Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw has a temper, a talent for running, and a father he doesn't talk about. Jason Reynolds spends the whole novel showing how those three things are actually the same story, which makes it an easy book for students to race through and a harder one for them to sit with.
That's exactly what a Book Pairing is built for: a small set of short lessons, matched text by text to specific chapters in the novel, that build the background knowledge students need to slow down and actually think about what Castle is running from, not just what he's running toward. Each one comes with its own summary and a "When and How to Pair" note telling you exactly where to use it and what to ask.
Here are five CommonLit lessons from the full Book Pairing for Ghost, in the order you'd actually use them, plus exactly how to bring each one into your classroom.
New to CommonLit? These lessons are free with an educator account. Go to CommonLit.org, click "Sign Up," choose "I Am an Educator," and confirm your school email to unlock the full Book Pairing.
"Do People Really Change?" by Jessica McBirney
Read this before students open the novel. It introduces the "Big Five" personality traits and sets up the book's core question: whether Castle can become who he wants to be instead of who he's always been.
"First-Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds
Assign this after Chapter 3, once Castle's world at school and at home starts to take shape. It's a short story by Reynolds himself, so ask students to compare tone and voice across his two works, along with why shoes matter so much to both boys.
"Masks" by Shel Silverstein
Pair this short poem with Chapter 4. Ask students why Castle and his teammate Lu are each hiding behind a mask in this chapter, and what it would take for either of them to take it off.
“Knock Knock" by Daniel Beaty
After Chapter 9, when Castle's history with his father comes into full focus, pair this poem about growing up with an absent father. Ask students whether the reason for an absence changes how a kid learns to cope with it.
"A Quick Note on Getting Better at Difficult Things" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Save this for after students finish the novel. Coates writes about the false feeling that who you are right now is who you'll always be, the exact trap Castle has to fight his way out of by the end of the book.
Next Steps
For teachers: And if Ghost isn't the only novel on your reading list this year, there's a good chance CommonLit already has a pairing built for that one too. Browse the full Book Pairings library and search your other titles.
For administrators: If your ELA team teaches multiple novels across sections and grade levels, connect with the CommonLit team to see how Book Pairings can standardize novel support department-wide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Book Pairing on CommonLit?
A Book Pairing is a set of supplemental lessons, each built around a short story, poem, or nonfiction text, that CommonLit's team has matched to a specific novel for the goal promoting knowledge-building, spark classroom discussion, and unearth deeper thematic understandings. Every entry includes a summary and a "When and How to Pair" note explaining when and how to introduce it during the unit.
Does CommonLit have a Book Pairing for Ghost?
Yes. We picked five lessons for this post, but the full Book Pairing for Ghost has nine lessons in total, spanning poetry, memoir, and informational texts matched to specific chapters.
Can I print the lessons paired with Ghost?
Yes. Every lesson in a Book Pairing can be assigned digitally through CommonLit or printed for offline use.
How do I find the full Book Pairings for another novel?
Search title of the book you’re teaching using CommonLit's Search & Filter tool with Content Type set to "Book Pairings” or visit the full library.
