Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys is another book I ordered last week in an effort to bring in more BIPOC books into my library.  I am also searching for a book we can use for our school to read next year to tackle the topic of racism and tolerance.  

Ghost Boys is the story of Jerome, a 12 year old victim of another police shooting in Chicago. We learn his story as his ghost watches his family and community deal with his loss as well as through a series of flashbacks showing what led up to his murder.   As Jerome is coming to terms with his death, his family is dealing with being thrust into the spotlight, he also meets a few other young people. He meets Sarah, who is the daughter of the police man who killed him.  Sarah is also trying to understand how someone she loves could have made such a tragic mistake.  Jerome also meets another ghost- Emmett Till- who was a young black boy murdered in the South in 1955 who is credited for kicking off the Civil Rights Movement.  

This story was tough to read at times.  The story is told in very short, choppy sentences, which leaves the reader feeling a bit unsettled - which is appropriate given the topic.  It is hard reading about all the young people in this story- it is hard to make sense of these killings that seem to occur more often.

I'm not sure if this is a story I would want to read aloud, you would certainly need to open up the discussion so that students would be able to talk through the issues that are brought forward.  I feel like this is a book that is going to stay with me for a long while.  I'm going to lend it to a few other teachers to get their take on it, before deciding how I might use it in the fall.  Regardless, it is going to be in my library come September.

When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

The summer of 2020 has begun, which means more time for me to read YA books!  This summer, my plan is to read more diverse books, books with characters of different races, cultures and religions.  I've been doing lots of searches and looking for recommendations.  This book arrived earlier this week and it was the first one I grabbed yesterday.

When You Were Everything is the story of two best friends who are no longer best friends.  Cleo and Layla have been best friends for years, they have navigated middle school together and the beginnings of high school.  When Layla looks to branch out from their tight knit duo by joining the school chorus, Cleo isn't sure how to deal with it.  Layla begins to spend more time with the girls from the choir and things at home start to fall apart for Cleo.   The only way for Cleo to deal with the loss of this friendship is to wipe out all the good memories she had with Layla with the help of a new friends and a budding romance.

I loved this story- I actually couldn't put it down and had to stay up quite late to finish the story.  As a female, I connected with the loss of a close friend.  As a teacher, I've witnessed the pain girls who were once friends inflict on one another.  When you tell someone your deepest secrets it gives them the power to hurt you when that trust is gone. I've seen one person 'steal' another person away and the pain that causes.    Layla and Cleo deal with all of these issues in a real way and I can see this story being very popular with many of the grade 7 & 8's at my school.

There was a little bit of swearing in this story, but nothing inappropriate and nothing that would stop me from having this in an Intermediate classroom.   Ashley Woodfolk  is a new author for me, but I've got her first novel in my shopping cart already- she writes books that are relatable, realistic and a must have for classrooms!