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. 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. 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. 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. A middle-grade runner soars over obstacles to shine as a leader for his team and family.
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