Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2018. $22.49 ages 10 and up

"Being dead, I see places I never saw before. See homes not high-rise projects, schools better than I ever imagined. Who knew there were schools with computer and science labs? Libraries with fluffy pillows and couches? I wouldn't have minded going to Sarah's school, I never would've been late or faked being sick. I don't think any kid at my old school - even the troublemakers - would've minded a sky-blue-painted school ... "

One of my good friends recently tole me that had I asked her grade seven and eight students which book had the most impact on them last year, they would have chosen this one. Deservedly so.

It is a story of a young black boy killed by a white police officer. Readers watch as the scene unfolds. Jerome lives in a poor neighborhood, and attends a school that does not have the funding it needs to support the children it serves. He is bullied and scared each day as he walks to school; and he is scared for his little sister as well. He protects her as best he can.

When Carlos, a new student from San Antonio, arrives and befriends Jerome, he shares what he learned there. When the bullying starts for him as well, he scares the three boys with his attitude and his toy gun. They stand off; Jerome is surprised and thankful. After school that day, Carlos encourages Jerome to take the gun for some imaginary play in the park near his home.

A police officer finds him there and shoots him, concerned that he is carrying a gun. Jerome's ghost is witness to all that happens following the shooting - his family's anguish, Carlos' guilt, the police officer's trial and subsequent not guilty verdict. Jerome also spends time with other ghost boys, including Emmit Till. He learns their stories, and the history that he is now a part of, and he is only seen by Sarah, the police officer's daughter. She can see all of the ghost boys, and is trying to come to grips with the action that changed all of their lives. 

Jerome's story is written in the past and his ghostly present (Alive and Dead), allowing readers to begin to understand the realities faced by black families as they lose their sons to the reality of racial injustice, and to the plight of those officers' families who must also deal with the aftermath of making a grave (conscious or unconscious) mistake. 

Challenging, historical, filled with enduring pain, and sure to spur discussion in middle years classrooms, you will not forget Jerome, his family, his friends or his circumstances.

I will leave the last words to Ms. Rhodes:

I write for children now. I believe they are our best hope for a better world. The young are curious and have such open hearts. I write challenging stories not to embitter them but to empower them to “be the change,” to remember always the sense of justice and fairness they knew instinctively as children when they become adults. Writing stories about ending all forms of bias and discrimination, I hope will be my legacy—my own personal attempt to “bear witness” beyond the grave.