NOTE: The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. First Hardcover Edition. Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2016.

Ghost is a young adult novel by Jason Reynolds which follows seventh-grader Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw as he joins a track team and struggles to deal with his past and his present. As a child, Ghost had to flee his apartment with his mother when his father, in a drunken rage, tried to kill them. They took shelter at Mr. Charles’s shop, where Mr. Charlestook care of them and called the police, thus saving their lives. Years later, Ghost remains loyal and friendly with Mr. Charles, visiting him daily to buy sunflower seeds. Mr. Charles constantly encourages Ghost like a grandfather, always urging Ghost to do his best and break a world record. Ghost often studies a Guinness Book of World Records, given to him by Mr. Charles.

While visiting the nearby park, Ghost sees a group of kids training for a track team called The Defenders. They are coached by Olympic gold medalist-turned-taxi driver, Coach Otis Brody. No one can seem to beat an albino newbie named Lu, so Ghost decides to race him for fun. Coach tells Ghost that tryouts are already over, but decides to give Ghost a chance. Ghost and Lu race so fast that Coach cannot tell who wins. He invites Ghost to join the team, clearing it with his mother in the process. Coach gets to work with Ghost, warning Ghost to do well on school and on the track. At school, however, Ghost finally loses it with a boy named Brandon Simmons, who consistently picks on Ghost for being poor. Ghost beats him up, and Coach agrees not to tell Ghost’s mom if Ghost gets his act together.

To run better, Ghost cuts off the tops of his high-top sneakers, which earns laughter from everyone at school. Ghost, humiliated and unhappy, flees school and runs to Everything Sports. There, he steals a pair of silver running shoes, and then visits Mr. Charles. He tells Mr. Charles what has happened at school, at which point Mr. Charles tells Ghost to never let anyone demean or belittle his dreams. Ghost then heads to track practice, and begins to bond with his teammates. The day finally arrives for Coach to hand out uniforms, but Ghost does not receive one. Coach tells him this is because Everything Sports has posted a picture of Ghost as a shoplifter on the store window.

When Coach plans to tell Ghost’s mom about the shoplifting, Ghost tell Coach he could not possibly understand what kind of life he has. Coach reveals his own father stole his gold medal to use for drugs which he then overdosed and died from. Coach tells Ghost that Ghost should be using running as a way to move toward what he wants to be in life, not to escape what he is. Coach then decides to help make things right for Ghost, knowing Ghost deserves a second chance. He brings Ghost to Everything Sports, pays for the shoes, and has Ghost apologize in person. With Ghost promising to be better, and now committed to being better, Ghost is permitted a uniform and allowed back. The following day, the first competitive race is held. Ghost is given the honor of participating in the hundred-meter run. As he prepares to race, Ghost thinks about how he is running for his life – not from it, but towards it. It is then that the novel ends.