Castle lives with his mother in an impoverished neighborhood in a big city. His father is in jail after attempting to shoot Castle and his mother. Castle has trouble in school with bullies who tease him incessantly. One day, Castle discovers an elite track team and realizes that joining the team might keep him on track in more ways than one.
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INTRODUCTION
GHOSTBy Jason Reynolds
Ghost, written in 2016, is the first novel in the award-winning “Track” series. The story is told from the perspective of 7th grader Castle Cranshaw (Ghost), an African-American boy struggling to cope after a traumatic incident of domestic violence.
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RISING ACTION
Coach Brody convinces Castle’s mother to let him join the team if he promises to stay out of trouble. However Castle is cruelly bullied during lunch and retaliates by assaulting the bully. He has the principal to call his coach to pick him up. Coach Brody allows Castle to stay on the team, gives him good advice and extra running drills as punishment.
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CLIMAX
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Seeing the expensive running shoes his teammates have, Castle cuts the tops of his shoes off so they will be lighter. This leads to further bullying at school. Embarrassed, Castle flees his school and shoplifts running shoes at a local sporting goods store. Feeling confident, Castle begins to bond with his teammates and enjoy being on the track team.
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FALLING ACTION
Castle and his teammates bond over personal stories and Castle finally feels seen and understood. Things go well until Coach sees a “wanted” poster of Castle in the store. He threatens to kick him off the team. Castle thinks Coach can't understand what he's going through. Coach reveals his own personal trauma and Castle realizes that he can rise above his situation.
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RESOLUTION
Castle goes with Coach to the sporting goods store and apologizes.With a renewed commitment to “stay on track”, Castle is allowed back on the team in time to compete in their first race. The story ends with Ghost preparing for the race and realizing that for once, he is not running from his past but towards his future.