Coach

Gr 5 Up–The final novel in Reynolds’s “Track” series jumps back to 1988. Readers meet the crew’s coach as seventh grader Otis (Otie), busy navigating school, bullies, and friends while pursuing his passion of becoming an Olympic track star like his hero Carl Lewis. Otie and best friend Torrie are the two fastest sprinters for the Defenders, an after-school track team started to keep kids off the streets. There are things happening in Otie’s neighborhood that he is told to avoid but as the story develops, it becomes clear that it’s not just the “bad” kids causing trouble; even Otie’s dad seems to be having issues. Otie hopes the time machines he’s drawing can propel him away from his problems, but when his beloved Air Jordan 3s and his father both go missing, he has to face some hard truths. Reynolds is a master at hooking even the most reluctant of readers with witty and conversational dialogue that will have tweens feeling like they’re on the track or in the classroom with Otie. Reynolds poignantly portrays how addiction affects families, including the cycle of improvement and relapses, and the role community plays. Otie learns life lessons from Coach Marvin; it’s not the shoes, but who is in the shoes that matters. Otie and most main characters are Black.