Coach (Track)
$14.96
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Three starred reviews!
In this “beautifully executed victory lap” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) to Jason Reynolds’s award-winning and New York Times bestselling Track series, meet Coach as a boy striving to come into his own as a track star while facing upheaval at home.
Before Coach was the man who gave caring yet firm-handed guidance to Ghost, Lu, Patina, and Sunny on the Defenders track team, he was little Otie Brody, who was obsessed with Mr. 9.99 (a.k.a. Carl Lewis) and Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Like Mr. 9.99—and his own dad—Otie is a sprinter. Sprint free or die is practically his motto.
Then his dad, who is always away on business trips, comes home with a pair of Jordans. JORDANS. Fine as fine can be. Otie puts them on and feels like he can leap to the moon…maybe even leap like Mr. 9.99 when he won the Olympic gold medal in the long jump. But one morning he wakes up to find his brand-new secret weapon kicks are missing—right off his feet! And Otie just might have a fuzzy memory of his dad easing them off as Otie was sleeping, but that can’t be right, can it?
Unless all the reasons for his dad’s “gone’s” are very different from what he’s been told… Because now, not only are the Jordans missing, but so is his father.
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Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars 21
4.7 out of 5 stars 5,868
4.7 out of 5 stars 1,449
4.7 out of 5 stars 876
4.8 out of 5 stars 843
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Read the full Track series now:
In this companion to Jason Reynolds’s award-winning and New York Times bestselling Track series, meet Coach as a boy striving to come into his own as a track star while facing upheaval at home. 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 Jason Reynolds. A newbie to the track team, Patina must learn to rely on her teammates as she tries to outrun her personal demons in this bestselling follow-up to the National Book Award finalist Ghost. Sunny tries to shine despite his troubled past in this third novel in the critically acclaimed Track series from National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds. Lu must learn to leave his ego on the sidelines if he wants to finally connect with others in the climax to the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Track series from Jason Reynolds. Hit the ground running with all five books in Jason Reynolds’s award-winning and New York Times bestselling Track series. This hardcover boxed set includes: Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu, and Coach.
ASIN : B0DY6DJTYP
Publisher : Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date : October 14, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 256 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8347102372
Item Weight : 12 ounces
Reading age : 10 years and up
Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
Book 5 of 5 : Track
Grade level : 5 – 6
Best Sellers Rank: #20,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Children’s Track & Field Books #197 in Children’s Books on Emotions & Feelings (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars (21) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Saul Goodman –
A fun way to revisit the Track series!
I’m a huge fan of Jason Reynolds and Ghost was the first of his books I read so it’s always been special to me. Like the rest of the Track series, this is a good read that has comedy, but will also pull on your heartstrings. Even though we sort of already know the rough outline, or bullet points of Coach’s rough or sad past as a kid and Olympian, it was very compelling to see his life leading up to what he revealed throughout the series. It also helped show just how painful it must have been for him for it all to come crashing down, and continuing to do so. There are also back stories revealed on some of the people who were part of or referenced in the previous four books – Mr. Charles the shop owner, Goose (Lu’s dad), the Wolf, among others. This book is also great because it further develops Coach’s character, but in a backwards fashion that makes you appreciate him even more. Almost like retrofit characterization, which I suppose is part of the point to a prequel. All in all, I enjoyed the read a lot and it touches on a lot of similar themes that the previous books did as well, especially the idea of whether to run from or come to terms with your past. Makes me want to go read Ghost again one of these days. Probably will have to read all of the previous four books this week.
Nikki Leisten –
Book 5 in series
After hearing Jason Reynolds speak in-person at the national AASL conference last week, I decided to take a deep dive into his books. Many I have read, but many I have not.I just read the original four book Track series again, and I loved it all over again! Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu are fantastic middle grade characters. We learn about their life on and off the track. “The best never rest” and “we here” are their mantras.Coach is Reynolds’ latest (and last he says) book in the Track series. Learning Coach’s back story was the perfect way to end the series. Just wish he would have made that trip to Kansas for AAU track. However, one of the questions asked of Reynolds at AASL was where are the characters now. I think we all want to know what they are doing in their young adult lives.The books in this series are short and perfect for upper elementary and middle schoolers who like sports but don’t want to tackle a lengthy chapter book. It really is a great series.
Julie K –
This is a beautifully written book
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing for the copy of Coach by Jason Reynolds. I haven’t read the Track series, but this book was fine as a standalone. I loved Otie, especially how he was obsessed with Back To The Future and Carl Lewis. I don’t spend a lot of time with young people, so Otie’s life was eye-opening, especially his accounts of school and other students. I think kids will relate to a lot of what Otie goes through and how he feels. I have to admit I didn’t expect to cry a little at the end. This is a beautifully written book, with characters that feel so real they leap off the page. I can’t wait to read the Track series now. 5 gold medal stars.