MASL Book Trailer Winner
Ghost Boys: Noah C. from Heritage Middle School
About the Author
Jewell Parker Rhodes grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Drama Criticism, a Master of Arts in English, and a Doctor of Arts in Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director and Piper Endowed Chair at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative writing at Arizona State University. She currently resides in Seattle.
Jewell has written several adult and children's books hoping to inspire equality and social justice. Additional children's books by Jewell Parker Rhodes include:
Towers Falling
Black Brother, Black Brother
Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic
About the Book
Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer while playing with a toy gun in the park. As a ghost, Jerome witnesses the effects it has on the families involved. Fellow ghost, Emmett Till, helps Jerome and the officer’s daughter “bear witness” to the countless lives lost to racial injustices.
Praise:
“Deftly woven and poignantly told, this a story about society, biases both conscious and unconscious, and trying to right the wrongs of the world. ” - School Library Journal
“Gripping and all-too-necessary novel." - Booklist
“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.” - Chicago Tribune
“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.” - Publishers Weekly
Awards/Nominations:
2018 The Best Children’s Books Of 2018, According To Librarians
2018 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist: Best Middle Grade & Children’s Books
Lexile: HL360
Resources / Teaching Ideas
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