Ghost Boys Summary

Ghost Boys

A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes. Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that's been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing. Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father's actions. Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and socio-political layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of today's world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

Summary and Analysis of the Dialogues of Plato

Exploring History through Young Adult Literature

Giving students opportunities to read like historians has the potential to move their thinking and understanding of history in monumental ways. In Exploring History through Young Adult Literature: Middle School, Volume 1 each chapter presented in this volume provides middle school readers with approaches and activities for pairing a young adult novel with specific historical events, eras, or movements. Chapters include suggested instructional activities for before, during, and after reading as well as extension activities that move beyond the text. Each chapter concludes with a final discussion on how the spotlighted YA text can inspire students to be moved to take informed action within their communities or beyond. Through the reading and study of the young adult novels students are guided to a deeper understanding of history while increasing their literacy practices.