A very poignant, emotional tale of a 12-year-old black boy killed by a cop. It's detailed and difficult, yet hopeful and necessary. I feel that there could have been more to pull the aspects of the book together (the ghosts vs. the current circumstances), but it's still a very compelling book to share with younger readers.

Jewell Parker Rhodes writes electrifying middle grade stories that pack emotion into every sentence, and GHOST BOYS showcases that skill at its best. The story follows Jerome, a 12-year-old Black boy shot by a police officer. The reader is led through both Jerome’s life (being bullied in school; meeting a new friend named Carlos; dreaming of what he might become in the future) and what is happening to him now that he’s dead. After his death, he meets Emmitt Till, another ghost boy murdered by white men in 1955. Jerome is also surprised to find that, as a ghost, the daughter of the cop who killed him can see him. Rhodes explores themes of racism, police brutality, bullying, new friendship, personal growth, and more in this short, powerful novel.

While Jerome is a unique individual, Rhodes shows through Emmitt Till and the other ghost boys that the circumstances of Jerome’s death were not unique and similar instances have been happening for decades. One of the most powerful messages in GHOST BOYS is that the living can, and must, do better. Sara, the cop’s daughter who can see Jerome, is an example of what change can look like. GHOST BOYS provides a safe space to explore these serious themes for young readers.

With sharp writing, quick chapters, and deep themes, GHOST BOYS is a great addition to contemporary middle grade collections.

A great story for the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of my students related to the story, and were rightly angry. I can't keep my five copies on the shelf.

Wow. What a great book. This is a wonderful way to start the discussion on the many lives that are affected by choices made before, during, and after a police shooting. I also really appreciated learning more about Emmett Till and what happened to him. Jerome's character is exactly what he would be like if this were a true story. Highly recommended.

With the current social and political climate in the United States, the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and the growing list of young, black men being killed in confrontations with police, this book is a timely one.

Jerome, a twelve year old African American boy is shot in the back by a white police officer. Sound familiar? It should. This horrifying situation occurs all-too-often in modern day America.

This book is not only engaging and compelling, it is also necessary. I wish there was no reason for a book like this to be written, but sadly wishing does not make change.

Action makes change.

Knowledge leads to change.

When Jerome (as a ghost) realizes that even though he had always lived in Chicago, he didn't know much about his city and it's offerings and opportunities, he thinks: "Wish I'd known the world was so much bigger and better than my neighborhood." I found this both very telling, and very sad. This may seem a trivial quote from the book, one that is non-essential. I do not see it that way. I see it as just another part of the dysfunctional whole.

Knowledge leads to change.

The first step to changing the fact that young black men are being murdered (yes, murdered - it is murder when a person is shot with no provocation) is to make people aware of what is happening. When people are aware, they can choose to do something about it, even if that something is just making sure to pass the word on to more and more people.

Author Jewell Parker Rhodes has crafted a tale that, while written by a black woman, will resonate with both white and black readers. She has taken her story straight from the headlines of National News agencies. This book is important NOW.

When Jerome dies, his ghost stays in the city he was murdered in. The only living person who can see him is a white girl who is the same age as Jerome. Her name is Sarah. This white girl, however, just happens to be the daughter of the man who shot him.

How is that for a twist in the story?

Jerome should hate her and her whole family right? But, wait a minute.
She is NOT responsible for her father's actions. She is only twelve years old and she really wants to help Jerome in any way she can.

Both Jerome and Sarah can see other ghosts. One ghost in particular decides to talk to them and to help them with their quest for justice. That lonely spirit is none other than the ghost of Emmett Till. Together maybe they can make a difference.

If you are unaware of who Emmett Till was, you can visit my blog to learn all about him.

Adding actual historical figures to this story makes it even more emotionally impactful.

Reading this book is also the perfect way for parents to start discussions with their children about what is currently happening to young black boys (and a few girls) in today's society.

It is sad that this topic is still an issue.

It was 1955 when Emmett Till was abducted, beaten, and murdered by two adult white men. His supposed crime? Whistling at a white woman. In 2017, fifty-two years after Emmett was murdered, the woman in question, admitted she lied about Emmett whistling at her. She tried to justify her actions by saying that it was just the way things were back then. Bull Spit.

I applaud Jewell Parker Rhodes for tackling such an emotional topic and writing about it from multiple racial and socioeconomic viewpoints.

I rate GHOST BOYS as 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
*
*
I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT OUR SOCIETY, as well as to everyone who cares about Human Rights. Black, White or Brown; it doesn't matter what the color of your skin is. All that matters is that you are a living, breathing human. It is EVERYONE'S moral obligation to do whatever is within their power to eradicate racism and discrimination in our society. This may seem like a monumental challenge, but as it says in GHOST BOYS:

"Can't undo wrong. Can only do our best to make things right."

If you are looking for a book to teach middle schoolers about Black Lives Matter and the senseless murders of black children like Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Ann's Emmett Till, this is it.It is succinct, heartbreaking, and poignant without being overly seeped in violence or politics. It is absolutely perfection for 4th through 6th grade. When Jerome is killed by a white cop in a manner very similar to Tamir Rice, he becomes a ghost boy with all the other black children murdered so young, able to communicate with each other, as well as certain other people who make the story even more touching. I read this in about 30 minutes and knew immediately that this would be a go -to recommendation for my tweens and lower readers. What a story!

Told in a voice that is haunting, yet beautiful, and so relevant to what our nation is facing today, Parker Rhodes weaves fact and fiction into a novel that should be read in every middle grade history class. With honesty and conviction, Jerome and the other “ghost boys” remind us how important it is to understand one another, to accept one another, to love one another and to bear witness. “Ghost Boys” is powerful in prose, and so important at this time. I hope parents will read this book with their children.

A timely and difficult topic: unarmed boys of color shot by law officers It is presented from the victim's perspective. It explores the history of violence against boys of color, how far we've come and just how far we have to go. Rhodes also touches on the emotional impact for the family of the shooter and the more subtle end of the racism spectrum.
While not perfect, reading it with a group of kids is a great way to start a conversation about racism and violence in the modern world.

Powerful novel about an 12-year-old African American boy, Jerome, shot in the back by a policeman as he was playing with a toy gun. The book starts moments after being shot and the narration splits between the events leading up to his death and how his ghost navigates Chicago after his death.

However, the novel is titled Ghost Boys, not Ghost Boy. This is because he is accompanied by the ghost of Emmett Till and the hundreds of young African American males—including Tamir Rice and Trayvon Martin—whose life was ended too soon.

Surprisingly, there is one person who can see the boys, a 12-year-old white girl named Sarah who just happens to be the daughter of the cop who killed Jerome. Together they must find a way to give meaning to the senseless tragedy.

A moving, heartbreaking look at the murder of a black boy at the hands of a cop. Very timely and a great starter for conversation.

This book was very moving and thought provoking. I'm not sure I'm going to purchase it for my library because it's a bit heavy for elementary, but if a fifth grade teacher were looking for a book about civil rights this might be a good choice.

Ghost Boys tells the story of a middle school boy shot by a police officer, who remains in his neighborhood as a Ghost Boy. He is joined by other Ghost Boys, all spirits of young black men killed because of racism or racial profiling. They are working to right the wrongs and change attitudes. It was very engaging--I read the entire book in one day. This would make a good read aloud.

This was a truly amazing book. It brings some issues to the forefront for middle school readers without being too heavy.
The book begins when 12 year old Jerome, a young black boy living in Chicago, is killed by a police officer. The book alternates between time periods. In the present, Jerome, as a ghost, observes his family, the police officer's family, and what is happening as a result of his death. He also meets other "ghost boys" including Emmett Till and learns their stories. The book also goes back to events leading up to the shooting.
I found the book gripping and thought provoking yet approachable for middle school readers.

For Jerome Rogers, living in his low-income Chicago neighborhood can be dangerous, but so can going to middle school. There, Jerome is the target of three bullies, Eddie, Snap, and Mike, who enjoy doing things to him like dumping out his backpack, hitting him in the head, or pulling down his pants. Jerome has no friends, and eats his lunch in a bathroom, locker room or supply closet - hiding out alone.

That is, until Carlos arrives. Carlos, a Mexican American boy, is the new kid in school, originally from Texas and Jerome unwillingly ends up showing him the ropes to avoid the bullies. But when they are discovered in a boy's bathroom eating lunch, Carlos pulls a gun on Eddie, Snap, and Mike. Not realizing it's a toy gun, the bullies back down.

Carlos gives the toy gun to Jerome, who doesn't want it, but takes it anyway. One day, allowed to go out and play, Jerome is playing an imaginary game of good guy/bad guy in a rundown park with the toy gun when police arrive and one shoots him in the back when he tries to run away.

Later, at a preliminary hearing, the white officer claims he had no choice but to shoot, that he thought Jerome was bigger, older and had a real gun, and despite shooting him from his patrol car, he said he feared for his life.

The chapters switch between Jerome's real life (Alive), in which he recounts his life and the actual events leading up to the shooting and his death, to his afterlife (Dead), in which, as a ghost, he is privy to seeing things he never would have seen when he was alive. Jerome goes to his home and observes what life is now like for his - family, mother, father, younger sister Kim, and grandmother. He also finds himself in the bedroom of Sarah Moore, also 12, and the middle class daughter of the police officer who shot him. Jerome is frequently accompanied by the ghost of Emmett Till, a name Jerome recognizes from conversations at home, but doesn't really know the details of Emmett's death in 1955.

Emmett is there to help Jerome understand what happened to him. Slowly, as Jerome sees other ghost boys just like Emmett and himself, he begins to understand just how deep and far-reading the roots of historical racism run in this country, so much so that a snap decision based on those roots and the often unconscious acceptance of racism can end the life of a 12 year old black boy playing in a park.

On the whole, I thought this was a well-done, very accessible book for middle grade readers (I don't think there are any others about young black kids being killed by white police officers, but if you know of one, please share the title). By connecting Emmett Till's lynching and murder by white racists in Mississippi in 1955 with Jerome's murder by a Chicago police officer Rhodes shows the reader that their deaths really are one and the same - death by racism.

And although this sounds horribly depressing, Rhodes leaves the reader with reason to hope that change is possible. Remembering, making these killings real for people and working towards change and social justice are the important points of Ghost Boys. As Emmett tells Jerome "Bear witness...Everyone needs their story heard. Felt. We honor each other. Connect across time." But this is where I found one flaw in the the novel.

In 1955, Emmett Till's death sparks the Civil Rights Movement. Being an agent of change here is the work that Rhodes gives to Sarah Moore to do in this novel. Why? Why perpetuate the idea that only white people (here a girl) can be the helpers or agents of change and that black people (here a boy) can only be the victims, thus supporting ideas of gender and race stereotypes. Jerome's younger sister, Kim is a pretty smart girl and, if she had been only a few years older, could have been just as if not more effective than Sarah at working towards change and social justice.

Despite this, Ghost Boys isn't perfect, but it is definitely a book that most middle graders need to read.

And if Jerome's story sounds familiar to you, perhaps it's because of the close parallel to another murder, that of Tamir Rice, also a 12 year old black boy killed by a white Cleveland, Ohio cop on November 22, 2014 and mentioned in the book.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an EARC received from Net Galley

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes is one the best middle grade novels I have ever read. With an invitation to the reader to bear witness and do better, this is a must read story.

Jerome is 12 and is a quiet, nerdy boy who lives in Chicago. When he is shot by police who think that his toy gun is real, he can't quite move on to the afterlife. He find that he can be seen by the daughter of the police officer who shot him, who is his same age. He connects with the ghost of Emmitt Till, who acts as a guide to this limbo between death and afterlife.

This is one of the most powerful books I have read this year. It was an easy read and perfect for an elementary school library. I will definitely be purchasing it for my library and recommending it widely. Well-written and timely.

Oh, this book. I'm not sure any review can do it justice. 

Jerome was shot and killed by a police officer. Jerome's 12 and his gun was a toy, but the police officer was afraid for his life and fired---without any warning. This novel deals with the days leading up to the killing and the actual shooting itself, but it's mostly concerned with the aftermath. We see how Jerome's family is affected, but we also see how it changes his friends and even the police officer and his family.

With the addition of Emmett Till's ghost, we also see a larger context for Jerome's death. This is a risky gamble to take and one that absolutely paid off. It shows just how long these children have been murdered and for completely ridiculous reasons. How afraid can you be when faced with a 12-year-old?

Still, this book also has a lot of compassion for its characters. It's a book that will completely break your heart but also leave you convicted to try and make the world better. 

Highly recommended.

Jerome is shot by a police officer who believes the toy gun in his hand is real. He becomes a ghost boy, wandering through his world, unable to interact with it. In this space, he meets another ghost boy, Emmett Till. Powerful, moving, and current.

Ghost Boys is a middle grade novel about the tragic death of Jerome and his new life as a ghost. He meets a fellow ghost and discovers that many others before him have died under similar circumstances. Together with his newfound mentor ghost, he discovers that he has the power to change the future of other black boys.

Jewell Parker Rhodes again uses her fictional skills to bring racial issues to us in a deeply touching story of a twelve-year-old black boy, twelve, who is shot and killed by a police officer. As in “Towers Falling”, the themes of community, socio-economic disparities and diversity underlie the story. In the earliest words, we read, “How small I look. Laid out flat, my stomach touching ground. My right knee bent and my brand-new Nikes stained with blood.” And a bit later, “Doesn’t seem fair. Nobody ever paid me any attention. I skated by. Kept my head low./Now I’m famous.”
Jerome tells his story of his death and his life in the few weeks before and after, helping us readers enter his world of an unsafe neighborhood and school, with a loving family who daily try to keep him safe. He is a good boy, discovering the differences in his own neighborhood and that of the police officer who shot that fatal bullet only ‘after’ his death. Rhodes’ style of first-person narrative is strong and poignant. In addition to the “facts’, Jerome as a ghost has limited powers, longs to eat and enjoy his grandma’s food again, to hug his little sister and to see all the sights of his city he now knows exist, but did not before. He wishes he could still take care of that little sister, and be even better friends with a new friend made just days before the shooting.
Those “Ghost Boys” are there sometimes, most especially their leader, Emmett Till, making the history of racial strife even sadder, for Emmett Till died decades ago, showing how little lives have changed for black children. Jerome can talk with Emmett and also the policeman’s young girl his own age. She is in mourning too, believes her father did wrong by shooting Jerome. These two seem as if they’ll be forever connected. It is heartbreaking to hear their conversations about Jerome’s death, watch them listen to the court witnesses, including Sarah’s father’s testimony, and wondering if anything these youth can do to make changes in our world? Rhodes leaves them and us with hope, most particularly in a gathering of families at Jerome’s graveside where they celebrate his life in their own special ways. The book is not long, and to me, it would be helpful to start important conversations if read aloud or if read with a small book group.
Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and this publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not what I was expecting, this novel is much more. When a 12 year-old is shot by a police officer, his ghost has some unfinished business, as do many of those killed before him. Senseless, this tragedy may be what someone needs to push them to make a difference in this world. A must-read for students and teachers seeking justice in an unjust world.