Ghost Boys is the story of Jerome, a 12 year old black child in Chicago, who is shot and killed by a white policeman. For most of the story Jerome is a ghost who wanders around Chicago trying to figure out why he can’t move on to wherever he is supposed to go after death. The message is good: no black children (or adults) should die because someone with power and a weapon “made a mistake” or was racist in his or her judgments.

But the story was confusing, and many questions were unresolved. Are all of the “ghost boys” doomed to walk the earth for eternity, or until complete and perfect justice is achieved? If the ghost of Emmett Till was returned to earth to inspire Thurgood Marshall, then why is he still around after Thurgood Marshall has already passed on? Was the murder of Emmett Till really responsible for starting the entire civil rights movement? Are the “hundreds and hundreds” of black boys the only people who have been killed unjustly in the history of the world, or in the United States, or are they just the only ones who are doomed to wander seeking justice forever? If they are supposed to share their stories, why doesn’t Jerome tell Sarah his story instead of having her watch a video and ask her librarian questions?

I just don’t think this book is a great introduction to the subject of racial injustice, but maybe I’m wrong. I’d really like to hear the opinions of young people, black, brown or white, who have read the book. Maybe they would get more out of the reading than I did. I think I would have preferred a straightforward telling of Jerome’s story without all the confusing ghostly stuff, but maybe the ghost story aspect makes it more accessible and interesting to at least some middle grade readers.

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This book may be nominated for a Cybils Award, but the views expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect or determine the judging panel’s opinions.