Jason Reynolds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jason Reynolds
Reynolds in 2020
Born	(1983-12-06) December 6, 1983 (age 41) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	Writer
Language	English
Alma mater	University of Maryland
Genre	Young adult fiction
Notable works	When I Was the Greatest Boy in the Black Suit As Brave as You Ghost (Track series) Miles Morales: Spider-Man Long Way Down Look Both Ways
Notable awards	Coretta Scott King Award NAACP Image Award Carnegie Medal Margaret A. Edwards Award MacArthur Fellowship

Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author who writes exciting novels and poetry for young people. His books are loved by middle schoolers and teenagers alike. Jason was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

When he was younger, Jason found inspiration in rap music. He started writing poetry first, publishing several collections. His first novel, When I Was the Greatest, came out in 2014 and won an award for new talent.

Over the next few years, Jason wrote many more popular books. These include the New York Times best-selling Track series, which features books like Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and Lu (2018). His book As Brave as You (2016) also won several awards. Jason even wrote a Marvel Comics novel called Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017).

In 2017, Jason wrote Long Way Down, a novel told in verse (like a long poem). This book received many honors, including being named a Newbery Honor book. In 2019, he wrote Look Both Ways, which won a special award called the Carnegie Medal. From 2020 to 2022, Jason was the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, encouraging young people to read. In 2024, he received a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

Jason Reynolds's Early Life and Inspiration

Jason Reynolds was born on December 6, 1983, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just across the border. His mother was a special education teacher. She bought a house with a yard, big enough for Jason, his three siblings, and sometimes other family members.

When Jason was nine, he heard Queen Latifah's album Black Reign. This music inspired him to start writing poetry. He felt that few books at the time truly showed what it was like to grow up as a Black child in the city during the 1980s and 1990s. He didn't start reading books until he was 17 years old. Before that, artists like Tupac and Biggie were big influences on him.

One of Jason's first poems was about his grandmother's death in 1994. He was only 10. He wrote some lines to comfort his mother, and she even printed the poem on the funeral program. After that, Jason wrote poems every time one of his grandmother's siblings passed away. These experiences showed him "the power of language." He kept writing poetry through high school and college. He graduated from Bishop McNamara High School in 2000 and the University of Maryland with a degree in English.

During college, Jason met Jason Griffin, who became his roommate and later his collaborator. Jason also discovered spoken word poetry and began performing. In 2001, his first book, a poetry collection called Let Me Speak, was published.

While in college, Jason worked at Karibu Books, a bookstore in D.C. that focused on African-American literature. There, he finally found books that he connected with. He read Black Boy by Richard Wright and loved it. He then read many other great works by African-American authors like James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison. He also found "street fiction," which he compared to rap music because it was "raw and honest." He felt it showed the real lives of some kids.

Jason Reynolds's Personal Life

In 2016, Jason Reynolds moved back to Washington, D.C., after living in Brooklyn. He enjoys collecting items related to African-American literature. His collection includes a letter from Langston Hughes and a signed first edition of Toni Morrison's Beloved. He even appeared on Antiques Roadshow in 2021 to talk about his collection.

Jason Reynolds's Books and Stories

Jason Reynolds doesn't start writing with a specific age group in mind. Instead, he focuses on making his characters' voices sound real. This helps him decide who the book will appeal to. All of his stories feature characters from minority backgrounds. He sees this as a way to reflect the diverse world we live in.

Early Books and Collaborations

After college, Jason moved to New York with his friend Jason Griffin. In 2005, they self-published a book called SELF. It combined Griffin's art with Reynolds's poetry. This book helped them get an agent and a book contract. Four years later, they published My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way. This book was a memoir about moving to New York to follow their dreams. It was told through Jason's poetry and Griffin's drawings.

Jason later moved back to D.C. in 2008. He worked at a department store to pay his bills. During his lunch breaks, he would visit a bookstore to see his book on the shelf. He then worked as a caseworker at a mental health clinic.

Eventually, Jason returned to New York. He started writing a young adult novel. He often wrote while working at a clothing store, when business was slow. His friend Chris Myers, who is also an author, encouraged him. Chris told Jason that there would soon be a need for more books about young Black children, especially boys. He suggested Jason read some of his father's old works. Jason read The Young Landlords and it really clicked with him. It gave him the confidence to "write in my voice, use my tongue, my language, my style." He said that after reading Myers's work, "the floodgates were opened."

In 2014, Jason published When I Was The Greatest. This young adult novel is set in his own neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. For this book, Jason won the 2015 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

In 2015, Jason published The Boy in the Black Suit, a story about a child dealing with the loss of his mother. It won a Coretta Scott King Honor award.

All American Boys (2015)

In 2015, Jason also published All American Boys, which he wrote with Brendan Kiely. This book won the first Walter Dean Myers Award and a Coretta Scott King Honor.

As Brave as You (2016)

In 2016, Jason published As Brave as You. This book won the Kirkus Prize, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the Schneider Family Book Award. The story is about two African-American brothers from Brooklyn who spend the summer with their grandfather in Virginia. A reviewer from The Washington Post said that Jason "skillfully combines humor and emotion" through the lively conversations and realistic sibling relationships in the book.

Track Series (2016-2018)

The Track series tells the story of different main characters. All of them are part of the Defenders, a top track team. In 2016, Jason published Ghost, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. A reviewer for The New York Times said that Jason created a character "whose journey is so genuine that he's worthy of a place alongside Ramona and Joey Pigza on the bookshelves where our most beloved, imperfect characters live."

Three more books followed in the series. Patina (2017) is about another young star runner, Patina "Patty" Jones. Patty feels out of place at her mostly white private school. Patty and her younger sister live with their uncle and his wife because their birth mother cannot care for them. Critics praised how well the book handled topics like teamwork and different family structures. This was the first book Jason wrote from a girl's point of view. He wanted to write about the special challenges some teen girls face in their families.

The third book in the series, Sunny, came out in 2018. The audiobook, narrated by Guy Lockard, was named one of the best of 2018 by Paste magazine. The fourth book in the series, Lu, was released in late 2018.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017)

Jason Reynolds also wrote Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017). This novel is based on the popular Afro-Puerto Rican teen character from Marvel Comics.

Long Way Down (2017)

Jason's 2017 book, Long Way Down, is a novel written entirely in verse. It received many awards and honors in 2018. These include a Newbery Honor, a Michael L. Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Work. It was also a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. A stage play based on Long Way Down was performed at the Kennedy Center in 2018. In 2020, a graphic novel version of Long Way Down was published with art by Danica Novgorodoff.

For Every One (2018)

Reynolds and psychologist Manfred Günther at the Library Festival Berlin in 2018

On April 10, 2018, Jason Reynolds released For Every One, a book of poetry. He first performed this poem at the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Two weeks later, Jason had three books on The New York Times best-seller lists for children's literature.

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks (2019)

Look Both Ways was published on October 8, 2019. The story is told from different viewpoints as middle schoolers walk home from school across ten blocks. On the day it was released, Look Both Ways became a finalist for the National Book Award and later made the New York Times Best Sellers List. Jason Reynolds explained that he wanted to explore how kids become independent in this book. He said, "It is a time when they are unsupervised" and they "get to learn about the world on their own, for better or for worse." He won the 2021 Carnegie Medal for this book.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (2019-2021)

Reynolds at the National Book Festival in 2022

In August 2019, Jason Reynolds announced Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. He wrote this book with Ibram X. Kendi. Released in March 2020, Jason's book is an adaptation of Kendi's book Stamped from the Beginning, which won the National Book Award in 2016. This book is for teens and young adults. It aims to start conversations among them about race and racism in America.

In 2021, Jason, along with Kendi and Sonja Cherry-Paul, published Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You. This version was illustrated by Rachelle Baker and became a New York Times best seller.

My Mother Made Me Podcast (2022)

In 2022, Jason Reynolds wrote and hosted My Mother Made Me, a podcast he created with Radiotopia. The podcast is a four-episode series where Jason and his mother, Isabell, talk about their shared history. They discuss how she raised him and what they teach each other. They talk about deep topics like birth and spirituality, but also lighter things like shopping and going to the casino together.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Jason Reynolds has won many important awards for his books. Here are some of them:

Special Honors

• 2020 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature at the Library of Congress
• 2024 MacArthur Fellow

Podcast Series

• Radiotopia presents: My Mother Made Me (2022)

See also

• Tomi Adeyemi, 21st-century African-American young adult novelist
• Eve Ewing, 21st-century African-American poet and scholar of education
• Ronald L. Smith, 21st-century African-American children's book author
• Javaka Steptoe, 21st-century African-American children's book author and illustrator
• Angie Thomas, 21st-century African-American young adult novelist