all the things that were piling up and making him afraid?

17. This book ends with the words, "To be continued." What do you hope happens next?
Extension Activities
1. Portico and his best friend, Zola, imagine themselves and the other people who live in Skylight Gardens as superheroes, complete with special powers. If you could choose a secret superhero identity for yourself, who would you be? What would be your secret power? What would be your mission? Would you work alone (like Wonder Woman), with a partner (like Batman and Robin), or with a team (like the Avengers)? Create a comic strip about one of your superhero's adventures.

2. Stuntboy, in the Meantime is structured as a series of episodes, each beginning with the Stuntboy theme song. Write complete lyrics for the theme song and make a recording of your song. You can use the tune of a song you already know or create your own music to go with your lyrics.

3. Zola teaches Portico about meditation and yoga, two practices that help people cultivate mindfulness and reduce anxiety. Research the benefits of practicing mindfulness, and work with a group to teach your class a breathing or other mindfulness exercise. Talk about how your body feels after you complete the exercise. How do you think you would feel if you practiced a mindfulness moment before you took a test or participated in a competition? How would you feel if you started and/or ended the day with a breathing exercise?

4. What can you tell about the way the plot of each Super Space Warriors episode is structured? How do they begin and end? What causes the conflicts in the episodes? Once you have analyzed the formula for Super Space Warriors, create a new episode that uses the same structure.

5. Try reading some of Stuntboy, in the Meantime out loud. What do you notice about the way the text sounds? Jason Reynolds uses figurative language when he writes, which you may recognize from reading poetry. Look for examples of internal rhyme, alliteration, similes, and metaphors. Divide your class into teams and search for other examples of poetic language in the book to see who can identify the most examples.

6. The residents of Skylight Gardens have created a community where everyone knows and cares about one another. When a school creates this type of community, we call it "school spirit," and some schools even have a student government organization and/or a spirit club to help build community. Think about the things that create community for the residents of Skylight Gardens, and develop a plan inspired by the book to create more school spirit.

7. Zola's mother says, "Life is just a TV show, and we're all characters in it." If your life was a TV show, what kind of show would you want it to be? In the style of Stuntboy, in the Meantime, write and illustrate a story that imagines one of your experiences as an episode of your own TV show.

8. Stuntboy, in the Meantime features numerous charts that provide instructions for how to do different things. What are your areas of expertise? Create a graphic chart that teaches others how to do something new and share it with your class.

9. Many of the items that Portico's parents fight over have a symbolic value (in other words, they are connected to a memory or idea that makes them important to the owner). Discuss why each item that they fight over is important to both of them. Think about an object you own that has a symbolic value to you and write an essay that describes the object using sensory details and explains why it is important to you.
Guide prepared by Amy Jurskis, English Department Chair at Oxbridge Academy in Florida.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.

About The Author

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series ( Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain't Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

About The Illustrator

Raúl the Third is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Stuntboy, in the Meantime, by Jason Reynolds. He's also a three-time Pura Belpré Award winner for ¡Vamos! Let's Go to The Market! and his Lowrider picture book series written by Cathy Camper, the first of which, Lowriders in Space, also won the Texas Bluebonnet. Raúl is also the author and illustrator of ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat and ¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge. His work centers around the contemporary Mexican American experience and his memories of growing up in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He's also contributed to the SpongeBob Comics series. He lives outside of Boston.

Product Details

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (November 30, 2021)

Length: 272 pages

ISBN13: 9781534418165

Grades: 2 - 7

Ages: 7 - 12

Lexile ® 640L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

"Consistently funny and undeniably thoughtful."

- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED, September 15, 2021

Portico Reeves, secret alter ego Stuntboy, lives amid a lively, largely Black community at "the castle"-apartment building Skylight Gardens. As Portico, he navigates tense interactions with bully Herbert Singletary the Worst, the stress of his ever-fighting parents, and his own anxiety, or "frets." As Stuntboy, meanwhile, his job is "keeping other superheroes safe, so they can save the world!" And he definitely has his hands full watching out for the castle's various larger-than-life characters-rolling down the stairs for a neighbor who's a "little wobbly," taking a tumble in lieu of shoelace-obsessed Mr. Mister, and blowing salt-and-vinegar chip crumbs in his dad's face to stop his parents' fighting. Zola Brawner, best friend for 163 days, offers support, comparing Portico's fighting parents to episodes of an in-universe television show, but his folks' dismissals and descent into the "mean time" threaten to worsen the frets. From vibrant, comic book-style art with ample color by Elaine Bay to running gags and commercial breaks that balance serious moments, there's plenty to enjoy about this engaging, high-energy collaboration by Raúl the Third ( Strollercoaster) and Reynolds ( Stamped).

- Publishers Weekly *STARRED REVIEW*, October 11, 2021

BCCB - Portico Reeves lives in "a giant castle . . . made from the glassiest glass and the brickiest bricks on Earth." Skylight Gardens apartment, towering over the city and boasting "one hundred windows," "at least a million steps," and plenty of interesting neighbors, is pretty much all the residence a kid could want. Unfortunately, one particular occupant, Herbert Singletary, is out to make life miserable for Portico and his best friend, Zola. Fired up by their common passion for Super Space Warriors (and by Portico's longing for a role in a superhero universe), the friends envision Portico as Stuntboy, a sort of caped guardian who does the physical dirty work of intervention so that superheroes will be safe. Stuntboy's skills are needed now more than ever to defuse his parents' fights over personal property as they prepare for a separation that's obvious to everyone but Portico. .... [T]he presentation is successfully buoyed by the interplay of Portico's overly literal tendencies (e.g., he understands "in the meantime" to allude to his parents' "mean time" skirmishes) and by and by Raúl the Third's ebullient digital illustrations, which shine as a love letter to working class urban life.

- BCCB, November 1, 2021

*"This ingeniously crafted illustrated novel offers a multifaceted and heartfelt take on the classic superhero story. Portico Reeves is a kid with a "secret secret"-he likes to think of himself as Stuntboy, a homegrown and self-styled superhero whose power is "making sure all the other heroes stay super. And safe. Supersafe." The selfless Stuntboy protects the quirky and racially diverse cast of characters in his apartment building, particularly his own family members and his best friend Zola. Instead of super strength or flight, Stuntboy performs a variety of odd "stunts" to help others, which also lets him burn off some energy. When he is Stuntboy, the young hero isn't affected by his anxiety, or "the frets," which are made worse for Portico by his parents' constant bickering and his relentless bullying by "Herbert Singletary the Worst." In ten episodic chapters, Reynolds employs fast-paced, realistic dialogue loaded with wordplay and humor. .... Raúl the Third's cartoon illustrations are integral, active components of the story....the art makes Portico's world feel real and vibrant. Bay's color work is invaluable, oscillating between pulsating palettes and subdued screentones. Keeping to the superhero tradition, the creators end on a cliffhanger, leaving readers with a promise of more adventures to come."

- The Horn Book, starred review

*"In this funny, action-packed graphic novel, readers are introduced to Portico Reeves (aka Stuntboy), a Black fourth-grader and superhero. As Portico tries to dodge Herbert's bullying and cope with his parents' constant arguing, Stuntboy swoops in to save his neighbors and, hopefully, his parents' marriage.

This easily accessible and hilarious graphic novel is broken up into short episodes interrupted by commercial breaks with helpful tips on stunts. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds ( Track series) creates a text that makes for a quick and easy read and the accompanying digital illustrations by Raúl the Third (Strollercoaster) match the tone perfectly. Stuntboy, in the Meantime is a perfect book for seven- to 12-year-olds."

- Shelf Awareness, starred review

Awards and Honors

Audie Award Winner

CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)

Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title

ALA Notable Children's Recording

Odyssey Honor for Audio

NYPL Best Books for Kids (Top Ten)

ALA Schneider Family Honor Book Award for Best Book for Middle Grade

Resources and Downloads

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Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds - A Schneider Family Award Honor Book for Middle Grade From Newbery Medal honoree and #1 New York Times bestselli...

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Fefa struggles with words. She has word blindness, or dyslexia, and the doctor says she will never read or write. Every time she tries, the letters jumble and spill off the page, leaping and hopping away like bullfrogs. How will she ever understand them?But her mother has an idea.

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Donna grew up in central California surrounded by agricultural and oil fields. As a child, rather than dealing with the regular dust devils, she preferred spending recess squirreled away in the janitor's closet with a good book. Her favorite hobbies were calling dial-a-story over and over again, and sneaking into a restricted cemetery to weave her own spooky tales using the crumbling headstones as inspiration.

Donna's Young Adult and Middle Grade books feature characters drawn into creepy, situations, melding history, folklore, and or her own life experience into reinvented storylines. She still dreams in Spanglish.

Donna lives in Washington State with her family, three dogs and two frogs. Donna's backyard is a haunted 19th century logging camp. (The haunted part may or may not be true-she makes stuff up.) She is a Critique-Group-Coordinator for SCBWI-Western Washington and teaches "The Hero's Journey for Young Authors" to future writers.

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Donna grew up in central California surrounded by agricultural and oil fields. As a child, rather than dealing with the regular dust devils, she preferred spending recess squirreled away in the janitor's closet with a good book.