I ran track in grade school and hated it the whole time. Reading Ghost made me wish I had appreciated the sport more, because the self-esteem and release that Ghost finds through running was exciting to follow. Ghost is a lovable character that kids will have an easy time connecting to - he's by no means perfect and makes a few big mistakes throughout the book, but he shows that hard work and finding the right people to push you to be better will produce great results. There are multiple positive male role models and spunky female athletes as well, making this one of my favorite middle-grade reads of the year.