Lu

A middle-grade runner soars over obstacles to shine as a leader for his team and family. In this final addition to Reynolds' Track series, the titular, self-described fine-o albino is nervous, maybe a little scared, about the many changes occurring during the week leading to the championships for the Defenders. An unexpected pregnancy announcement from his parents and the challenge of waltzing to a win in his new event, hurdles, among other things, keep Lu's emotions, and feet, racing. Reynolds' seamless integration of Lu's story into his series shows him to be a master of temporal structure, highlighting individual and collective growth of his four protagonists over one season. The circularity of his similes in describing the generations of teasing endured by Lu's father, who stuttered as a child ( You sound like a choking Chihuahua ), by Lu, bullied due to his albinism ( Yo, you look like a cotton ball dipped in white paint ), and even by a bully Lu takes down ( Yo, Kelvin, you smell like your blood ain't blood. It's trash juice pumping through your things ) emphasizes the triumph of healing and unity in the book's surprising ending. New and returning characters help to create tension and smooth transitions, but Lu pulls ahead as the catalyst for much of the relational shifts between adults and kids, showcasing children's power to effect true communal change. The perfect anchor leg for a well-run literary relay. (Fiction. 10-14)--Kirkus 9/15/18 Lu is the man, the kid, the guy. The one and only. Not only was he a miracle baby but he is albino. He's special down to his gold chains and diamond earrings, but he feels a little less once-in-a-lifetime when his parents tell him they're pregnant again. On top of this sobering news, he's leading the Defenders alongside a cocaptain who isn't pleased about sharing the title; and he's training for the 110-meter hurdles, choking at every leap. As the championship approaches, can he prove his uniqueness one final time? As with the prior titles, the final installment in the four-book Track series is uplifting and moving, full of athletic energy and eye-level insight into the inner-city middle-school track-team experience. While it must be said that Lu has the least distinct voice of the four narrators--and given that Reynolds has proven himself to be an absolute master of voice, that is disappointing--this story is not a letdown. Virtually every subplot is a moving moral lesson on integrity, humility, or reconciliation, and Reynolds wraps up his powerful series with a surprising ending, all while scattering rewarding details about Ghost, Patina, and Sunny to let the reader truly revel in this multidimensional world as it comes to a close. -- Becca Worthington--Booklist *STARRED REVIEW* Oct 1, 2018