Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author known for his novels and poetry targeted at young adult and middle-grade audiences. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Oxon Hill, Maryland, his initial inspiration stemmed from rap music.

Reynolds began his literary journey focusing on poetry, releasing several poetry collections before transitioning to novels. His debut novel, When I Was the Greatest (2014), garnered the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

Over the next four years, he penned eight more novels. Notable among them are the Track series — Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), Lu (2018) — and As Brave as You (2016). Ghost was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, while As Brave as You won several accolades, including the Kirkus Prize, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the Schneider Family Book Award.

In 2017, Reynolds ventured back into poetry with Long Way Down, a novel in verse, which received numerous honors such as the Newbery Honor book and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book, besides being recognized by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards as the best young adult work.

His 2019 novel Look Both Ways won the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Jason's contributions to literature extended beyond writing as he served as the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature from 2020 to 2022.

Recently, in 2023, he was honored with the Margaret Edwards Award, and in 2024, he was named a MacArthur Fellow.