In June this year, Jason Reynolds added another first to his list of career accolades: his first original audiobook Soundtrack was released with Listening Library, with a full cast and original score by Grammy-winning composer Justin Ellington. Mallory Loehr, president of Random House Children’s Books, has announced the simultaneous publication of hardcover and paperback editions of Soundtrack for release on April 14, 2026. Phoebe Yeh, VP and editor at large for Crown Books for Young Readers, brokered the deal with Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary & Media for world English rights, and will edit the book.

In an interview released by PRH in conjunction with the audiobook’s publication, Reynolds says he wrote Soundtrack at the beginning of his career. The story delves into the “marrow” of early 2000s New York, he said, through the story of 18-year-old aspiring drummer Stuyvesant (Stuy) who moves in with his uncle, a change that transforms his life. He soon connects with guitarist Dunks, bassist Alexis, and trumpeter Keith. The young jazz enthusiasts form a band named Soundtrack, performing at subway stations and drawing crowds. In an interview with NPR in June, Reynolds said that the book is essentially about kids finding community, with music as the “glue” that brings them together, as well as an homage to New York City.

The audiobook was produced by PRH SVP of content production Dan Zitt and producer Brian Ramcharan. The cast includes Nile Bullock as Stuy, Mekhi Hewling as Dunks, Jade Williams as Keith, Brandon Miles as Alexis, and Amir Royale as Frankie. The recording won an AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award in July.

“It excites me to know that this audio experience can now be read,” Reynolds said in a statement. “So many of my interests are in presenting stories in different forms and mediums. In this instance, the medium is a book, but the form is a script, which, to me, continues to stretch what we think of as it pertains to contemporary children’s literature.”

Reynolds served as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature from 2020 to 2022. In 2024, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. His nearly two dozen books include the Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King-honored Long Way Down, All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), Ghost, Look Both Ways, and the Track series.

Soundtrack by Jason Reynolds. Crown Books for Young Readers, Apr. 14, 2026 hardcover $19.99 ISBN 979-8-217-23159-1; paper $12.99 ISBN 979-8-217-23160-7