Lu must learn to leave his ego on the sidelines if he wants to finally connect with others in the climax to the New York Times bestselling and award-winning Track series from Jason Reynolds. Lu was born to be cocaptain of the Defenders. Well, actually, he was born albino, but that’s got nothing to do with being a track star. Lu has swagger, plus the talent to back it up, and with all that—not to mention the gold chains and diamond earrings—no one’s gonna outshine him. Lu knows he can lead Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and the team to victory at the championships, but it might not be as easy as it seems. Suddenly, there are hurdles in Lu’s way—literally and not-so-literally—and Lu needs to figure out, fast, what winning the gold really means. Expect the unexpected in this final event in Jason Reynold’s award-winning and bestselling Track series. Gr 5-8-Following on the heels of Ghost, Patina, and Sunny comes the last leg of Reynolds's middle grade quartet. Readers meet the co-captain of the Defenders, a lightning-quick athlete with bravado to spare. Lu was born with albinism and must take extra care to protect his skin and eyes. Every morning, he puts in his contacts, applies his sunscreen, and psychs himself up by reciting his mantra: "I am the man. The guy. The kid. The one. The only. The Lu. Lucky Lu. Lookie Lu. Lu the Lightning Bolt." Lu learns that he's about to become a big brother, and comes up against some literal and figurative hurdles on and off the track as he tries to lead his team to victory. His self-possession serves him in good stead as he confronts his father and convinces him to right a long overdue but not forgotten wrong. Lu realizes that he doesn't need gold chains and diamond earrings to be flashy, and, regardless of the odds or the competition, that he has what it takes to stand up and truly be "the man, the guy." Reynolds carefully delineates his characters' personalities and family dynamics to reflect where these kids are coming from before seeing them on the track or part of a team. He keeps the pace lively and strikes a perfect balance of sports action, middle school trash-talking, and slice-of-life modern family concerns. This book stands alone, but fans of the series will enjoy Lu's interactions with teammates introduced in earlier titles. Thanks to their coach, they have become conditioned athletes, but in coming together and working as a team they have developed the hearts of champions. VERDICT Reynolds sprints to the finish of this splendid sports series. Pure gold.-Luann Toth, School Library Journalα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Pure gold. -- School Library Journal, starred review Reynolds wraps up his powerful series with a surprising ending, all while scattering rewarding details about Ghost, Patina, and Sunny to let the reader truly revel in this multidimensional world as it comes to a close. -- Booklist, starred review The perfect anchor leg for a well-run literary relay. -- Kirkus Reviews Pure gold. -- School Library Journal, starred review Reynolds wraps up his powerful series with a surprising ending, all while scattering rewarding details about Ghost, Patina, and Sunny to let the reader truly revel in this multidimensional world as it comes to a close. -- Booklist, starred review The perfect anchor leg for a well-run literary relay. -- Kirkus Reviews Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, a Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest ; The Boy in the Black Suit ; Stamped ; As Brave as You ; For Every One ; the Track series ( Ghost, Patina, Sunny , Lu , and Coach ); Look Both Ways ; Stuntboy, in the Meantime ; Stuntboy, In-Between Time ; Miles Morales Suspended ; Ain’t Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); Twenty-Four Seconds from Now... ; and Long Way Down , which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. His debut picture book, There Was a Party for Langston , won a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com. Chapter 1 1 MY NAME: Lightning I am The man. The guy. The kid. The one. The only. The Lu. Lucky Lu. Or as I call myself, Lookie Lu.