Coach

In book 5 of the popular Track series, Otie is a sprinter and aspiring long jumper who dreams of competing in the Olympics. As he trains alongside other kids from his neighborhood, life is not without challenges. When classmates tease him about his hair, Otie longs for a trip to the barbershop, but his mother forbids it, knowing the shop is frequented by a local drug gang. Though the novel spans only a few weeks, it vividly portrays the hardships of Otie's neighborhood and the strain on his parents' marriage as his father struggles with addiction. Driven more by character than plot, and with recurring references to drugs, gangs, and violence, this installment skews toward older middle-grade readers. Ultimately, Otie's resilience and determination shine through, making this an honest and powerful addition to Reynolds' series.

Middle-school athletes Ghost, Lu, Patina, and Sunny each have their own titles in Reynolds's Track series (most recently Lu, rev. 11/18); now it's Coach's turn. Who was he before he was an inspiring leader? How did he grow up to be so committed to his athletes' lives? Reynolds delineates how track star Carl Lewis guides Otis (Otie) Brody's path in his youth. Watching the 1984 Olympics on television with his father and witnessing Lewis winning the gold medal for the hundred-meter event took a boy who "wasn't the athletic type. Couldn't catch a ball, or dribble, or tackle" and made him a runner. Now, four years later, he's a sprinter, with "9.99," Lewis's medal-winning time, written on his hand before each race. In Ghost (rev. 11/16), sprinter Castle Cranshaw says of his troubled home life, "You don't know what it's like, Coach. You don't know." But in this installment, we learn that Coach Brody does know. At the conclusion of the story, when young Otie is talking about his Olympic dreams, his mother says, "I think you gon' make it. But if for some reason you don't, guess what? I think you'd make a pretty good coach." A strong entry in the series that provides backstory for the coach who has been there from the beginning. Dean SchneiderNovember/December 2025 p.76 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An origin story for the man who provides wisdom and a sense of cohesion for the young runners who star in Reynolds' celebrated series. Years before Coach guided the members of the Defenders through hurdles on and off the field, he was a 12-year-old boy known as Otie. Otie's a gifted runner, though impulsive (as his mother says, "Your body's fast, but your mind don't always move at the same speed"), and he's thrilled to learn that the scout who helped his idol, Carl Lewis, make it to the 1984 Olympics four years ago will be arriving soon to assess the talent on his team. His loving parents encourage him--and do their best to keep him away from the influence of the Clippers, a gang that sells drugs in his predominantly Black neighborhood. When his father, who's frequently away for work, returns with a gift of Jordans, Otie is even more excited, but the cherished sneakers serve as the catalyst for learning difficult truths about his father. Reynolds does a remarkable job of using pop culture references--from Michael Jackson toBack to the Future--to establish a sense of time and place. As always, his command of language is masterly, with crackling dialogue, propulsive plotting, and adroit characterization: Readers will emerge with a rich portrait of the forces that created the man whose mentorship would have a powerful effect on so many young people. A beautifully executed victory lap for a beloved series.(Historical fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.