Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys

Jewell Parker Rhodes

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers · Paperback · September 10, 2019

A New York Times bestseller!

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Who it’s for
A grave, compact read that blends history, grief, and conversation-starting urgency.
Genres
Prejudice & Racism, Loss & Grief, US: African American Stories
Published
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 10, 2019

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About this book

A New York Times bestseller! 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.

Continue reading

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.

Heavy with Purpose

A grave, compact read that blends history, grief, and conversation-starting urgency.

Come here for

  • serious, teen-facing history with moral weight
  • a staged, performance-ready read

Expect

  • prestige-leaning tone
  • room for reflection over rush

Where it sits

Prejudice & Racism78%
US: African American Stories58%
Loss & Grief50%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • US: African American Stories
  • 20th-Century U.S.
  • Prejudice & Racism
Authors
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published
September 10, 2019
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
US: African American Stories