“Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better.”
Ghost Boys
Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. 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.
Read about the author’s thoughts on Ghost Boys becoming a banned book.
A video PSA to watch with your students after reading Ghost Boys
Presented by the Just Us Project
Honors
Recognition and Accolades awarded to Ghost Boys
2020-2021
Winner, Grades 6-8
William Allen White Children’s Book Award
2020-2021
Winner, Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Grades 7-8)
Nebraska Library Association
2020-2021
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Nominee (6-8 category)
Pennsylvania School Library Association
2020-2021
MASL Readers Awards Final Nominee: Truman (Grades 6-8)
Missouri Association of School Librarians
2020-2021
Young Hoosier Book Award
Indiana Library Federation
2020
10 Middle Grade Books Teens Want You To Read Right Now
Book Riot
2019-2020
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
Maryland Association of School Librarians
2019
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers
YALSA
2019
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
CBC
2019
E. B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award
American Booksellers Association
2019
Golden Kite Hour
SCBWI
2019
Walter Award, Younger Readers Category
WNDB
2019
Sakura Medal Award Nominee
Sakura Medal
2019
Brilliant Book Award Shortlist
Nottinghamshire Education Library Service
2019
One Book, One Philadelphia Middle Grade Selection
Free Library of Philadelphia
2019
Charlotte Huck Honor Award for Outstanding Children’s Fiction
National Council of Teachers of English
2019
Longlist, CILIP Carnegie Medal
CILIP
2019
Texas Lone Star Reading List
Texas Library Association
2019
Longlist, United Kingdom Literary Association Book Awards
UK Literary Association
2019
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award
Jane Addams Peace Association
2019
Texas Blue Bonnet List
Texas Library Association
2018-2019
Book Taco 2018-19 Recommended List
Book Taco
2018-2019
Read Across America Selection
NEA
2018-2019
Middle Grade Selection
Project LIT Book Club
2018
#1 Kids’ Indie Next Pick
IndieBound
2018
Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2018
Chicago Public Library
2018
The Best Children’s Books Of 2018, According To Librarians
Huffington Post
2018
CSMCL Best Books of 2018
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
2018
The Nerdies: Middle Grade Fiction
Nerdy Book Club
2018
NAIBA Book of the Year Winner
NAIBA
2018
Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist: Best Middle Grade & Children’s Books
Goodreads
2018
Best Children’s Books of the Year So Far: Ages 9 to 12
Amazon
Praise
Words of praise for Ghost Boys from the press and authors
“Deftly woven and poignantly told, this a story about society, biases both conscious and unconscious, and trying to right the wrongs of the world. Rhodes captures the all-too- real pain of racial injustice and provides an important window for readers who are just beginning to explore the ideas of privilege and implicit bias.”
“Ghost Boys gently walks readers through the minefield of young black boys who have been killed due to racism, dating back to the murder of Emmett Till. By exploring the fear that is at the core of these murders, Jewell Parker Rhodes suggests ways the living can crack that fear and, eventually, end this epidemic of death.”
Nikki Grimes, bestselling and award-winning author of Garvey’s Choice and One Last Word
“Rhodes beautifully weaves together the fictional and the historical… in this gripping and all-too-necessary novel about police brutality, injustice, and the power of bearing witness to the stories of those who are gone.
“This is an excellent novel that delves into the timely topic of racism and its effects on all individuals of all walks of life in the United States.”
“Rhodes has achieved something remarkable here: a kid’s-eye-view of violence and racism that balances innocence and outrage, wrenching loss and hard-won hope.”
“Rhodes writes in short, poetic chapters that offer graphic depictions of avoidable tragedies; her hope for a better world packs a powerful punch, delivering a call to action to speak out against prejudice and erase harmful misconceptions.”
“The voice of Ghost Boys is nothing less than prophetic: it rings out in its plot lines, in its characters, in its tones, in its images. And here is what that voice says: ‘Bear witness.’ Parker Rhodes undergirds the urgency of that call with the sweetness of grace-filled hope, so that, dear reader, you will come away from this tale, made larger–which, of course, is what truly great stories do.”
Press
Articles and interviews on Ghost Boys
2020
3 young readers share their favorite books featuring diverse characters
TODAY Show
2020
Episode #108: Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Book Club for Kids
2018
Author Interviews: Jewell Parker Rhodes
School Zone
2018
Episode #158: Black Lives Matter for Middle Schoolers
The Longest Shortest Time
2018
Q&A with Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publishers Weekly
2018
Jewell Parker Rhodes (The Children’s Book Podcast #434)
The Children’s Book Podcast
2018
Professor Jewell Parker Rhodes addresses police brutality, race relations in ‘Ghost Boys’
Arizona State University
2018
“Ghost Boys” Tackles Police Violence for a Young Audience
The Takeaway
2018
Galley Talk: ‘Ghost Boys’ by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publishers Weekly
2017
Why Teens Should Be Reading About Police Brutality and Racism
Moneyish
2017
New Crop of Young Adult Novels Explores Race and Police Brutality
New York Times
Order Ghost Boys
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