Ghost Boys

I read this to my 7th graders during the quarantine during an optional Google meet. The kids generally liked it, however it is more catered to 4th-5th graders (not surprised—I took it off the elementary approved reading list). My district has it approved for 4th graders. It’s the only book I have encountered that addresses prejudice and police brutality for that age group. The characters are not complex and the story is rather simple. It’s a very at-the-surface story. You aren’t going to get the characterization of, say, The Outsiders. You aren’t going to get the twists and turns of the Westing Game. You aren’t going to get the harsh realities of a Walter Dean Myers book. But it does the job and kids will like it. I should warn you, however, that there is a page that mentions Emmitt Till’s body after his murder. His mother famously and bravely had a glass casket so the world “could see what they did” to him. It mentions the character doing a Google image search to see a picture of his body. When I learned about Till in 10th grade—it was troubling even for me. I suggest searching it for your child first, and then deciding if they can handle it. I’m sure there are 10-year-olds who can handle it, there are some who will have nightmares. It will leave a huge impact, though. If your child reads this book, I suggest reading it with them so you can have a discussion with them. I didn’t have to do that with my 7th graders (they understand prejudice at their age), but a ten-year-old might not. The value of the book is lost if a child isn’t able to process the message. I also suggest you do some extra research with your child on Emmitt Till. It’s worth it. If you have an older child, I would suggest having them read Mississippi Trial, 1955 (about Emmitt Till) to see a perspective on hate crimes, or Monster by Walter Dean Myers to see a perspective of prejudice and injustice against Black teenage boys rather than this book.

This was a simple, sad, yet beautiful story. Not realizing how many truly innocent people are killed based on race is an eye opener in this book. Emmett Till 's story stirs all sorts of emotions with anger overpowering what was done to this young man. It is important to teach ALL races, not only bits of history, but all of history, because this is how we try to prevent repetition. Unfortunately, many textbooks leave out these stories, and unless a teacher, or other adult, bring it up, kids are unaware how long many have lived with racism, prejudice, stereotypes, and hate. I like that this book is easy to get through for struggling readers, and brings up so much that can be connected to real events kids can look up and read into on their own, or research in school. Great read.

This was an intelligent and well-executed story for children and adults...phenomenal in addressing its subject, yet also haunting long after the last page. I actually read this book twice, because the layers sucked me in, I felt compelled to revisit the story after I finished. Jerome is an honest and struggling narrator and his tone seems instantly genuine to his circumstance of being slain at the hands of a judgmental (and possibly racist) cop. Instead of focusing on the police officer, though, this book focuses on his daughter...and her deep conflict in empathizing with Jerome (by creating a relationship with his ghost and the ghost of Emmett Till) but also loving and remaining loyal to her father. Largely, this book is hopeful, but it’s mostly a story for children about the unfairness of racism and racial violence and the chain reaction of suffering created by these deaths. Powerful. Excellent. I’ll be teaching it somehow next year.

I don't read in this age category very often. I was drawn in by the subject matter and that idea of telling this sort of story to kids. I think the author did a superb job of de-sanitizing the subject in a way that is crucial and necessary, but still age-appropriate and not without hope for the future. I hesitate to give it 5 stars because I can't truly say if I'm reacting to the writing and story versus the subject matter. There's likely not much out there that is quite like this, and that deserves some significant praise. I do think that to some degree, however, it was more subject driven than character driven. Maybe that's how it has to be with something like this. And maybe it's somewhat standard for this age category. My kids are still a bit too young, but I'm glad to know that this is out there for when they are ready to start learning some of these difficult truths.

Jewel Parker Rhodes’s literary expertise has produced a contemporary realistic fiction story that connects with the middle school issues of identity while presenting the universality of these identities across ethnicities, gender, and socioeconomic status. The character development allows for a realistic exploration of the person vs person, person vs self, and persons vs society conflicts. This is a high quality must read.

This is a book about a 12 year old boy being shot and killed by a police officer. This is the first “controversial” book I used as a whole class novel in my small, Oklahoma school. This was the catalyst that caused so many of my students to realize that reading doesn’t have to be boring; books don’t always have to be written by old White men. I’m so thankful for this book. It taught me so much, but even more, it allowed me to become a better teacher. What I loved the most: -the harsh realities presented -the truthful ending (without giving away spoilers) -the relationship between Kim and Carlos -the history in the book A million thanks to Jewell Parker Rhodes for funding these books for my classroom. I am forever thankful.

Great book! Everyone should read.

Super

I read this book aloud to my grade 8 class. It sparked lots of discussions during Black History month. It involves the police shooting a young boy and in a twist you learn about the police officer’s daughter and how it has affected her as well. You can also do some history research about Emmitt Till so students get a better understanding about the ghost boy.

I first read this during my training year and I love the story its so hard hitting but in such a good way and really evokes discussion and conversation.

It was by pure chance that I read this book across the backdrop of yet another tragic killing of a black person in America. This story is powerful and compelling and the tragedy is that there is still so much to do to stop prejudice and the culture of fear that perpetuates these events. This would be a good book for 11+ to explore the issues of racism and pay witness to the victims of these terrible crimes.