Coach

This compelling companion novel to Jason Reynolds's acclaimed Track series delves into the backstory of Coach, focusing on his youth as Otie Brody. Readers aged 10-14 will follow Otie, a passionate sprinter, as he navigates the complexities of family life, including his father's frequent absences and a puzzling disappearance. The story explores themes of self-discovery, trust, and the emotional impact of family secrets, all set against the backdrop of Otie's athletic aspirations. It's a poignant and mysterious read that offers insight into the character many readers already love.

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. 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.