Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, National Book Award Honoree, a Kirkus Award winner, a two time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. Reynolds was named the American Booksellers Association’s 2017 and 2018 spokesperson for Indies First, and served as the national spokesperson for the 2018 celebration of School Library Month in April 2018, sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).
Jason’s many works of fiction include When I Was the Greatest, Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), As Brave As You, For Every One, Miles Morales: Spider Man, the Run series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu), and Long Way Down, which received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com
Books
For Every One
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Knights Of/404 Ink
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+
The wonderful Jason Reynolds has written this seamless long-form poem about achieving your dreams and reaching your potential. A small but perfectly formed and utterly delightful book: an ideal pick-me-up for everyone.
Ghost
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Selom Sunu
Publisher: Knights Of
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 11+
Three years ago Ghost’s dad chased him and his mum down the road with a gun. His dad got ten years in prison, and Ghost learned how to run. Ghost has never thought of athletics as a sporting option – basketball is his thing. But now, after challenging a sprinter to a race at the local track, he’s won himself a place on an elite running team.
Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Chris Priestley
Publisher: Faber
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Written in verse, Long Way Down is breathtakingly gripping and spectacular. You almost read it without breathing; the action is so tense, the language so powerful. Give it to every teenager you know!
Look Both Ways
Author: Jason Reynolds Illustrator: Selom Sunu
Publisher: Knights Of
Interest age: 9-11
Reading age: 9+
Ten short stories about that strange time when school finishes and children of a certain age (usually around ten years old) get to walk home without adult supervision. Jason Reynolds' writing is gripping, direct, exciting and incredibly readable.
Patina
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Knights Of
Interest age: 10+
Reading age: 10+
Elite runner Patina is a girl with a lot on her plate and she takes her responsibilities very seriously. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are believable, and it's a beautiful, flawless reading experience that will hook reluctant readers (especially those into sports).
The Boy in the Black Suit
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Interest age: 14+
Reading age: 14+
When Matt’s mum tragically dies from cancer, it feels like all the joy is sucked out of his life. Then he meets a girl called Love. This is a profoundly beautiful, open-hearted, funny, tear-jerking, readable and relatable story, which explores grief in the truest sense.