Newbery possibilities?
I belong to a group on Goodreads called Mock Newbery and they try to choose books that they think will be Newbery contenders. They aren't always right about who wins, but they always have great new book suggestions. For September, they are reading "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds. I read his book last year called "The Boy in the Black Suit" and liked it a lot too. This one has that same fresh voice. It's about 12 year Castle who is having a hard time. His mom works a lot AND is trying to go to school so she can get a better job. They live in a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. Castle has trouble in school because he gets really angry and either strikes out or runs away. He's very good at running. One day when he's hanging out, he comes across a running team with a coach. He hears some of the kids trash talking so he goes to prove that they aren't all that. He runs as well as one of them and earns himself a spot on the team. ...