How a Kid Who Didn’t Read a Book Until He Was 17 Grew Up to Become a Literary Star by Nora Krug

All it takes is the right book to get students hooked on reading or in Reynolds' case, a rap album with incredible lyrics.

Reposted from The Washington Post

By Nora Krug October 23 

Young Adult author Jason Reynolds (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Jason Reynolds can empathize with kids who don’t like to read: He was 17 before he read a book cover to cover. It’s a fact he’s shared with thousands of kids in classrooms and auditoriums across the country, as a cautionary tale.

“It’s not something I’m proud of. It’s not cool,” he told a group of seventh-graders in Stafford, Va. “The truth is, my life was made infinitely more difficult because I didn’t read any books. But I didn’t read any books. That’s my story. That’s my truth.”

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Review: When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014. 240 pp.
Rating: OMG

Rarely, do I come across a young adult novel to which I greatly identify. A novel that speaks of some of my childhood experiences while uttering the words of my friends, schoolmates, and family.  A story that opens with one of those out-of-left field questions that I was famous for asking.

Ali lives by one word—loyalty. This sixteen-year old latchkey kid is fiercely loyal to his family and friends. Shying away from the trouble in his neighborhood, Ali spends his time boxing, watching his little sister, hanging out with Noodles and Needles, but mainly bailing Noodles out of his messes. Although Ali is usually the level-headed one of the group, he pushes for them to attend a party catering to an older crowd. However, the good time brought with it tragic consequences.