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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Reread this with a new lens for an upcoming unit I plan do to with middle school students (a selection of novel choices paired with excerpts of Stamped From The Beginning). Still so impactful about a boy who is killed by the police in Chicago and then becomes a ghost overseeing the world after the shooting. This is a story to start dialogue/perspective shift with my YA readers.
Stunning and gut wrenching. Should be required reading.
This short story will definitely hit you. A timely and well written school aged novel around racism. The historical context of Emmitt Till was moving.
Ghost Boys is an amazing story, and I highly recommend it to my Middle/High School Teachers or parents of young Black boys. This story follows the story of a middle school young Black boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a white police officer. Yes, this story highlights the senseless police brutality and unnecessary killings of young Black boys, girls, men, and women; however, I really enjoyed the twist that makes it more digestible for younger people. As Black Americans without the liberty/privilege of ignorance, "The Talk" is happening earlier and earlier. This book allows it to be done in a way that assists parents and educators in this discussion.
As an AFAM Scholar, I also appreciated the inclusion of Emmett Till. After I saw the picture comparing Emmett's likeness to Tamir Rice, I began to believe that Emmett was still working to help more like him, and I appreciate how the author included him as the "Leader" of the Ghost Boys. I also enjoyed the comparison to that of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Lastly, I truly appreciated seeing/hearing that night from Emmett's perspective. It helps to humanize his experience from that of just a "Civil Rights Lesson."
As an AFAM Scholar, I also appreciated the inclusion of Emmett Till. After I saw the picture comparing Emmett's likeness to Tamir Rice, I began to believe that Emmett was still working to help more like him, and I appreciate how the author included him as the "Leader" of the Ghost Boys. I also enjoyed the comparison to that of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Lastly, I truly appreciated seeing/hearing that night from Emmett's perspective. It helps to humanize his experience from that of just a "Civil Rights Lesson."
Very relevant book. I would like to put this in the hands of all my students. Sometimes reading stories causes more of an impact, especially when the media is seen as “fake.”
Heavy, but necessary. The MC is a 12-year-old Black boy who was killed by a police officer. The story is told from alternating times, the events leading up to his murder and the events afterwards as he lives as a “ghost boy,” meeting other ghost boys like Emmett Till. Own Voices. F & P Level Z.
Why wasn’t I required to read something like this growing up? For a middle grade reading level, this book is excellent and I recommend it to all reading levels.
This should absolutely be a required reading for every middle school student!
WHOA. I can’t believe how many big ideas were packed into this short YA book. The story is about a fictional 12-year-old boy who is killed by a police officer in a situation very similar to the killing of Tamir Rice. He becomes a ghost and witnesses the trial and aftermath within his community while also connecting with the ghost of Emmett Till and the daughter of the police officer who killed him. The concept was unique and would certainly provide great opportunities for discussion with younger readers. As a side note: This author also wrote a YA novel about Hurricane Katrina called Ninth Ward that I would highly recommend as well.
Twelve-year-old Jerome is bullied at school and kept inside at home most of the time because of his grandmother's worries about their neighborhood. On a rare day that he is playing in an empty lot in the neighborhood, he is shot and killed by a white police officer who claims he thought Jerome was a grown man with a gun. Told from the point of view of Jerome's ghost, with flashbacks to the day of the shooting, this is a honest and important look at the epidemic of African-American boys being shot by police officers. As ghost, Jerome is able to see the impact his death has on his family, on his friends, and also on the police officer and his family. Jerome also encounters the ghosts of other African American boys who were murdered as well. A must read, especially for students not quite old enough for The Hate U Give. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.
ARC provided by publisher
ARC provided by publisher