You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Everyone should read this book. This exploration of race, hatred, and its further effects through the eyes of the child victim truly give this tale the heart and weight that it deserves.
A fantastic introduction for middle graders to this horrific pattern in our society. This was so well done and insightfully illustrated the people affected on both sides of the issue.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really want 1/2 stars for this review because for me this is a definite 4.5 star book. Here's why: Jewell Parker Rhodes crafts the story of a 12 year old boy who is shot by a police officer after playing with a toy gun in a park. It's a story that, told in the first person, feels intimate and immediate. I felt myself filled with empathy and sympathy for Jerome almost immediately - he wants to please his family, be a good big brother, be a "good" kid all around, and, most powerfully (and very accurately for middle school) avoid the bullies that hunt him. After making friends (his first friend!) with the new kid, Carlos, Carlos fends off their (now mutual) bullies by waving around a gun. It turns out it's a toy gun and for the first time Jerome both has a friend and chooses to play instead of doing all the "good kid" stuff he usually does.
From there, Jerome is basically instantly murdered by a police officer, shot in the back without warning, and we see the book alternate between his "alive" perspective of his last day and his "dead" perspective afterwards. As a Ghost Boy, he visits his family and the daughter of the police officer who shot him, who happens to be the only living person who can see him and talk to him. Oh, and Emmett Till is there, and the other Ghost Boys who died too young (those who are named are all black boys and men who were victims of police violence with the exception of Till, who seems to be a kind of de facto group leader).
The most powerful parts of the story include Jerome's forgiveness toward both the daughter of the police officer who murdered him and even the police officer himself, his friendship with Carlos (I LOVED the inclusion of the Day of the Dead and his grandmother belief in ancestors), Emmett's story, the concept of ghost boys, and the experience of Jerome's death written in the first person. It's a powerful book, and I definitely teared up repeatedly. It's also a profoundly intentional book; as Rhodes' afterward explicitly explains. Rhodes wrote it very specifically, with a purpose and with a mission. And that's great, but it also gives the book just a touch of a sermonizing quality that makes it a 4.5 rather than a 5, for me. It's a moral tale in the tradition of moral tales before it. There's no grey here. And, given the content, that's as it should be.
From there, Jerome is basically instantly murdered by a police officer, shot in the back without warning, and we see the book alternate between his "alive" perspective of his last day and his "dead" perspective afterwards. As a Ghost Boy, he visits his family and the daughter of the police officer who shot him, who happens to be the only living person who can see him and talk to him. Oh, and Emmett Till is there, and the other Ghost Boys who died too young (those who are named are all black boys and men who were victims of police violence with the exception of Till, who seems to be a kind of de facto group leader).
The most powerful parts of the story include Jerome's forgiveness toward both the daughter of the police officer who murdered him and even the police officer himself, his friendship with Carlos (I LOVED the inclusion of the Day of the Dead and his grandmother belief in ancestors), Emmett's story, the concept of ghost boys, and the experience of Jerome's death written in the first person. It's a powerful book, and I definitely teared up repeatedly. It's also a profoundly intentional book; as Rhodes' afterward explicitly explains. Rhodes wrote it very specifically, with a purpose and with a mission. And that's great, but it also gives the book just a touch of a sermonizing quality that makes it a 4.5 rather than a 5, for me. It's a moral tale in the tradition of moral tales before it. There's no grey here. And, given the content, that's as it should be.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was very eye opening and really challenged my viewpoint by the resolution. I loved seeing how the characters developed. This book also did break my heart but I would read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Grief
Minor: Blood
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An older children’s book that delves into the history of the killing of multiple black boys in an imaginative way. Not too complex or overly cautious. It would be a great book for a kid interested in social justice and racial reform with supportive adults who will engage in conversation about American history. It walks a fine line, but promotes hope in change.
Told from the perspective of the ghost of a boy shot by police, this is such a sad YA novel.