This is Jason Reynolds doing what he does best: writing middle school kids who feel real, dealing with problems that matter, in a voice that never talks down to readers.

Patty's story is heavy—her mom has diabetes and lost both legs, she's in foster care with her little sister, she's the scholarship kid at a fancy new school where she doesn't fit in. But Reynolds never makes it feel like a trauma dump. Instead, it's a story about a girl who's been running solo her whole life learning that maybe, just maybe, it's okay to pass the baton sometimes.

The track team framework works beautifully as both literal plot and metaphor. And the 4.7 Amazon rating suggests this one lands with kids who need to see their own struggles reflected back, or who need a window into what life looks like for classmates dealing with stuff they can't see.

Not the lightest read, but absolutely worth it for the right middle schooler.