Ghost Boys | 
#middlegrademonday
Not your typical ghost story but such a good book.
Karisimo Yes! It‘s an important book! 3w
#middlegrademonday
Not your typical ghost story but such a good book.
pickA story of 12 years old Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistakes a toy gun for a real one. He tells his story as a ghost watching his family and the trial. The officer‘s daughter can see him and the two 12 year olds attempt to help the officer confront his racial biases. As a ghost, Jerome also interacts with other ghosts lost to Gun. Violence.
pickThis book was amazing. I enjoyed reading it throughout, It immediately starts off really sad by the death of Jerome. He had been shot while playing with a toy gun at a playground. And Sarah was such an interesting addition because she was the daughter of the cop who had shot Jerome. It was genuinely such an interesting read.
pickI'm not sure how I feel about the "ghost boys" device, but I love how Rhodes invites readers to see the many perspectives of a very messy and nuanced situation. You have an event that is clearly wrong, the killing of a child, and around that are the people and context that explain and complicate things. The novel recognizes the inclination to despair and the need to grieve while highlighting the necessity to take responsibility for making change.
panI appreciated the creative framing of a tragically all-too-familiar story, but I found the ending unsatisfying. I understand wanting to show the reality of police brutality, which often goes unpunished, but the resolution is that Sarah‘s dad helped her with her website? Not sure what that says about injustice and the responsibility of those in power. However, my students like it, and that is important.
Fifth #BookSpinBingo with the tagged. This might be my last #Bookspin this month 🤔 This realistic fiction centers on the narrative of a middle school black boy murdered by a policeman. The victim tells his story both before and after death, bearing witness to the senseless loss of himself and other ‘ghost boys.‘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Funny how life works. I downloaded the audio when my hold came in, started it, and then didn‘t go back because I am just fatigued with reality. Then I find out my son is reading it in school and he wants to do it in tandem! 😁 Mystery solved as to why he was talking about Emmett Till the other day. 💔
pickeven though i read this awhile ago, i always read back to it because it‘s such an interesting type of book. it‘s filled with topics about real life people who were victims of racial discrimination and were even killed. i really suggest you guys to read it if you are interested in books talking about racial discrimination and real life topics!
pickI loved this audiobook! I finished it last week and I am still thinking about it!
pickWow just wow!! This book didn‘t hold back at all. Jerome is the latest victim to be shot by a white cop who mistakes a toy gun for a threat. As a ghost he observes what his murder has done to his family and community. The daughter of the cop who shot him is able to see Jerome and communicate with him. I feel like this should be required reading. A very powerful book!
This book also brings me to my goodreads goal for the year!
I can already tell this is going to be a really powerful book. Listening to it on audio while putting together my pencil box sensory bins!
pickNo punches are held but the humanity portrayed by each of the characters is amazing. This book could make a positive difference in introducing/explaining racial bias and shootings by police.
pickI love the dual perspective when it switches back and forth between Jerome when he is living and Jerome the ghost. This middle grade novel tells the age-old story of racism that is still alive today. We learn about the story of Emmett Till and the fictional character and how they were both killed by ignorant and fearful white men. This is a book for everyone. #blacklivesmatter
Lazy Saturdays are meant for this! Out for dinner with friends tonight. Should have been on our way to USVI.
pickExtremely well-done middle grade book dealing with police brutality. A young black boy is murdered by police, but he remains a ghost with others who have been killed.
This is a great book to introduce younger kids to this difficult topic in a way they can understand, but it's also an excellent read for adults too.
pickTold from the perspective of a 12-year-old black boy who was shot and killed by a white police officer, this book is so relevant and well-written for middle school readers. #blacklivesmatter ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #oregonbattleofthebooks
“Stereotyoes about black boys don‘t make the world better.”
#blacklivesmatter #oregonbattleofthebooks
pickWhat a relevant book. The ghosts of all the black children who die from racism band together to support the newest murdered. It was a very poignant read and told the Emmett Till story from his point of view. I cried. #MiddleGradeMarch @sblbooks @megnews
I love the way this was told in both the flipping back and forth through time and giving Jerome a tour guide and support system in the presence of Emmett Till. It gave this a slight fantasy feel while still grounded in reality.
As heartbreaking as it was to read this at times (as with many stories like this), it was such an important read and I‘m glad it crossed my path.
#firstlinefridays
Our tradition of visiting the library before a ❄️ forecast continues! Maya is picking out the books online first, since we‘re short on time.
Although I think the only snow we‘ll be seeing is what is in the snow globe on this mug. 🤣
pickI think that this is a great middle grade book that deals with difficult subjects. It would be great to read alongside your children or students. There are lots of opportunity for good discussion!
Winding #yarn as I wait for my car at the oil change place and continue my last minute book-binge. Ghost Boys gives a very interesting perspective of the story behind the police shooting that leaves a 12yo black boy dead. His ghost comes to learn of and meet other Ghost Boys like Emmitt Till and Tamir Rice. So hard to listen to as I raise 2 young black boys. #blacklitsy #blitsy #currentlylistening #audiobook
pickVery short, but moving. Out of all the black lives matter books that I have read , I thought this was the most effective at getting the point across.
pickI am devastated after reading this book. It is too heavy. I know, have known, of this injustice. I have been saddened. But this book, the perspective, it was brutal. I am so thankful my 10 year old read it & was so moved that he insisted I read it too. It took me 2 hours to read it. Through tear & snot filled sobs, I got through it. I'm not the same as when I started. I wish there were no willful ignorance & hate. I wish everyone would read this.
pickI‘m so glad I gave this a chance. Although following Jerome on his journey was heartbreaking and felt too close to home in terms of the reality we live in today, the addition of having him interact with not only Emmett Till and other victims of race-related violence, but the daughter of the officer that took his life gave this a new perspective.
Much like The Hate U Give and Dear Martin, this was such an important read, just in a tinier package.
pickThe book was great. Twelve yea old Jerome was shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost he he noticed the devastation that has been unleashed on his family. Jerome meets another ghosts his name is Emmett. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened. I would give this book a 8/10 if you like exiting books and adventure and about equal rights this is a good book for you
pickOne of my students finished this yesterday and another wants to read it. I snagged it in between and promised to read quickly. It‘s fairly short, keeps from describing events too graphically, yet makes a powerful statement. This a book I can easily recommend to my rural middle school students for a perspective very different from their own but important for them to see. I only wish there‘d been a bit more about Emmett Till.
#middlegrade #TRS2019
pickBeautifully written and utterly heart wrenching. It‘s not hard to imagine that black boys and men who‘ve been killed at the hands of white people would want to stay close to those who can stop the horror. Jerome is a sweet MC, and I also liked how the author worked in the history of this topic, including Emmett Till.
Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2019
#booked2019 #diversemiddlegrade
#readingwomen #childrensbook
pickOkay, so I may or may not have read this entire book in a single two-hour sitting... Super powerful, compelling story. The parallels to Emmett Till were fascinating, and the book definitely had a good theme/moral without being too in-your-face about it. I can‘t wait to teach this novel in the fall! (Plus... absolutely NO LANGUAGE. Teacher‘s dream.)
pickSo sad but really important. Easy to read but no pulled punches. It tells the story of a black boy wrongfully shot. The perspectives of most participants are shared. It covers the historical perspective and suggests hope for the future.
pickIt was super quick but so powerful. I‘m glad I randomly downloaded it :)
pickPowerful middle-grade read. Rhodes builds a world in which Jerome, a black boy shot and killed by a white police officer, becomes a ghost who joins thousands of other ghost boys, other black boys killed by violence. The author alternates between Jerome "Alive" and Jerome "Dead," depicting both the events leading up to his murder and his attempts to help those he's left behind. (continued in comments)
