This season we Kicked off our very first Ypsi Family Read with Jason Reynolds’, Ghost, a National Book Award finalist. It’s the first in a short series about runners on a middle school track team coached by a former Olympian medalist. Castle “Ghost” Crenshaw is an 11-year old with incredible natural talent, but will he choose to run from his past or toward his dreams?
On October 12th, 2018 we hosted the Family Read Track and Field Day at Frog Island Park with the help of Ypsilanti Running Company, Black Men Read, Will Langford, and the City of Ypsilanti. It was a great turnout thanks to all the families who attended and made our time at the park so much fun despite the chilly weather!
Ghost is also one of the 100 American Novels featured on the PBS series The Great American Read. YDL is one of 50 libraries around the country promoting the Read with ALA and PBS.
See all event photos on YDL’s Flickr!
We Wrote!
We started off with an obstacle course for kids as well as two separate crafts tables, one for the YDL and the other for Black Men Read. Kids and parents wrote about why they loved Ypsilanti, and made craft projects.
We Raced!
After finishing up the crafts the Ypsilanti Running Company took over and began the races. All the parents and volunteers cheered the kids as the friendly competition went on. More than 20 kids participated in the 100, 200, and 300-meter races.
We Read!
Finally our special performer, Will The Poet, engaged us in a read-aloud of the first couple chapters of Ghost. He also performed an original piece, “Schooled”.
Parents, kids, and volunteers stuck around for a short discussion of the book after the performance, then had a few more running games to warm up on a chilly day!
Many thanks to our partners in the Fall 2018 Ypsi Family Read: Ypsi Running Company, Black Men Read, and the City of Ypsilanti.
Stay tuned for a big announcement of our Winter 2019 Ypsi Family Read book and events!