Coach by Jason Reynolds is the 5th and final book in the middle grade Track series. Coach is a book about Coach Brody, the current coach of the defenders in the 2020s. The four books leading up to Coach have been about Coach Brody mentoring the young middle graders of the team. This book is set in the past, the 1980s. Otis Body is a middle grader on the defenders track team. His dad is the assistant coach. Brody is a dreamer looking to the future, where he dreams of being an Olympian. Carl Lewis is his idol as a runner of the 100 meters. Brody also idolizes his father, who was a runner too, but a car accident changed his trajectory. Coach is a story about taking big leaps and finding your purpose in life. One plot point is discovering that Carl Lewis also does the long jump. This discovery inspires Otis to try it. Otis then takes the leap. The story sadly never flashes back to the future, but Reynolds ended Lu pretty emotionally with the whole team. Reynolds has a lot of fun 80s moments with Michael Jordon, Michael Jackson, and Michael J. Fox. I did not pick up on that while reading that they are all Michael J’s. The novel has a funny beginning with a shaving scene that I laughed in horror at. The story takes a while to set up the emotional impact that Reynolds is known for. The end delivers a very touching and satisfying moment. I think, like all the books in the Track series, it could be read out of order. However, you gain much payoff by reading all the books and knowing the characters’ fates at the end. I teared up knowing this is the greatest day in one character’s life, with everything soon going downhill. I read Coach thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing. Coach by Jason Reynolds was first published on October 14, 2025.

Why did I read Coach by Jason Reynolds? I was drawn to Coach since I was a former football coach at Freshman High School Football. The coaching scenes are my favorite. Jason Reynolds is a very special writer, whom I will always be a fan of. I was able to go to a very special book signing with a meet and greet for Coach.

Plot Summary: Otis Brody is obsessed with the past and the future. He draws time machines in his spare time, all thanks to his favorite movie, Back to the Future. If he could go back in the past, he would stop his dad from getting in an accident. The accident messed up his dad’s back. And if he could go into the future, it would be to see himself win an Olympic gold medal. In the present day, he is a great runner with messed up hair. His mother doesn’t want him going to the Barber shop without his father. His father is out of town. So he decides to cut it himself with his mother’s razor, but it does not go well. He decides to shave his head bald. When he goes to the track, he said it was so he could get more aerodynamic. His team is suspect. So on all the drills, he goes as fast as he can, winning them. But he is done for the next day of practice as his legs start cramping up. But the next day at practice is when Carl Lewis’s trainer for the Junior Olympics is coming. Brody may have to change his plans.

What I Liked: The pop culture references were on point. I love that the drug dealer in the neighborhood drives a Delorian. The gang is called the cutters. They operate out of a barber shop. I do like how Reynolds wrote the Barber shop scene with the dad. I knew what was happening. I’m a grown man reading this. I think it will be a scene that they won’t understand until the end. The humor is throughout the whole book. Otis’s dreams are out of this world. I love the scene with the eyebrows. I loved the cab driver and what he represented. He was such a role model. In the future, Otis drives a cab and does the same thing for people. This book has a great scene about addiction and how it can tear families apart. I loved the scene where they discuss why Jordan jumps so high and why his mouth is open. The idea that he keeps his mouth open to eat the air had me laughing out loud. And the science teacher’s response was great. The coach teaching Otis how to do the long jump was filled with so many great coaching moments. I loved Mr. Charles, the shopkeeper. I loved it when Otis won all the races after he shaved himself bald. The other teammates start plucking at their hair to be faster.

What I Disliked: I wanted to see Coach as a grown-up with his team again. Goose did not fit my version of how he was in the future. I saw none of the charm he had in the future as Lu’s dad. I felt it took a little too long for Otis’s dad to enter the story. I felt for a while, oh, are we not going to deal with anything heavy in this story? When the heavy comes, it comes hard and hits me in the chest.

Recommendation: Coach is a good way to end the Track series. The writing for the entire series has been excellent. The story doesn’t talk down to kids but provides real-life lessons that affect teens and adults. I recommend my followers read Coach.

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

Ranking: I have read and reviewed 7 books by Jason Reynolds. I will rank them from favorite to least favorite: 1) Long Way Down, 2) Ghost, 3) Coach, 4) Sunny, 5) Patina, 6) Lu, and 7) Miles Morales: Spider-Man.