BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSCastle Cranshaw, a seventh grader who goes by Ghost, lives in the rough Glass Manor neighborhood with his mother and carries a secret he almost never talks about: three years ago, his father fired a gun at them and fled into the night, ending up in prison. Castle spends his afternoons eating sunflower seeds at the corner store, watching strangers on a stair-stepper machine through a gym window, and trying to keep his anger from spilling into fights at school. Everything changes when he wanders past a track practice at Martin Luther King Park and, on a dare to himself, steps onto the track and nearly beats the team's star sprinter in a spontaneous race. Coach Brody spots something in Castle and recruits him to join the Defenders, a competitive youth track team, setting off a story about what it means to run toward something instead of away from it.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Ghost
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Ghost. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a kid bring up a woman who owns 5,631 rubber ducks?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Castle mentions Charlotte Lee, a real Guinness record holder for the largest rubber duck collection. He finds her in the world records book Mr. Charles gave him, and he keeps bringing her up, wondering why anyone would want even one rubber duck.
- First half
In what book does a teammate explain her adoptive white mom is nicknamed "Momly"?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Patty tells Castle she and her little sister Madison are adopted by a white woman they call Momly. Patty introduces the topic naturally so Castle doesn't have to feel awkward about it.
- First half
In what book does a boy slip silver running shoes into his backpack and bolt out the door?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Castle steals the silver running shoes from Everything Sports while the salespeople are busy. He calls them his "silver bullets" and his "shut up shoes," because he believes they'll silence anyone who mocks him.
- Second half
In what book are two cousins given royal names by their mothers?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
Castle explains that his real name is Castle and his cousin's real name is King. He thinks the sisters just wanted to give their sons royal names.
- Second half
In what book does a boy order Peking duck and another boy mishear it as "peekin' duck"?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
At the team dinner, Castle orders Peking duck. Lu mishears it as peekin' duck, and Sunny gently corrects him by stretching out the syllables before ordering the same dish.
- Near the end
In what book does a coach reveal a tattoo of an Olympic medal because his father sold the real one?
✓ Answer
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
To show Castle he understands, Coach yanks his shirt down and reveals a tattoo of his Olympic medal. He explains his addict father sold the real medal for a twenty-dollar high.
