Ghost Boys~Jewell Parker Rhodes
Riley might have dozed off, but this book kept me up way past my bedtime! Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, tells the heartbreaking and eye-opening story of Jerome, an 11-year-old boy, who is shot by a police officer when his toy gun is mistaken for a real weapon. The novel switches back and forth between the day of Jerome’s death and Jerome’s life as a ghost, observing the aftermath of his murder. This novel certainly requires a mature reader, but it thoughtfully addresses a societal issue that students consistently see in the news. I like this novel because while it is accessible to struggling readers, it is also thought-provoking enough to capture the minds of the strongest students in your class.
Above, I have shared a picture of the "Alive" and "Dead" pages that separate the novel into moments from Jerome's life and moments when he is dead and a ghost. These pages appear throughout the novel. When I book-talked this title to my seventh grade students, I made sure to show them these pages and told them that when they read this book, it was very important for them to pause and notice these pages because they were a signal to the reader that Jerome's story was going to shift.
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Maturity: 2/4This novel uses simple language and is not difficult to comprehend, but because it is constructed around the murder of an 11-year-old-boy, it may not be appropriate for all readers. Personally, I feel that Rhodes tackles this intense and very emotional subject in a way that can help young adults process not only the events of the novel, but also larger societal issues.
Pages: 224
Lexile: HL360
A note about this Lexile score: The HL before this Lexile score indicates that this book is categorized as a high-interest, low-level reading novel. Essentially, the content of the book is highly engaging and has a Lexile score much lower than the typical reading level of its intended audience. This novel is perfect for middle schoolers because it is so accessible to learners of all ability levels.
Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child's reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel's themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!
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