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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
That was...rough. This novel follows the ghost of a 12 year old black boy who is shot and killed by a police officer. I was not sure how a children's novel was going to deal with such a heavy topic...but yeah, okay, I see what you did there. The style of writing is not my favourite, but fits a younger audience well. Definitely teared up at the end there. It was a quick read and I'd recommend it to my students, as it certainly opens the conversation.
This is short but POWERFUL. A young black kid (12 years old) killed by a white cop is back as a ghost. Then meets another historical Ghost Boy. Wow!
Masterfully done. The author deals with some of the most violent aspects of racism, weaving together current and historical events, in a way that is neither stilted nor sensationalized, and invites further study from readers. The text is clear and direct without being simplistic.
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Something about the storyline with Sarah felt off to me, but other than that this is a pretty good book. It definitely feels like it's aiming at younger audiences than some other books that I've seen that tackle the same subject matter.
I cried through the last 40 pages of this book. I can't wait to teach this in my classroom one day.
“Fear, stereotypes about black boys don’t make the world better.”
Whenever I read books like Ghost Boys, I get angry before I even started the book. Why? Because this keeps happening over and over and over. Black boys, men and women are killed like its nothing. Jerome was a regular kid playing with a toy gun and was shot and killed by a cop who feared for his life. As usual.
Whenever I read books like Ghost Boys, I get angry before I even started the book. Why? Because this keeps happening over and over and over. Black boys, men and women are killed like its nothing. Jerome was a regular kid playing with a toy gun and was shot and killed by a cop who feared for his life. As usual.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is so devastating to read. It was a good read, however there are some things I don’t particularly like about the message. I would love to teach this story and really go in depth not only with the themes of racism, prejudice and injustice, but also white saviourism. I feel like the story just needs an extra 50 pages so that the relationship between Sarah and Jerome could develop further, and so the readers could gain more insight Emmett Till’s story - especially as it is a true one.