What This Book Is About
Twelve-year-old Jerome Rogers is playing in a park near his Chicago home when a white police officer mistakes his toy gun for a real weapon and shoots him dead. In an instant, Jerome becomes a ghost—watching his grieving family, his neighborhood in turmoil, and a city divided over whether his death was justified.
But Jerome is not alone. He meets Emmett Till, the fourteen-year-old Black boy whose murder in 1955 helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement. Emmett introduces Jerome to other ghost boys—Black children killed across decades of American history, each carrying a story the living world has tried to forget. Meanwhile, Jerome finds himself drawn to Sarah, the daughter of the officer who shot him. Sarah is the only living person who can see him, and as she grapples with what her father has done, she and Jerome form an unlikely connection that bridges the divide between the living and the dead, between guilt and forgiveness.
Jewell Parker Rhodes writes with devastating clarity and restraint. At just 224 pages, Ghost Boys is a book that can be read in a single sitting but will linger in the reader's mind for years. It is both a ghost story and a reckoning with America's long history of racial violence against children.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why UWC Chose This Book
Ghost Boys confronts systemic racism head-on in a way that is age-appropriate yet unflinching—exactly the kind of difficult conversation UWC believes its students must be prepared to have. The novel does not preach or simplify; instead, it uses the ghost story framework to let readers see racial violence from multiple perspectives simultaneously, including the perpetrator's family.
For students in Singapore's international school community, many from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, this book opens essential conversations about prejudice, empathy, and how history's wounds persist in the present. The dual perspective of Jerome and Sarah models what it looks like to listen across difference—a skill UWC considers foundational to its mission of peace and international understanding.
Reading Level Guide
The themes are mature but the language is accessible at strong A2. Read with a parent or teacher for discussion support.
Perfect difficulty. Clear, direct prose that lets you focus on the powerful themes.
A quick but impactful read at B2. Consider Refugee or The Giver for a longer challenge.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
Not sure if this book is right for your child? Take our free 30-minute English assessment to find their CEFR level, then choose books that match.