CANR
WORK TITLE: Twenty-Four Seconds from Now
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/
CITY: Washington
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: LRC July 2022
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born December 6, 1983, in Washington, DC.
EDUCATION:University of Maryland, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and educator. Worked as a stockroom clerk at Lord & Taylor and as a caseworker for mentally ill patients; Lesley University, Cambridge, MA, Writing for Young People MFA Program faculty; speaker and presenter at schools, conferences, and meetings.
AWARDS:Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award, 2015, for When I Was the Greatest; Coretta Scot King Author Honor Book, 2016, for The Boy in the Black Suit; Coretta Scot King Author Honor Book, and the inaugural Dean Myers Award for outstanding children’s literature in the YA category, both 2016, both for All American Boys; Young Readers’ Literature, Kirkus Reviews, 2016, Schneider Family Book Award in the Middle Grades Category, 2017, both for As Brave as You; Middle Grade Fiction Category Prize, Cybils, 2016, for Ghost (Track); Best Young Adult Book Prize, Edgar Awards, 2018, for Long Way Down; National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Library of Congress, 2020; Coretta Scot King Honor Book, 2020, and Carnegie Medal, 2021, both for Look Both Ways; Odyssey Honor Audiobook, 2021, for the audiobook version of Stamped; Schneider Family Honor Book for middle grade books, 2022, for Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Yoto Kate Greenaway medal, 2022, for graphic novel adaptation of Long Way Down; Indie Book Awards children’s fiction category prize, 2022, for When I Was the Greatest; Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, 2023; Caldecott Honor Book, 2023, for Ain’t Burned All the Bright; Audie Award in the Middle Grade category, 2023, for audiobook version of Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Caldecott Honor Book, Association for Library Service to Children, and Coretta Scott King Honor Book, both 2024, both for There Was a Party for Langston; MacArthur Fellowship, MacArthur Foundation, 2024.
WRITINGS
Contributor to anthologies, including Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi, Balzer + Bray (New York, NY), 2019.
SIDELIGHTS
Jason Reynolds is a laureled novelist for youths who first won critical attention with his unique collaboration My Name Is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story, Our Way, illustrated by his then-roommate Jason Griffin, and the young-adult novel When I Was the Greatest. He has since written numerous well-received works for young adults as well as middle graders, including novels, graphic novels, stories, and nonfiction. He studied English composition at the University of Maryland and moved to New York City to start his career as a writer. He is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, a Carnegie Medal, and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen. In 2024 he was awarded a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation.
“My life has been so filled with color and spark, that it only makes sense to put some of these real-life characters in books,” Reynolds wrote in an autobiographical statement on his personal website. “I mean, life has pretty much written all these stories for me. When I’m punching away at the keys, working on whatever it is I’m working on, I often think to myself, Man, I wish the whole world could sit in on a family dinner at my mom’s house.”
In My Name Is Jason. Mine Too, Griffin and Reynolds explore their desires and frustrations, showing through Reynolds’s writing and Griffin’s illustrations how they deal with issues stemming from their lives as artists. “This autobiographical collaboration,” said Jill Heritage Maza in School Library Journal, “riffs on staying true to oneself, cultivating creative genius, taking risks, friendship, and becoming adults.” My Name Is Jason. Mine Too “has an almost multi-genre feel to it even though it is mostly a book of poetry,” stated a contributor to the website Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust. “Jason Griffin’s art is raw and confessional and Reynolds’s writing has an equally confessional style.” “ My Name Is Jason. Mine Too, is a great book,” opined a LitPick Student Book Reviews blog contributor, who concluded, “I was disappointed when I finished because I wanted … more.”
Reynolds’s route to publication took many detours. “Through a strange turn of events, I found myself without a place to live in New York, and was forced to move back home to my mother’s house,” Reynolds explained on the Brown Bookshelf. “I was almost twenty-five years old, and there aren’t too many instances more demoralizing than returning home to your childhood bedroom—music posters still on the wall and everything—after trying to chase your dream. At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, there was actually more demoralization just around the corner. I couldn’t find work … so I ended up working in the stockroom of Lord & Taylor.”
A conversation with illustrator Christopher Myers, the son of acclaimed novelist Walter Dean Myers, helped change that. The result was his first novel for young adults, When I Was the Greatest. In it, Ali, who is fifteen years old; his little sister, Jazz; and their mother occupy one floor in a brownstone in Brooklyn. A Good Books and Good Wine contributor observed: “Instead of being one of those books that is like BOO SINGLE PARENTS, this one makes no judgments. Ali has a best friend, who is known as Noodles. Noodles is constantly getting into trouble because he is totally impulsive. Noodles has a brother with Tourette’s syndrome, who is known as Needles. By the way, these are nicknames given by Jazz.” “Ali, affable and vulnerable, tells their story,” said Roger Sutton in the Horn Book magazine, “and through him Reynolds demonstrates a gift for conversational tone and sly humor.” Ali is also training as a boxer, and he is forced to use his skills to extricate his friends and himself when a social event goes wrong. “This book explores themes like friendship and family. The relationship between Ali and his two friends, Needles and Noodles, wasn’t depicted as perfect and I liked that. No relationship is perfect,” declared a TeenReads contributor. The contributor continued, “The friendship that these three had seemed real, unlike some books where it doesn’t seem possible whatsoever. I found this book to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Many incidents make you want to weep like a child who just had their candy stolen and some things make you want to cry happy tears.” “Readers who love Coe Booth’s work will find Reynolds’s novel to be a really good read,” said a Stacked Books reviewer. “Snappy descriptions … and a hard-won ending round out a funny and rewarding read,” wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Critics celebrated Reynolds’s debut, finding When I Was the Greatest a very effective, character-driven story. “Reynolds’ writing is smooth and incredibly effective (in a little over 200 pages, too). Plus it was refreshing to have a book that illustrated the big wide world we have out there—this grand melting pot of people—which, unfortunately, is such a rarity in young adult fiction these days,” declared a Rather Be Reading reviewer, who added: “ When I Was the Greatest … [is] exactly what I love so much about reading.” “If you’re looking for urban fiction, you might want to give Jason Reynolds’s When I Was the Greatest a shot,” stated the Stacked Books reviewer. “Set in Bed Stuy, New York, this is the story of Ali, a good guy who is just trying to pull it all together and keep afloat in a neighborhood which isn’t always the easiest, the fairest, or the safest place to be.” “There is not a lot of action,” said Pam Carlson in the Voice of Youth Advocates, “but even reluctant readers will be drawn into the web of relationships.” Reynolds’s novel, said Lexi Walters Wright in a Booklist review, “is urban fiction with heart, a meditation on the meaning of family, [and] the power of friendship.” “This title is an easy sell to teens living in urban areas,” declared Emily Moore, writing in School Library Journal, “but will appeal to anyone looking for realistic protagonists in the daily grind.” “Jason Reynolds’s debut effort is indeed great,” opined Angela Leeper in BookPage, “and readers should expect more greatness from this stunning new author.” Reynolds, concluded a Kirkus Reviews contributor, is “an author worth watching.”
In All American Boys, Reynolds and coauthor Brendan Kiely examine the double standard applied to African American youth when it comes to both justice and injustice. Reynolds writes from the perspective of Rashad, a black youth, while Kiely presents the same events from the perspective of Quinn, a privileged white teen. In a brutal scene, Rashad is accused of stealing from a convenience store and is viciously beaten by a white police officer; Quinn witnesses the entire event and knows that Rashad is innocent and that the cop was completely in the wrong. The novel progresses as the two young men react to the event and its aftermath. Rashad deals with the physical and emotional results and the perpetuation of stereotypes that follow him and others like him. Quinn wrestles with whether or not to come forward and tell what actually happened, complicated by the fact that the officer who wrongfully assaulted Rashad is the older brother of a close friend whom Quinn had always seen as a father figure and exemplar of justice. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called All American Boys “painful and all-too-timely.” The “nuanced, thoughtful novel” is written with “sharp humor and devastating honesty,” commented Anastasia M. Collins in a Horn Book review.
The violence of the inner city profoundly affects fifteen-year-old will, the protagonist of Long Way Down. Will’s older brother has been killed in an episode of street violence. According to the code of the street that Will has been taught, it is now his responsibility to find and kill the person who murdered his brother. With his gun tucked into his waistband, Will rides the elevator down from his eighth-floor apartment. Inexplicably, however, the elevator stops on each floor. During these stops, a different person takes a turn at telling Will a story. Each of these storytellers is, in fact, dead, killed in some act of violence that could have been, and should have been prevented. Slowly, the stories create a picture of the cycle of violence that Will and hundreds of others like him have been caught up in. The unresolved ending leaves readers wondering if Will can learn the lesson his ghostly visitors have been teaching him, or if it is too late to prevent him from becoming another victim. “Told in verse, this title is fabulistic in its simplicity and begs to be discussed” in classrooms, in book clubs, or even among family members, noted Kristin Anderson, writing in School Library Journal. A Kirkus Reviews contributor observed, “this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence,” and concluded, “This astonishing book will generate much needed discussion.”
With As Brave as You, pre-teen Genie Harris and his brother and living with their grandparents while their parents go through a divorce. Genie gets into a little trouble while learning more about his family history and coping with the challenging time of the divorce. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews claimed that “this pitch-perfect contemporary novel gently explores the past’s repercussions on the present.”
The protagonist of Ghost, the first book in Reynolds’s “Track” series for middle graders, is Castle Cranshaw, known as Ghost for his speed and agility. The teenager is still traumatized by the night his father chased him and his mother around with a gun, nearly shooting them. During that event, Ghost’s speed helped save his life. His physical abilities aside, Ghost is a troubled young man who is constantly in trouble at school for fighting and other infractions. Much more and he’s likely to be expelled for good. Ghost gets a chance at proving himself when he sees a local championship track team. He easily outraces the team’s best runner and is recruited by the coach who realizes his Ghost’s raw talent can be shaped and directed to produce an outstanding athlete. The biggest problem is whether or not Ghost can stay out of trouble long enough to hone his running abilities or if he’ll be thrown off the team before he has the chance to show what he’s really capable of doing on the track. After years of homemade haircuts, cheap shoes, and poverty-limited clothing, Ghost wants a pair of high-end running shoes that he believes will improve his performance—but does he want them bad enough to steal them and risk his place on the team?
In Ghost, “ferociously talented Reynolds perfectly captures both the pain and earnest longing of a young boy,” observed Becca Worthington in Booklist. “Ghost is a well-meaning, personable narrator,” commented a writer in Publishers Weekly. Horn Book contributor Eboni Njoku remarked, “Reynolds has created a wonderfully dynamic character in Ghost; his first-person narrative is one with which young readers will readily identify.”
In Patina, Patina “Patty” Jones is upset with finishing second in a track race. Her coach tries to encourage her to become more of a team player, which is a challenge for her as she doesn’t really get along with the other girls at her school and has a difficult life at home too. Writing in Horn Book, Eboni Njoku noted that, “as the new girl at an elite academy, Patty’s interactions with her vapid ‘hair-flipper’ classmates, especially, are both humorous and authentic.”
In Sunny, home-schooled twelve-year-old Sunny Lancaster lives a comfortable life compared to his track teammates. However, he suffers from hiding the stress and guilt he feels from his family. Booklist contributor Becca Worthington opined that “this series continues to provide beautiful opportunities for discussion about viewpoint, privilege, loss,” and “diversity of experience.”
With Lu, young Lu is unique in many ways. However, when his parents announce they are having another baby and his track cocaptain starts to cause problems for him, Lu needs to rise about his troubles if he is to succeed. In a review in Horn Book, Monique Harris mentioned that the author goes to “great care in crafting multidimensional characters who face real dilemmas and demonstrate that our shortcomings do not ultimately define who we are.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews called it “the perfect anchor leg for a well-run literary relay.”
In Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, ten stories are narrated by different kids about their challenges in school and life in general. A contributor to Horn Book noticed that “each short story is filled with the heart and humor for which Reynolds’s middle-grade and middle-school work … is known.” In a review in BookPage, Dean Schneider commented that “Reynolds affords loving attention to each of the characters in his large cast. Despite simple-seeming prose, his language sparkles.”
With For Every One, Reynolds present a lengthy poem to express aspirations and dreams of youths. The poem balances inspiration with controversy to offer an honest take on life. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews said the book makes for “inspirational reading for any occasion.”
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix is Reynolds’s adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi’s landmark essay on race in twenty-first-century America for young readers. The work chronicles anti-black, racist ideology in the United States across history to clarify where the nation stands in the modern day. A Publishers Weekly contributor remarked that it is “told impressively economically, loaded with historical details that connect clearly to current experiences, and bolstered with suggested reading.” Booklist contributor Jessica Agudelo claimed that the book should be “required reading for everyone, especially those invested in the future of young people in America.”
In Stuntboy, in the Meantime, Portico “Stuntboy” Reeves is tormented by local bully Herbert Singletary. Stuntboy sees himself as a superhero and his friend, Zola, as his sidekick. The two attempt to protect the residents of the apartment complex safe from Herbert and other inconveniences, while he deals with his parents’ separation. A Publishers Weekly contributor insisted that “there’s plenty to enjoy about this engaging, high-energy collaboration.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews explained that “a boy finds a creative coping mechanism in this original tale that speaks to the heart.”
With Ain’t Burned All the Bright, mixed-media collage and text combine to narrate the challenges faced by Americans in 2020. A contemporary Black family reveals the challenges they have faced. Systemic violence and death of Blacks make up the majority of the news coverage. At home, health concerns worry the family. The book shows the failures of society overall, but also offers a degree of hope and optimism for the future. Booklist contributor Michael Cart called the book “an important combination that expresses the Zeitgeist of a troubled time. It’s essential reading.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews mentioned that although the story line is based “in 2020, many of the issues touched on explicitly are very much not over and not even new.” The same reviewer found it to be “artful, cathartic, and most needed.”
[open new]Reynolds has written a pair of novels starring Marvel Comics’ Miles Morales, a youth version of Spider-Man. The second, Miles Morales Suspended uses poems and intervals of prose to relate Miles’s experiences with a history teacher, Mr. Chamberlain, whose acts and attitude amount to institutional racism. After Alicia Carson—recipient of poetry from Miles—leads a protest and gets in-school suspension, Miles stands up for himself as a Black, Boricua teen and gets the same punishment. With the downward arc of too many Black and Brown lives on his mind, the discovery of termites in the school gets his spidey sense tingling and points toward evil to be fought.
A Kirkus Reviews writer observed that with its “fluid combination of prose and verse, the story lays Miles’ emotional truths bare.” Lisa Krok remarked in School Library Journal that the genre mixing “adds to the action-packed story line and provides an amusing, banter-filled tone, which Reynolds is exceptionally skilled at.” The Kirkus Reviews writer praised the “strong plot” and found in Miles Morales Suspended “relatable high-stakes fun.”
There Was a Party for Langston is Reynolds’s first picture book. Text honoring the verbal genius of Langston Hughes (1901–1967) and his contributions to American literature and to African Americans’ collective spirit leads up to a party. At the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1991, Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka famously dance up a storm in Hughes’s honor, with other Black literary heirs lining the shelves. In Booklist John Peters hailed the text as “evocative,” “rhythmic and exuberant,” and a Publishers Weekly reviewer observed that with “celebratory text and kinetic, graphical art, the creators underscore the power of the subject’s poetry to move and to inspire.”
Portico Reeves returns in Stuntboy, In-Between Time.Portico’s parents’ divorce has added challenges to his life, and in this narrative it takes all day for him to reach his father’s apartment on the third floor from his mother’s on the fifth. Freewheeling teens, stray iguanas, and the allure of mischief-making in an empty eighth-floor apartment prove to offer Portico means of lingering in the in-between time for as long as possible, and with a poignant purpose. In Booklist, John Peters hailed the second Stuntboy novel as “funny and tumultuous,” like the first, as Reynolds “adroitly weaves emotional business into the teeming tapestry of apartment houselife.”
Romance is at the heart of Twenty-Four Seconds from Now … : A Love Story, in which Neon Benton and Aria Wright, a couple for two years, are on the verge of taking a major step in physical intimacy. As Neon battles a case of nerves, the narrative flashes back to twenty-four hours earlier, then twenty-four days earlier, revealing the tutelage Neon’s savvy sister offered, Aria’s complicated home life, and more of the essential background leading up to the pivotal moment.
Speaking with the Bookseller, Reynolds affirmed that with this novel he aimed to both demystify sexuality for teen readers and encourage young men in particular to be willing to interrogate their feelings and talk about them with others as a means toward greater self-knowledge and more fulfilling relationships. Proclaiming that Reynolds “astounds” in this “sweetly hilarious” novel, a Publishers Weekly reviewer hailed Twenty-Four Seconds from Now … as a “mighty exaltation to Black love” and “moving story of one boy’s growth and the community that fosters it.” A Kirkus Reviews writer appreciated how Neon narrates with “clarity, sensitivity, and humor” in this “warm, heartfelt, and fully engaging portrayal of teen love.”[close new]
In an interview with Ibi Zoboi on the National Book Foundation website, Reynolds set out what he accepts as his responsibility as an author of youth fiction. “It’s my responsibility to honor young people with honesty, even if their parents are uncomfortable. They are human beings with feelings. They also have the internet, and they come with their own set of trauma. Why should I be disrespectful to the young reader by shielding them from what they already know?”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 15, 2013, Lexi Walters Wright, review of When I Was the Greatest, p. 48; February 1, 2015, Michael Cart, review of The Boy in the Black Suit, p. 44; September 15, 2015, Michael Cart, review of All American Boys, p. 62; September 1, 2016, Becca Worthington, review of Ghost, p. 106; August 1, 2017, Becca Worthington, review of Patina, p. 62; May 1, 2018, Becca Worthington, review of Sunny, p. 82; October 1, 2018, Becca Worthington, review of Lu, p. 78; August 1, 2019, review of Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, p. 63; January 1, 2020, Jessica Agudelo, review of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, p. 62; October 15, 2021, John Peters, review of Stuntboy, in the Meantime, p. 56; December 1, 2021, Michael Cart, review of Ain’t Burned All the Bright, p. 47; June 1, 2023, John Peters, review of Stuntboy, In-Between Time, p. 86; October 1, 2023, Ashley Young, review of Stuntboy, In-Between Time (audiobook), p. 79; August 1, 2023, John Peters, review of There Was a Party for Langston, p. 62.
BookPage, August 22, 2017, review of When I Was the Greatest; October 1, 2019, Dean Schneider, review of Look Both Ways, p. 31.
Bookseller, May 31, 2024, Hena J. Bryan, “Jason Reynolds: YA novelist and poet,” author interview, p. 19.
Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, February 1, 2015, Karen Coats, review of The Boy in the Black Suit, p. 327; June 1, 2016, Elizabeth Bush, review of As Brave as You, p. 541; October 1, 2016, Elizabeth Bush, review of Ghost, p. 91.
Ebony, September 1, 2016, review of Ghost, p. 32.
Entertainment Weekly, January 11, 2022, Seija Rankin, “Jason Reynolds and His BFF Jason Griffin Answer Our Burning Pop Culture Questions.”
Horn Book, January 1, 2014, Roger Sutton, review of When I Was the Greatest, p. 99; March 1, 2015, Roger Sutton, review of The Boy in the Black Suit, p. 107; November 1, 2015, Anastasia M. Collins, review of All American Boys, p. 89; July 1, 2016, Patrick Gall, review of As Brave as You, p. 143; November 1, 2016, Eboni Njoke, review of Ghost, p. 86; January 1, 2017, review of As Brave as You, p. 19; November 1, 2017, Eboni Njoku, review of Patina, p. 114; November 1, 2018, Monique Harris, review of Lu, p. 87; November 1, 2019, Autumn Allen, review of Look Both Ways, p. 95.
Kirkus Reviews, November 1, 2013, review of When I Was the Greatest; October 15, 2014, review of The Boy in the Black Suit; August 15, 2015, review of All American Boys; April 15, 2016, review of As Brave as You; June 15, 2017, review of Miles Morales; July 15, 2017, review of Patina; July 15, 2017, review of Long Way Down; February 15, 2018, review of For Every One; April 15, 2018, review of Sunny; September 15, 2018, review of Lu; August 1, 2019, review of Look Both Ways; December 1, 2019, review of Stamped; September 15, 2021, review of Stuntboy, in the Meantime; November 1, 2021, review of Ain’t Burned All the Bright; April 1, 2022, review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too; May 1, 2023, review of Miles Morales Suspended; June 15, 2023, review of Stuntboy, In-Between Time; August 1, 2023, review of There Was a Party for Langston; August 15, 2024, review of Twenty-Four Seconds from Now … : A Love Story.
Language Arts, May 1, 2017, Mayr Ann Cappiello, review of All American Boys, p. 353.
Publishers Weekly, October 28, 2013, review of When I Was the Greatest, p. 62; November 3, 2014, review of The Boy in the Black Suit, p. 105; December 2, 2015, review of All American Boys, p. 88; December 2, 2016, review of Ghost, p. 73; January 1, 2020, review of Stamped, p. 78; November 15, 2021, review of Ain’t Burned All the Bright, p. 77; November 24, 2021, review of Stuntboy, in the Meantime, p. 90; March 9, 2022, review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too, p. 57; August 14, 2023, review of There Was a Party for Langston, p. 58; July 22, 2024, Elena Giovinazzo, review of Twenty-Four Seconds from Now …, p. 69.
School Library Journal, October 1, 2009, Jill Heritage Maza, review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story, Our Way, p. 151; February 1, 2014, Emily Moore, review of When I Was the Greatest, p. 112; July 1, 2017, Kristin Anderson, review of Long Way Down. p. 94; May, 2023, Lisa Krok, review of Miles Morales Suspended, p. 82.
Social Education, May 1, 2016, Laura E. Meyers, review of All American Boys, p. S6.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 1, 2009, Judith Brink-Drescher, review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too, p. 250; December 1, 2013, Pam Carlson, review of When I Was the Greatest, p. 64.
ONLINE
Afro, http://www.afro.com/ (June 3, 2015), Charise Wallace, “Meet Jason Reynolds: Maryland Native Turned New York Author,” profile of Jason Reynolds.
Book Wars, http://www.thebookwars.ca/ (April 27, 2017), review of As Brave as You.
Brown Bookshelf, http://thebrownbookshelf.com/ (February 4, 2014), “Day 4: Jason Reynolds.”
Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust, http:// www.foodiebibliophile.com/ (May 4, 2014), review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.
Good Books and Good Wine, http:// goodbooksandgoodwine.com/ (July 19, 2013), review of When I Was the Greatest.
Jason Reynolds website, http://www.jasonwritesbooks.com (December 28, 2024).
LitPick Student Book Reviews, http:// flamingnet.blogspot.com/ (September 7, 2009), review of My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.
MacArthur Foundation website, https://www.macfound.org/ (October 1, 2024), “Jason Reynolds: Children’s and Young Adult Writer.”
Middle Grade Mafia, http://www.middlegrademafia.com/ (April 7, 2017), Kim Zachman, “MG Book Review: Ghost by Jason Reynolds.”
National Book Foundation website, http://www.nationalbook.org/ (August 12, 2017), Ibi Zoboi, author profile and interview; February 9, 2022, Rebecca Sutton, “The Intoxicating Power of Language: A Conversation with Jason Reynolds.”
NBC News website, http://www.nbcnews.com/ (August 24, 2015), Lesley-Ann Brown, “The Graceful Power of Novelist Jason Reynolds.”
Pippin Properties, Inc., http://www.pippinproperties.com/ (May 28, 2014), author profile.
Rather Be Reading, http://ratherbereadingblog.com/ (May 28, 2014), review of When I Was the Greatest.
Stacked Books, http://www.stackedbooks.org/ (January 1, 2014), review of When I Was the Greatest.
Teenreads, http://www.teenreads.com/ (May 28, 2014), review of When I Was the Greatest.
JASON REYNOLDS
Here's what I do: not write boring books.
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of many award-winning books, including Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks, All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi), Stuntboy, in the Meantime (illustrated by Raúl the Third), and Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin). The recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors, Reynolds is also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Late Night with Seth Meyers, CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America, and various media outlets. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC.
Jason Reynolds
Children’s and Young Adult Writer Class of 2024
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Portrait of Jason Reynolds
Depicting the rich inner lives of kids of color and ensuring that they see themselves and their communities in literature.
location icon Location
Washington, District of Columbia
age iconAge
40 at time of award
area of focus iconArea of Focus
Fiction and Nonfiction Writing
website iconWebsite(s)
jasonwritesbooks.comLesley University: Jason Reynolds
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About Jason's Work
Jason Reynolds is a writer of children’s and young adult literature whose books reflect the rich inner lives of kids of color and offer profound moments of human connection. He writes to fill a void he experienced as a young Black boy from Oxon Hill, Maryland, who seldom saw communities like his depicted in the books he was encouraged to read at school. With a poet’s ear for rhythm and a storyteller’s sense of narrative pacing and structure, Reynolds weaves humor, joy, and playfulness into his works. At the same time, he does not shy away from depicting the challenging realities of racism, economic inequity, police brutality, and grief for his young readers. The characters featured in his fiction forge friendships, discover talents, act out, seek forgiveness, face fears, and care for parents with cancer.
In Ghost (2016), the first in a series of track-themed novels, 11-year-old Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw turns to running with an elite track team to deal with the traumas of domestic violence and his father’s incarceration. Long Way Down (2017), a novel in verse, follows 15-year-old Will as he rides an elevator down from his apartment. He has a gun in his waistband and is intent on avenging his brother’s murder. Ghosts from Will’s past, each a victim of gun violence, confront him as the elevator opens on descending floors. The novel Look Both Ways (2019) takes the form of ten interconnected stories. Its scenes unfold across ten blocks traversed by sixth graders as they navigate the terrain between school and home, shared schedules and private struggles. With each chapter, Reynolds invites readers to step into the shoes of different characters as they learn about the world in their own ways during unsupervised time. Pia, a skateboarder, mourns her lost sister, and list-making Fatima observes her environment like her scientist mother.
Reynolds’s body of work also includes numerous other novels, a co-authored work of nonfiction, and collaborations with artists on picture books and graphic novels. Beyond the page, he is a dynamic champion of storytelling who inspires reluctant readers and the adults who teach and care for them. He travels to schools, libraries, and community centers in cities and small towns across the nation to connect with kids at their level and remind them that their personal narratives hold important truths, that they are worthy of appearing on the pages of the books we all read. As an inventive author and captivating speaker, Reynolds ensures that kids see themselves in literature and empowers them to tell their own stories.
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Biography
Jason Reynolds received a BA (2005) from the University of Maryland. He is on the faculty of Lesley University’s Writing for Young People MFA Program, and, from 2020 to 2022, he served as the Library of Congress’s National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He has authored and co-authored more than 20 books, including When I Was the Greatest (2014), The Boy in the Black Suit (2015), All American Boys (2015, with Brendan Kiely), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), Lu (2018), Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (2020, with Ibram X. Kendi), Ain’t Burned All the Bright (2022), There Was a Party for Langston (2023), and Twenty-four Seconds from Now (2024), among others.
Published on October 1, 2024
Jason Reynolds
USA flag (b.1983)
After earning a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where you can often find him walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment talking to himself. Well, not really talking to himself, but just repeating character names and plot lines he thought of on the train, over and over again, because he's afraid he'll forget it all before he gets home.
Awards: Carnegie (2021), Edgar (2018), LA Times (2017) see all
Genres: Children's Fiction, Science Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Young Adult Fiction
New and upcoming books
October 2024
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Twenty-Four Seconds from Now
Series
Track
1. Ghost (2016)
2. Patina (2017)
3. Sunny (2018)
4. Lu (2018)
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Stunt Boy
1. In the Meantime (2021)
2. In-Between Time (2023)
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Novels
My Name Is Jason. Mine Too (2009)
When I Was the Greatest (2014)
The Boy in the Black Suit (2015)
All American Boys (2015) (with Brendan Kiely)
As Brave As You (2016)
Long Way Down (2017)
Look Both Ways (2019)
Ain't Burned All the Bright (2022)
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now (2024)
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For Every One (poems) (2018)
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Spider-Man
Miles Morales (2017)
Miles Morales Suspended (2023)
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There Was a Party for Langston (2023)
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Stamped (2020) (with Ibram X Kendi)
Jason Reynolds
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jason Reynolds
Reynolds in 2020
Reynolds in 2020
Born December 6, 1983 (age 41)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation Writer
Language English
Alma mater University of Maryland
Genre Young adult fiction
Notable works
When I Was the Greatest
Boy in the Black Suit
As Brave as You
Ghost (Track series)
Miles Morales: Spider-Man
Long Way Down
Look Both Ways
Notable awards Coretta Scott King Award
NAACP Image Award
Carnegie Medal
Margaret A. Edwards Award
MacArthur Fellowship
Website
jasonwritesbooks.com
Literature portal
Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle grade audiences. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an early focus on poetry, publishing several poetry collections before his first novel in 2014, When I Was the Greatest, which won the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
In the next four years, Reynolds wrote eight more novels, most notably the New York Times best-selling Track series — Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), Lu (2018) — and As Brave as You (2016). Ghost was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and As Brave as You won the Kirkus Prize, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the Schneider Family Book Award. Reynolds also wrote a Marvel Comics novel called Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017).
In 2017, Reynolds returned to poetry with Long Way Down, a novel in verse that was named a Newbery Honor book, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards. In 2019, he wrote Look Both Ways, for which he won a Carnegie Medal.
From 2020 to 2022, Reynolds was the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.[1][2]
In 2023, Reynolds won the Margaret Edwards Award.[3]
In 2024, Reynolds was named a MacArthur Fellow.[4]
Early life, education and influences
Reynolds was born on December 6, 1983,[5][6][7] in Washington, DC, and grew up just across Maryland border in Oxon Hill,[8] a neighborhood where his mother, a special education teacher in a Maryland public school, could afford a house with a yard and enough space for Reynolds, his three siblings, and sometimes other extended family.[9]
At nine years old, Reynolds was inspired by Queen Latifah's third album, Black Reign, to start writing poetry.[10] Outside of her rap, few literary works spoke to his experience of urban life growing up as a black child and then teenager in the 1980s and 1990s, and he didn't start reading books until he was 17.[10] In the meantime, Tupac and Biggie also formed major influences.[9]
One of Reynolds's earliest poems dealt with his grandmother's death in 1994 when he was 10.[11][12] He wrote a few lines in an effort to console his mother, who printed the poem on the program for the funeral, and after that Reynolds wrote poems as each of his grandmother's siblings passed.[12] Moved by these experiences of "the power of language",[11] he continued to pursue poetry through high school, graduating from Bishop McNamara High School in 2000,[9] and college, even as he received poor grades and discouragement from professors in his English courses[10] at the University of Maryland (he ultimately graduated with a BA in English.)[13]
While an undergraduate, Reynolds met collaborator Jason Griffin, who became his roommate.[12] Reynolds was also introduced to spoken word in this period[12] and began performing,[14] including eventually solo shows, and in 2001,[12] his first book came out, a poetry collection called Let Me Speak.[15]
During college, Reynolds also worked at a DC bookstore chain called Karibu Books, which specialized in African-American literature.[9] At Karibu he encountered prose that resonated with him for the first time, such as Richard Wright's novel Black Boy.[10] Enthralled with Wright's novel from the first page, Reynolds next began making his way through the great works of African-American literature on the store's shelves, reading James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison.[10] While at Karibu he also encountered street fiction, also known as urban fiction, which is a literary genre Reynolds compares to rap's capacity for being "raw and honest. For some kids, this was their life."[10]
Personal life
Reynolds moved back to Washington, D.C., from Brooklyn in 2016.[9] He collects items related to African-American literature, including a letter by Langston Hughes, a pre-publication review copy of Claude Brown's Manchild in the Promised Land and an autographed first edition copy of Toni Morrison's Beloved. He appeared on Antiques Roadshow in 2021 to discuss his collecting.[16]
Selected works
Reynolds does not start with a particular age audience in mind; instead he focuses on trying to write the voice of his characters authentically and lets that dictate whom the book would appeal to.[17] All of his writings feature minority characters, which he sees as a reflection of the modern world.[17]
Early works
After graduating from college, Reynolds moved to New York with a classmate, Jason Griffin; in 2005, the pair self-published a collaboration, collecting Griffin's visual art and Reynolds's poetry, called SELF.[12][8] The book earned the pair an agent and then a book contract.[12] Four years later they published My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way, a memoir about moving to New York to pursue their dreams, expressed through Reynolds's poetry and Griffin's illustrations.[18] They published the book with the HarperTeen imprint of HarperCollins, working with editor Joanna Cotler (after Cotler retired, she referred him to Caitlin Dlouhy, who would become the editor on his next seven books).[9] In the meantime, Reynolds moved home to DC in 2008 after losing his apartment in New York.[11] He worked at a department store—the Lord & Taylor in North Bethesda, Maryland—to pay the bills, going to a Borders bookstore on his lunch break to see his book arrive on the shelf in 2009. Next, he became a caseworker in a mental health clinic his father directed.[8]
Eventually, Reynolds returned to New York, again working in retail while he applied to graduate school, unsuccessfully because of his college grades.[8] Nevertheless, he began writing a young adult novel[5]—"often while standing at the cash register when business was slow" at the Rag & Bone store he managed[8]—spurred by his friend Chris Myers, son of Walter Dean Myers and himself an author and illustrator. Reynolds had told Chris he had basically stopped writing, but Chris pointed out that with his father aging (the elder Myers died in 2014), there would soon be a shortage of new works written about young black children, particularly black boys. He suggested Reynolds look at some of his father's old works, and The Young Landlords particularly connected with Reynolds; the work gave Reynolds the confidence to "write in my voice, use my tongue, my language, my style, and write a story. Before that I always felt like I wasn't good enough because I wasn't Baldwin, or Toni Mor, or Richard Wright", but after reading Myers's work, "the floodgates were opened."[11]
In 2014, Reynolds published When I Was The Greatest (with the Atheneum Books imprint of Simon & Schuster),[19] a young adult novel set in Reynolds' own neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.[20] For the work, Reynolds won the 2015 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent from the American Library Association.[11]
In 2015, Reynolds published The Boy in the Black Suit, about a child grieving the loss of his mother.[8] It won a Coretta Scott King Honor from the American Library Association.
All American Boys (2015)
Main article: All American Boys
Also in 2015, Reynolds published All American Boys, co-authored with Brendan Kiely.[21] The book depicts a black teenager assaulted in a convenience store by a white police officer who wrongly suspects him of stealing. The book is written in two voices, with Reynolds writing from the point of view of the teenaged victim, Rashad Butler, in a hospital bed, while Kiely wrote the character Quinn Collins, a white teenager and family friend of the police officer, who witnessed the violent attack.[21] In a review for The New York Times, Kelka Magoon found both main characters "successfully drawn" and called the novel "a book to be grappled with, challenged by, and discussed. All American Boys represents one voice—even better, two voices—in a national conversation that must continue beyond its pages."[21]
The book arose from personal conversations between Reynolds, who is black, and Kiely, who is white. The two met on a Simon & Schuster book tour in 2013, which coincided with the news that George Zimmerman had been acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin. Though strangers, Reynolds and Kiely began to share their feelings, each finding the other was "as frustrated as angry and as confused as I was", as Reynolds put it. A friendship developed and the conversations continued with increasing urgency; after a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, Kiely reached out to Reynolds to propose they write a book addressing police brutality and racial profiling.[22]
The book won the inaugural Walter Dean Myers Award from the We Need Diverse Books organization,[23] as well as a Coretta Scott King Honor.[24]
As Brave as You (2016)
Main article: As Brave as You
In 2016, Reynolds published As Brave as You,[25] which won the 2016 Kirkus Prize,[26][27] the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen,[28] the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award,[29] and the 2017 Coretta Scott King Honor.[30] The book describes two African-American brothers from Brooklyn who are sent to spend the summer with their grandfather in Virginia.[31] In The Washington Post, a reviewer said, "Reynolds deftly blends humor and heart through lively dialogue and spot-on sibling dynamics."[24]
Track series (2016-2018)
The Track series follows a different protagonist in each novel, all of whom are members of the Defenders, an elite track team. In 2016, Reynolds published Ghost,[32] a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature.[33] Reviewing Ghost in The New York Times, Kate Messner said that in his title character, Reynolds has created a protagonist "whose journey is so genuine that he's worthy of a place alongside Ramona and Joey Pigza on the bookshelves where our most beloved, imperfect characters live."[34] Ghost was published by the Caitlyn Dlouhy imprint of Atheneum on August 30, 2016.[35]
Three more books have followed in the series.[36] Patina (2017) depicts another young star runner, Patina "Patty" Jones.[37] Patty feels out of place at her nearly all-white private school. Patty and her younger sister live with their dead father's brother and his white wife because their birth mother is unable to take care of them after losing her legs due to diabetes. Critics noted the deft way the book handles many issues[38] including teamwork[37][38][39] and non-traditional family structures.[38][37] This was the first book Reynolds had written with a female point of view.[40] Reynolds wanted to write about the special burdens some teen girls assume in their families.[40] In his The New York Times review, Tom Rinaldi called the novel "excellent".[36] The book was also well received by other reviewers, earning a starred review in Kirkus Reviews,[37] School Library Journal,[39] The Horn Book Magazine,[41] and Booklist.[38]
The third installment in the series, called Sunny, was released on April 10, 2018.[42] Paste magazine named the audiobook, narrated by Guy Lockard, one of the 13 best of 2018 to date, saying, "The whole series is a must-listen, but Sunny is a particular treat" thanks to the Lockard's portrayal of the "lolling, goofball voice" of the novel's first-person protagonist.[43]
The fourth installment in the series, called Lu, was released October 23, 2018.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017)
Reynolds is the author of Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017),[44][45] a novel based on the Marvel Comics' Afro-Puerto Rican teen character.[46] Reynolds has described his ambitions for the book as similar to Jordan Peele's approach to Get Out, namely to engage the audience with systemic social issues by "distill[ing] it down to a single family." Speaking to School Library Journal, Reynolds said, "It was a trip to take these issues I care so much about and figure out what they look like as a person. What do they sound like? How do they dress? How do they act? What do they do?"[46] Reviewing the book for the Washington City Paper, Kayla Randall said, "The result...was exceptional."[30]
Long Way Down (2017)
Main article: Long Way Down (book)
Reynolds's 2017 book, Long Way Down, is a novel written in verse.[9] It describes a 15-year-old who sees his brother shot to death,[5] drawing on Reynolds's experience of having a friend murdered when Reynolds was 19.[5] Reynolds was moved to write the book by his visits to juvenile detention centers, where he frequently encounters children caught in a cycle of violence that, under slightly different circumstances, might have been his own: Reynolds has said that after his own friend's murder, he and other friends planned to seek revenge but never did so as the perpetrator wasn't conclusively identified, something he looked back on and "realized how lucky that was."[9] Long Way Down was named a 2018 Newbery Honor book by the American Library Association,[47] a Michael L. Printz Honor Book,[47] best young adult work at the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards,[48] a Walter Dean Myers Award from the We Need Diverse Books organization, a Coretta Scott King Honor, and a finalist for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens.[49] An adaptation by Martine Kei Green-Rogers of Long Way Down was commissioned by the Kennedy Center and performed at the Kennedy Center's Family Theater in October/November 2018.
In October 2020, a graphic novel edition of Long Way Down was published with art by Danica Novgorodoff.[50]
For Every One (2018)
Reynolds and psychologist Manfred Günther, Library Festival Berlin 2018
On April 10, 2018, Reynolds released For Every One,[51] a work of poetry. He originally performed the poem at the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at the Kennedy Center.[52] Two weeks later, Reynolds occupied three slots on The New York Times best-seller lists for children's literature: two on the young adult hardcover list (Long Way Down and For Every One),[53] and one on the children's series list for the Track series.[54]
"Ten Things I've Been Meaning to Say to You" (2018)
Reynolds published a list for teenagers with 10 things he thought they should know about life and their futures. It was posted on May 28, 2018, on Powell's Book Blog.[55]
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks (2019)
Main article: Look Both Ways (Reynolds novel)
Look Both Ways was published on October 8, 2019. The story is told across ten blocks in different perspectives as middle schoolers walk home from school.[56] On the day of its release, Look Both Ways became a finalist for the National Book Award[57] and later made the New York Times Best Sellers List.[58] Jason Reynolds explained that he wanted to explore kids' autonomy in this book, saying, "It is a time when they are unsupervised" and they "get to learn about the world on their own, for better or for worse."[59] He won the 2021 Carnegie Medal for the book.[60]
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (2019-2021)
Reynolds at the National Book Festival in 2022
Main article: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Reynolds announced Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You in August 2019 in collaboration with Ibram X. Kendi.[61] Releasing in March 2020, Reynolds' book is an adaptation of Kendi's book Stamped from the Beginning, which won the National Book Award in 2016.[61] The book is for teens and young adults and serves to start a conversation among them about race and racism in America.[61] Reynolds says, "I think that we have a rare opportunity to give the historical context of how we made it here today. This is the definitive history of race in America from the 1400s to today. It isn't about how to fix it per se. It's just about contextualizing why it is the way it is."[62]
In 2021, Reynolds, alongside Kendi and Sonja Cherry-Paul, published Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You, which was illustrated by Rachelle Baker. The book is a New York Times best seller.[63]
Podcast series, Radiotopia presents: My Mother Made Me (2022)
In 2022, Reynolds wrote and hosted My Mother Made Me, a podcast he made in collaboration with Radiotopia. The podcast description reads, "My Mother Made Me is a four-episode series from Radiotopia Presents, where writer Jason Reynolds and his mother, Isabell, explore their shared history, how she raised him, and what they’re teaching each other. They go deep – birth, death, spirituality… but they also keep it light: pushing a cart through Costco, birthday lunches, and hitting the casino together. That’s just how they do."[64]
Selected awards and honors
Selected accolades for Jason Reynolds
Year Work Accolade Result Ref.
2015 When I Was the Greatest John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner [65]
2016 Ghost National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist [66]
All American Boys Walter Dean Myers Award Winner [67]
Coretta Scott King Award Honor [68]
The Boy in the Black Suit Coretta Scott King Award Honor [68]
2017 Ghost American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults Top 10 [69]
As Brave as You Coretta Scott King Award Honor [68]
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens Winner [70]
Ghost Odyssey Award Honor [71][72]
2018 Long Way Down Coretta Scott King Award Honor [68][73]
Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Work Winner [74]
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens Finalist [75]
Newbery Medal Honor [73]
Michael L. Printz Award Honor [76]
2019 Look Both Ways National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist [77]
2020 Coretta Scott King Award Honor [68]
2021 Carnegie Medal Winner [78]
2023 When I Was the Greatest (2014)
All American Boys (2015)
Long Way Down (2017) Margaret Edwards Award Winner [79]
2024 The Collectors: Stories Michael L. Printz Award Winner [80]
Honors
2020 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature at the Library of Congress[81]
2024 MacArthur Fellow[4]
Publications
Standalone books
—— (2001). Let Me Speak. Baltimore: Mwaza Publications. ISBN 9780971766341.
—— (2005). Self. Co-written with Jason Griffin. Mwaza Publications. ISBN 9780971766389.
—— (2009). My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way. Illustrations by Jason Griffin. HarperTeen. ISBN 9780061547881.
—— (2014). When I Was the Greatest. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781442459472.
—— (2015). The Boy in the Black Suit. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781442459502.
—— (2015). All American Boys. Co-written by Brendan Kiely. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481463331.
—— (2016). As Brave as You. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481415903.
—— (2017). Miles Morales, Spider-Man. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York and Los Angeles: Marvel. ISBN 9781484787489.
—— (2017). Long Way Down. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 9781481438254.
—— (2018). For Every One. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 9781481486248.
—— (2019). Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks. Illustrated by Alexander Nabaum. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 9781481438285.
—— (2020). Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. Co-written by Ibram X. Kendi. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316453691.
—— (2020). Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You. Co-written by Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul, and illustrated by Rachelle Baker. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316453691.
—— (2022). Ain't Burned All the Bright. Artwork by Jason Griffin. New York: Atheneum. ISBN 9781534439467.
Stuntboy series
—— (2021). Stuntboy, in the Meantime. Drawings by Raúl the Third. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781534418165.
—— (2023). Stuntboy, In-Between Time. Drawings by Raúl the Third. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781534418226.
Track series
—— (2016). Ghost. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481450157.
—— (2017). Patina. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481450188.
—— (2018). Sunny. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481450218.
—— (2018). Lu. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481450249.
Podcast series
Radiotopia presents: My Mother Made Me (2022)
Reynolds, Jason MILES MORALES SUSPENDED Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Teen None) $19.99 5, 2 ISBN: 9781665918466
Miles Morales contends with a new threat.
Another week begins at Brooklyn Visions Academy, and Miles is in a tough spot. Following the events of Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017), in which he defeated villain the Warden, Miles assumed things would settle down. But history teacher Mr. Chamberlain appears to be stuck in the past: Miles' crush, a Black girl named Alicia Carson, leads a protest and is suspended. Mr. Chamberlain unfairly picks on Miles, and he ends up being given in-school suspension too. Miles' parents, Boricua and Black, are proud of him, but it doesn't feel like his school understands. As the suspension day crawls along, Miles' thoughts race. Austin, his cousin, is locked up: How can he help? Alicia is there in ISS too. A few days ago, he gave her a poem he'd written, and she gave him one in return. Classmate and dedicated library assistant Tobin Rogers is being punished for destroying books--but why would he do that? As the answers to these questions slowly come into focus, Miles realizes who the unlikely foe is. Quick thinking and quicker moves may not be enough to take this villain down, but he must try. Reynolds returns with a genre-bending sequel exploring the inner workings of Brooklyn's latest web-slinger. Told in a fluid combination of prose and verse, the story lays Miles' emotional truths bare. The antagonist's origin and incentives are a bit lacking by contrast, but the strong plot will keep pages turning.
Relatable high-stakes fun. (Fantasy. 12-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Reynolds, Jason: MILES MORALES SUSPENDED." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A747342380/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=43fb20bb. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
REYNOLDS, Jason. Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel. illus. by Zeke Pena. 320p. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. May 2023. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781665918466.
Gr 7 Up--Picking up the day after Miles Morales: Spiderman saved the world from heinous criminal The Warden, this sequel begins with Miles suspended for telling his racist teacher, Mr. Chamberlain, that he's sick of his crap. Miles Morales is NOT a pincushion, punching bag, puppet, pet, or a pawn. He is a Boricua Black teen living in Brooklyn on a block very different from the Brooklyn Visions Academy boarding school he attends. At the Academy, Black and brown kids are discriminated against, villainized, and steered towards a pipeline leading to mass incarceration that makes statistics out of those students. When he begins seeing termites at school, his Spidey Sense alerts him to a sinister plot. The hybrid verse/prose format adds to the action-packed story line and provides an amusing, banter-filled tone, which Reynolds is exceptionally skilled at for drawing in even the most reluctant of readers. As tensions build, the termites embody censorship, a powerful topic brought up often via current events in schools and prisons across the country. Miles is complex, as he courageously argues for books to "try to read and write themselves free" and attempts to grab Alicia's attention by writing poetry, which is realistically awkward and sweet. Although Ganke's role is spare in this volume, readers will delight in this spirited character as he supports his bestie Miles and provides extra comic relief during stressful situations. Pena's comic-style illustrations enhance the story by reflecting the Spiderman side of our hero. Cultural references such as grease in the Bustelo can, bodegas, and dap depict the authenticity of Miles's world. VERDICT Librarian Spidey senses are tingling; this is a must for your shelves.--Lisa Krok
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Krok, Lisa. "REYNOLDS, Jason. Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man Novel." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 5, May 2023, pp. 82+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A748258474/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2aa9a52e. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
There Was a Party for Langston
Jason Reynolds, illus. by Jerome and Jarrett
Pumphrey.Atheneum/Dlouhy, $18.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5344-3944-3
The creators' high-stepping testament to the enduring cultural influence of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes (1901-1967) begins with the promise of a party: "a jam in Harlem to celebrate the word-making man." Rhythmic lines from Newbery Honoree Reynolds, making his picture book debut, aptly describe Hughes as "the best word maker around./Could make the word MOTHER feel/ like real warm arms wrapped around you." In illustrations rendered with handmade stamps, Ezra Jack Keats Award Honorees the Pumphrey brothers apply stylized typography throughout, as on a page in which mother makes up the figure of a parent embracing a child. In the run-up to the party, pages hint at Hughes's ability to turn words into laughter that "rang out/ for years and years." And so, in 1991 at the NYPL's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, "a fancy-foot,/get-down,/all-out bash" is held in the poet's honor. There, the works of other Black writers peer out from book spines, and literary successors Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka dance "like the best words do, together." Melding celebratory text and kinetic, graphical art, the creators underscore the power of the subject's poetry to move and to inspire. Figures are porttayed with brown skin throughout. An author's note concludes. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Elena Giovinazzo. Pippin Properties. Illustrators' agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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"There Was a Party for Langston." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 33, 14 Aug. 2023, p. 58. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A762916282/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=495c8c40. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
There Was a Party for Langston. By Jason Reynolds. Illus. by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey. Oct. 2023.56p. Atheneum, $18.99 (9781534439443). Gr. 1-3.
Inspired by a photo of Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka boogeying down at a 1991 gathering at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center, this high-stepping shoutout to the honoree of that historic "hoopla in Harlem" pays tribute to the "king of letters," celebrating the man "who wrote Maya and Amiri into the world" with his "wake-up stories / and rise-and-shine rhymes," who answered would-be "word breakers" and book burners with courage and laughter. In illustrations as rhythmic and exuberant as Reynolds' narrative, Langston and the other two luminaries may occupy center stage (their bodies ingeniously constructed from words and the brushed letters of their names), but the entire alphabetically arranged lineup of guests looking on from the bookshelves are familiar names--from Ashley Bryan to Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison to Octavia Butler, Countee Cullen to Nikki Giovanni to Gwendolyn Brooks. Evocative and celebratory words float around the dancers like strains of music, all the way to a culminating whirl of letters, laughter, and joy. The author pairs the original photo with a loving afterword. Who knew these esteemed literary lions could cut a rug like that? --John Peters
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Peters, John. "There Was a Party for Langston." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 22, 1 Aug. 2023, pp. 62+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A761981778/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=28727906. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Reynolds, Jason THERE WAS A PARTY FOR LANGSTON Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Children's None) $18.99 10, 3 ISBN: 9781534439443
Reynolds and the Pumphrey brothers take readers on a dazzling journey through Langston Hughes' legacy.
"There was a party for Langston at the library. / A jam in Harlem to celebrate the word-making man-- // Langston, the king of letters." And what a party! When Langston writes, words move, they collide, they big bang into the very atoms of connection. On shelves in the background, fellow Black writers and poets peer out from the spines of their books, looking on in delight as Langston's "word-children" Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka whirl with joy and inspiration, their own word-making mastery a credit to Langston's legacy. Inspired by a joyous photo of Angelou and Baraka snapped in 1991 at the opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Reynolds sets a syncopated pace with his debut picture book, delivering not only a celebratory dance of a biography, but a primer in Hughes' own jazz poetry. Not missing a beat and laying down one all their own, the Pumphrey brothers' illustrations incorporate verses from Hughes' poems and other words he set into motion to create a thrumming visual landscape where meaning takes literal flight. This book demonstrates that Hughes' work is the epitome of what words can be. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A bar set stratospherically high and cleared with room to spare. (Informational picture book. 3-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Reynolds, Jason: THERE WAS A PARTY FOR LANGSTON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A758849033/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ff7dbe02. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Reynolds, Jason STUNTBOY, IN-BETWEEN TIME Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Children's None) $14.99 8, 29 ISBN: 9781534418226
Portico "Stuntboy" Reeves, once "the greatest superhero you've never ever heard of," is back--with a super group of friends and new challenges in his life.
Because of his parents' divorce, Portico had to move from the fourth floor of Skylight Gardens--his beloved apartment building filled to the brim with eclectic neighbors--to both the third and fifth floors. Portico is feeling the toll of the split even in his surreal but revealing dreams. When the elevator breaks down in real life, Portico's mom trusts that he can make it down to the third floor on his own, but distractions abound. The episodic storytelling with cleverly illustrated asides documents the building's residents and even takes metanarrative shots at the creators in a charmingly relatable account of an adventurous kid pursuing hijinks with best friend Zola and new friend/former bully Herbert. On the surface, the kids' art project in an empty eighth floor apartment is the primary source of delay, but savvy readers will eventually notice the signs of avoidance. The in-between time is poignantly where the bulk of this outing takes place and where it packs its biggest punch, as the chasm between drifting parents is easy to get lost in. But with supportive friends, thoughtful (and peculiar) neighbors, some space to express himself, and undeniable heroics, Portico eventually finds his way, even if he only finds what he wants most in his dreams. The cast reads majority Black.
Fun and emotionally perceptive. (additional sketches) (Adventure. 7-12)
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"Reynolds, Jason: STUNTBOY, IN-BETWEEN TIME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A752722936/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=73498005. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Stuntboy, In-Between Time. By Jason Reynolds. Illus. by Raul the Third. Aug. 2023.272p. Atheneum/Caltlyn Dlouhy, $14.99 (9781534418226). Gr. 3-5.
Just getting from his mom's apartment on the fourth floor to his dad's on the third for "Dad-urday" takes Portico "Stuntboy" Reeves all day in this equally funny and tumultuous follow-up to Stuntboy, in the Meantime (2021). First, there's almost getting stuck in the elevator and then having to negotiate the stairs past all the "weenagers, the treenagers, and the freenagers." Then there are the 17 loose iguanas in 4Q to recapture, and the empty apartment with the unlocked door on the eighth floor that, to Portico, with fellow superheroes Zola and Herbert, just begs to have its walls decorated with magic markers--an act that results, like so many episodes of awesome TV series Super Space Warriors do, in an "Explosion of Great Magnitude" when the super finds out. Once again, Reynolds adroitly weaves emotional business into the teeming tapestry of apartment houselife by surrounding his caped protagonist, still struggling with his parents' recent separation, with a colorful cast depicted by Raul the Third in typically snappy, dynamic flurries of motion on nearly every page. Zola's dazzling Grandpa Pepper, who names nail-polish colors for a living and takes over the vacant apartment with his own purple haired Gran Gran in tow, makes a particularly unforgettable entrance. But Pepper fits right in, as readers will be yearning to do, with the distinctive residents of Skylight Gardens. --John Peters
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It's the sequel to a Schneider Family Award Honor Book from a pair of beloved NYT bestselling award winners, one of whom is the reigning National Ambassador for Children's Literature--so make some room!
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Peters, John. "Stuntboy, In-Between Time." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 19-20, 1 June 2023, p. 86. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A754223210/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4d1f8036. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Stuntboy, In-Between Time. By Jason Reynolds. Read by a full cast. 2023. 3hr. Simon & Schuster Audio, DD (9781508246299). Gr. 3-5
In the sequel to 2021's Stuntboy, in the Meantime, Portico "Stuntboy" Reeves is adjusting to his parents' separate living arrangement ... sort of. In-Between Time takes place over the course of one day as Portico tries to make his way from his mother's apartment on the fifth floor to his father's on the third. When it takes Portico all day to make that journey, he blames the many distractions on the way, but empathetic listeners will discern that he's avoiding his father's apartment. Guy Lockard enthusiastically provides the bulk of the narration, with a full cast giving voice to Skylight Gardens' colorful residents. The different voices will help young listeners follow along with the dialogue-driven story. The varying voices of the characters are backed by music and sound effects that give a comic-book feel to the story. The sequel is as entertaining as the Odyssey-winning first, and fans of humorous books will not be disappointed. --Ashley Young
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Young, Ashley. "Stuntboy, In-Between Time." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 3, 1 Oct. 2023, p. 79. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A768548352/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2724971e. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
(1) Your writing often centres around the experiences of young people capturing their voices with authenticity and empathy-how do you ensure that your portrayal of youth resonates with readers across different backgrounds and generations?
I don't dwell on it too much. I'm fortunate to be a writer who interacts directly with my intended audience. I make time to visit their spaces and immerse myself in their world, ensuring I can relate to them. My job is to bear witness and represent them authentically. I chose to write this book to help me work through my own issues. I ask myself: what is masculinity?
I don't believe I benefit from it, but I know it profoundly impacts our lives. Men often live incomplete lives because of the constraints of masculinity. We can't cry, experience joy fully, hug, or express emotions freely. No one ever asked me how I felt before losing my virginity. It's either celebrated or chastised, but never are we asked about our feelings before taking that significant step. I wanted to demystify who men are. We have insecurities, body issues, and worries about public opinion. We deserve a moment to be kids fumbling through a big moment in life.
(2) Twenty-Four Seconds from Now explores themes of time, pressure and decisionmaking. How did you approach weaving these threads together?
By using symbolism. The tricky part with a book like this is that it can't be long. If it drags on, it risks becoming something entirely different. I'm aware that as a 40-year-old man writing about children, sex and sexuality, I have a significant responsibility. I had to employ symbolism to ensure it didn't veer into inappropriate territory or become an essay. Symbolism allowed me to portray consent and show young people making decisions without sensationalism. For instance, in Twenty-Four Seconds from Now, I used Granma's comments on wrinkled clothes to subtly convey easing tension surrounding making big decisions. I had to write the themes into the subtext rather than address them directly.
(3) Your work often addresses societal issues and challenges, encouraging readers to confront uncomfortable truths. How do you navigate the balance between delivering a powerful message and ensuring that your stories remain accessible and engaging to a wide audience?
I'm not trying to teach a lesson. I'm not a teacher or a parent. All I aim to do is say: this is who young people are. Young people have the intellectual and emotional capacity to understand their feelings, even if they can't always articulate them. My intent is to entertain and present children as their truest selves. I believe adults often lack humility when it comes to understanding young people. We, the adults, are the entitled ones. We should be asking more questions about what young people are experiencing. However, many adults struggle with finding the right language too.
This book is not just for young people but also for adults. It's meant to equip them with the skills to engage in conversations about healthy sexuality, consent, and nurturing romantic relationships. Adults need to guide young people on matters like hygiene, safe sex practices, and fostering open, honest communication. Unfortunately, young people often lack the language because adults don't provide them with the necessary space to express themselves. Writing this book required extensive research. It was through YouTube that I realised the necessity of these conversations. I watched numerous "Truth or Dare Car Edition" videos where, overwhelmingly, if two young people kissed, the boy would often grab the girl's throat. It highlighted a lack of tenderness among young men. Much of the book explores the importance of tenderness in all our relationships, emphasising the significance of being gentle. My research extended to primary sources, including conversations with my 22-year-old brother and interviews with friends. Their stories ranged from interesting to profoundly beautiful.
(4) Twenty-Four Seconds from Now explores speculative fiction, presenting a world where time is both a gift and a burden. What inspired you to explore this concept, and what do you hope readers will take away?
There are several reasons why the book had to be structured this way. Firstly, I couldn't delve into explicit sexual content because it would have sensationalised the narrative, and sex wasn't the focal point. So I began the book right before the act. Time constraints also meant I had to be strategic in how I explored events. Using time jumps--24 seconds from now, 24 days ago, 24 hours ago--created a sort of foreplay, with the most intense moments frontloaded.
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now (Faber Children's) publishes on 8th October 2024
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 The Stage Media Limited
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Bryan, Hena J. "Jason Reynolds: YA novelist and poet: American YA author Jason Reynolds speaks to Hena J Bryan about writing for young people, male sexuality and speculative fiction." The Bookseller, no. 6067, 31 May 2024, p. 19. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A796156452/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d52da963. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...
Jason Reynolds. Atheneum/Dlouhy, $19.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-6659-6127-1
Reynolds (Long Way Down) astounds in a sweetly hilarious story of two Black teens preparing to take a huge first step in their relationship. Twenty-four seconds before this book's start, 17-year-old Neon Benton and Aria, his girlfriend of two years, were kissing on Aria's bed. Now, Neon is hiding in Aria's bathroom, lamenting the complications of opening a condom and unlatching a bra as he nervously anticipates their "first time." In frank stream-of-consciousness prose, Reynolds rewinds the teens' heartfelt romance to showcase its development in reverse: 24 hours before, Neon was avoiding his homework by scrolling through videos he'd recorded of his classmates. And 24 days earlier, Neon was strolling the neighborhood with Gammy and the family dog, Denzel Jeremy Washington. As events roll backward, Neon has conversations with numerous richly wrought supporting characters, including his effervescent musician friend Dodie and his open and loving sister Nat, all of whom regale Neon with their thoughts on sex and love (with varying degrees of embarrassment and enlightenment for Neon). Sex-positive messaging encourages vulnerability in personal exploration as well as open conversations about bodily autonomy and consent. Authentically tapping into the way teens think, Reynolds delivers a mighty exaltation to Black love in this moving story of one boy's growth and the community that fosters it. Ages 14-up. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 PWxyz, LLC
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Giovinazzo, Elena. "Twenty-Four Seconds from Now..." Publishers Weekly, vol. 271, no. 28, 22 July 2024, p. 69. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A803518196/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=78b31070. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Reynolds, Jason TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW. . . Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum (Teen None) $19.99 10, 8 ISBN: 9781665961271
Two high school seniors anticipate a big change in their relationship.
Neon Benton and Aria Wright have been a couple for two years. They're planning to take a huge step in their relationship, and while they have a plan, Neon is battling a serious case of nerves. Fortunately, he's close to his older sister, Nat, and leans on her for advice. He also finds himself reflecting on the journey that led the two of them to this moment--readers learn of Neon's close ties with his no-nonsense mother, his affectionate, hardworking dad, and his grandmother (who's still grieving the death of his grandfather). Aria's family life is a bit more complicated, since she's the only nonmusical household member, and her relationship with her mother is somewhat strained. Amid family, school, and yearbook club, moving toward more physical intimacy takes center stage for the Black teens. The fact that Aria will be heading away for college while Neon stays home to earn money for film school is another factor. Setting aside anticipation and apprehension, the couple have a bond that is clearlyof paramount importance to them. This rich, tender story captures the range of emotions surrounding emerging love and what they mean in the lives of young people. Neon narrates with clarity, sensitivity, and humor. The wonderfully developed cast of characters (both adults and teens), lively language, and the clever flashbacks contribute to the freshness of the storytelling.
A warm, heartfelt, and fully engaging portrayal of teen love.(Romance. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Reynolds, Jason: TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW. . ." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804504675/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=36a8170c. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.