Ghost Boys

A heartbreaking and powerful novel about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better.

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that's been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing.

Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father's actions.

Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and socio-political layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of today's world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 04/17/2018
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.50w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780316262286
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3
Point Value: 3
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 194391 / Ghost Boys


Award: Golden Kite - Honor Book


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 01/01/2018 pg. 77
Booklist 02/01/2018 pg. 48
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2018
Publishers Weekly 02/19/2018
Shelf Awareness 04/17/2018
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2018 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2018
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 pg. 90 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

About the Author
Jewell Parker Rhodes is the author of Ninth Ward, a Coretta Scott King honor book, Sugar, winner of the Jane Adams Peace Association book award, Bayou Magic, and Towers Falling. She has also written many award-winning books for adults