Patina by Jason Reynolds is a middle grade novel about teenage life and its hurdles. Patina’s or Patty’s favorite track and field star is Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee. She won the gold medal for the heptathlon. This event included hurdles. I thought hurdles would be the event that the book would follow, but it is a relay race. Patty has issues working with others. She would rather do everything herself, but has to learn that she is stronger as a team. Teamwork and working together are big themes in the book. Patty will make sure her sister, Maddy, is taken care of before herself. She has to learn to trust that her Aunt Emily can take care of her sister. The family also has to cooperate. They need to take care of Beverly. Patty’s mom has lost both legs to diabetes. The book does a great job of handling the tough subject of diabetes. It breaks down how diabetes can start and eventually progress. Another theme of the book is legs. Patty runs for her mother, who can not run anymore. Patty is writing a report on Frida Kahlo. Frida got polio when she was younger. She has a deformed foot that makes her limp. Patty tells her younger sister Maddy that her mom’s leg just walked away. Patina is the second book in the Track series. The book has great track scenes of the team in dysfunction, but eventually working it out. Reynolds is one of the best middle grade writers out there. He can write teenagers and adults so well. Every character feels real. This novel was a little slower-paced than Ghost, the first book in the Track series. Patina starts where the first book ended. But you do not need to read Ghost, the first book, to read Patina. Patina was first published on August 29, 2017.

Why did I read Patina by Jason Reynolds? I was a big fan of Ghost, the first book in the Track series. I received an advanced reader’s copy of Coach, the fifth book in the Track series. I have been wanting to read this series anyway, and it gave me a reason to do it.

Plot Summary: Patina, who goes by Patty, has just come in second in her 200-meter race. She is so mad at herself that she shuts down and doesn’t support any of her teammates after the loss. Patty needs to work as a team. She is good at taking care of her family. She helps her Ma, who has lost both legs to diabetes, and she helps her younger sister Maddy with homework. Two things happen on the same day. Patty gets assigned a group assignment at school. On the track team, she races as part of a 4-person relay team running the 800 meters. Patty will have to learn to work as a team to win at school, the race, and life.

What I Liked: Despite the subject getting heavy, Reynolds brings a levity to it, mixing humor. The scene where Maddy writes the letter to her mom’s legs is hilarious. She asks them to please come back, which is heartbreaking. I like the way diabetes is approached from Patty’s perspective, who doesn’t know all the answers, but knows enough. Diabetes in the book is referred to as the sugars. I loved Reynolds, who is a poet, using Alfred Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade. I love how it relates to what Patty is going through. I love that we did get the conclusion of Ghost’s first race, and it was great. The dancing scene was great. I love the unorthodox coaching style of Coach Whitt and Coach Brody. I love how Ghost and Lu got punished for laughing at the dancing. I did not expect the Sunny and Patty connection, but I like it.

What I Disliked: The pacing wasn’t always the best. I thought too much time was spent with the school group doing the Frida Kahlo assignment. TNT, the two Taylors drove me crazy. Good job, Jason Reynolds, writing annoying teenage girls, but it was too much. I wanted more time on the track.

Recommendation: Patina is a great middle grade novel that does not talk down to kids. The dialogue feels real, never corny. The book has a great message about working together. This is the fourth book I have read by Jason Reynolds. I’m blown away by how he can work in multiple themes. He still makes the novel flow seamlessly. I recommend my followers check out the Track series.

Rating: Patina by Jason Reynolds. I rated 4.1 out of 5.

Ranking: I have read and reviewed 4 three books by Jason Reynolds. I will rank them from favorite to least favorite: 1) Long Way Down, 2) Ghost, 3) Patina, and 4) Miles Morales: Spider-Man.