Jason Reynolds is an American author known for his novels and poetry aimed at young adult and middle grade audiences. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds drew inspiration from rap music and initially focused on poetry, publishing several poetry collections before his first novel in 2014, When I Was the Greatest. This debut novel earned him the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

Over the subsequent years, Reynolds authored numerous novels, notably the New York Times best-selling Track series — Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and 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 received the Kirkus Prize, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the Schneider Family Book Award. Additionally, Reynolds ventured into the world of comics with a Marvel Comics novel, Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017).

In 2017, Reynolds returned to poetry with Long Way Down, a novel in verse that garnered several honors, including being named a Newbery Honor book and a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, as well as winning the best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards. In 2019, he wrote Look Both Ways, winning a Carnegie Medal.

From 2020 to 2022, Jason Reynolds served as the Library of Congress' National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. In 2023, he received the Margaret Edwards Award and, in 2024, was named a MacArthur Fellow.