Jewell has written numerous children’s and adult books hoping to inspire social justice, equality, and environmental stewardship. She enjoys teaching, walking her Toy Aussie Sheepdogs, theater, dancing, and music. Born in Pittsburgh, she now lives in Seattle.

 

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.

2. Why does Carlos bring a toy gun to school? Why might he feel like it is the best way to protect himself from bullies?  Why does Jerome take the toy gun even though it feels wrong?

3. At the court hearing, the defending lawyer accuses Officer Moore of “racial bias” (page 86).  What does he mean?  How can a person be biased without realizing it?

4. At the hearing, Officer Moore says, “I was in fear for my life” (page 131), and that is why he shot Jerome even though Jerome was running away.  Jerome wonders, “When truth’s a feeling, can it be both?  Both true and untrue?” (page 118).  Why is the truth so hard to determine in these situations? How did you feel when the  judge announced that Officer Moore would not be charged with a crime?

5. At the end of the book, Jerome realizes that he and the other ghost boys are able to communicate with certain people so they can “bear witness” to the ghost boys’ stories.  What does this mean?  How does bearing witness tie into the statement, “only the living can make the world better” (page 203)?