Jerome tries to do all his parents and grandma ask. Study hard. Come straight home after school. Look out for his sister. But school is hard, with the walk there dangerous, avoiding gangs, drug pushers and others looking for trouble. Bullies wait at the gate or hunt him down during breaks when they’re bored.

He works hard in class, but this too brings the bullies, taunts and jabs. Many kids don’t want to listen to teachers or learn. They’d rather talk about music, or gangs or street action. Jerome has no friends to speak of either, trying to keep out of trouble and to himself.

When a new boy joins his class, Jerome feels for him as his bullies quickly make fun of him. Jerome waves Carlos over to sit by him, and gives advice about the school. It’s not long before the Jerome’s bullies track them down, but Carlos has something to scare them off with. A gun.

Its not real, but is has the desired effect. When he offers it to Jerome to play with, Jerome isn’t sure. He decides it might be fun. He never sees Carlos again.

As a ghost, he must watch the trauma of his family losing him. He doesn’t want to be there and can’t understand why he can’t leave. But when he meets others that roam this realm alongside the live one, he begins to wonder if there is an important reason.

There is a terrible history of shootings in their country. 1000’s of black people killed by police, KKK or racism. Is there a way to finally make it stop?

This graphic novel is a moving and potent adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name. In muted colours, this story is told in sections separated by pages with one word in the centre.      alive   or   dead.

These pages indicate to the reader what happens to Jerome, stepping back and forth through events such as the walk to school, the moment Carlos gives Jerome the toy gun, right through to a preliminary court hearing, meeting other ghosts – and onto an emotional ending.

Shocking facts are revealed about shooting statistics in the USA, along with historical events.

This isn’t just a story for those who live there, but for everyone to think about their racial bias, prejudice and beliefs in stereotypes. Jerome’s family pays the horrific price of police brutality, and readers also see the fallout of the family of the policeman who fired his gun.

Angie Thomas says Ghost Boys is a Must Read, and I totally agree. 

Author – Jewell Parker Rhodes

Illustrator – Setor Fiadzigbey

Age – 12+

Publisher – Orion / Hachette

Set – Contemporary Chicago / USA

Viewpoint – 1st person

Violence – Yes

Sex – No

Real Life – Yes

Fantasy – Ghosts

Blend – Real Life / Ghosts / Racism

(2026, Orion, Hachette, Social Justice, Police Brutality, Shooting, Gun, Unprovoked, Crime, Police shooting, School, Poverty, Bullies, Ghost, Family, Friendship, Crime, Murder, Grief, Love, Real Life, Prejudice, Racism)