If you’re looking for some great family audiobooks for a road trip or just driving around town this summer, I can’t recommend the Track series by Jason Reynolds enough. They have great, animated narration, and wonderful characters who will stick with you long after your listen is over. Each book in the series features a different member of an elite middle school track team. They are great for upper elementary and middle school kids who like sports or who like reading about great characters that you get to know and root for.
The series starts with Ghost (2016; 192 pages; 3 hours 29 minutes). Ghost is a boy who is fast because he had to be. There came a time when he and his mom had to get out of their apartment quick, running from his dad. But Ghost never knew that he could run for fun or for sport until he stumbled upon a middle school track team practicing near his neighborhood. When Ghost joins the team, he discovers a family. But to keep his place on the team, Ghost will have to stay out of trouble… something that’s not very easy for Ghost.
Next up, we have Patina (2017; 233 pages; 5 hours and 48 minutes). Patina is also on the track team and she is a super star. Patty knows she’s the best and she likes that she can count on herself, even if she can’t count on anyone else. She’s got a lot going on in her home life: she can’t live with her mom anymore since she lost her legs to diabetes and Patty’s terrified that “The Sugar” is going to happen to her, too. When Coach tells her she’s running relay, Patty’s got to learn to depend on and support her teammates, something that’s not going to come easy to this superstar.
And then comes Sunny (2018; 176 pages; 3 hours 8 minutes). Sunny is a weirdo. He’s creative and imaginative and wacky and completely unafraid to be completely himself. He’s the star of the mile, coming in first in every race he runs, but Sunny doesn’t really enjoy running. He runs because his dad encourages it, to honor his mom who died when Sunny was born. Sunny does not want to lose his place on the track team – he loves his friends there – but he’d rather be on a dance team than run. Coach comes up with a solution: discus. But what if Sunny’s no good at it?
All of these books are wonderful audiobooks and well worth the listen. They’re pretty short, so something easy to have on in the car as you drive to the pool and the park and all the other fun places you’re visiting this summer. And they are all available to download via Overdrive. We also have print copies on our shelves if you prefer to read them that way.
— Abby Johnson, Collection Development Leader
